Joint Entrance Examination – Advanced


The Joint Entrance Examination – Advanced is an academic competitive examination held annually in India that tests the skills and knowledge of the applicants in physics, chemistry and mathematics as second stage of Joint Entrance Examination. It is the primary assessment for entrance to the IITs and various engineering colleges in India.
It is organised by one of the seven zonal Indian Institutes of Technology : IIT Roorkee, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, and IIT Guwahati, under the guidance of the Joint Admission Board on a round-robin rotation pattern for the qualifying candidates of the Joint Entrance Examination – Main. It used to be the sole prerequisite for admission to the IITs' bachelor's programs before the introduction of UCEED, Online B.S. and Olympiad entries, but seats through these new media are very low.
The JEE-Advanced score is also used as a possible basis for admission by Indian applicants to non-Indian universities such as the University of Cambridge and the National University of Singapore. High school students from across India typically prepare for several years to take this exam, and most of them attend coaching institutes.
As of 2026, approx. 1.3 million students appear in JEE Main annually, of which 250,000 qualify for JEE Advanced, and around 40,000 students gain admissions to IITs, NIITs, IIITs, and other technical institutions. All India Rank under 300 is often required to qualify for the most coveted Computer Science Engineering programs at one of the top IITs.

History

Before the Indian Institutes of Technology, India had a few engineering colleges. These colleges used different ways to admit students. Some used school marks, and others had their own tests. The quality of education and the ways to get into college were not the same across India.
The Indian government wanted to make better engineers. The first institute among IITs, Indian [Institute of Technology Kharagpur], started in 1951. In its initial years before 1961, students were admitted based on their academic results, followed by an interview in several locations across the country. From 1955 to 1960, admissions for the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur were conducted via a national examination. Academic disciplines were allotted to the students via interviews and counselling sessions held at Kharagpur.
The IIT-JEE was first conducted in 1961 as Common Entrance Exam, coinciding with the [Institutes of Technology Act, 1961|1961 IIT Act.] This was the start of a big change in how students got into IITs. The JEE had papers in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. It also had a paper in English. Students from all over India took the same test.
In 1978, the English paper was not considered when ranking participants' performance in the examination. In 1998, the English test was discontinued.
In 1997, the IIT-JEE was conducted twice after the question paper was leaked in some locations.
Between 2000 and 2005, an additional screening test was used alongside the main examination, intended to reduce pressure on the main examination by allowing only about 20,000 top candidates to appear for the examination, out of more than 450,000 applicants.
In 2002, an additional exam called the AIEEE was introduced, and it was used for admissions to many institutions of national importance other than the IITs.
In June 2005, The Hindu newspaper led a campaign for reforming the IIT-JEE to eradicate the "coaching mania" and to improve gender and socio-economic diversity. Two possible solutions were proposed - either a convergence between the screening test and the All India Engineering Entrance Examination , or a two-tier examination. Whereas ranks from the first tier can be used to gain admission to the National [Institutes of Technology |NITs] and other engineering colleges in the country.
In September 2005, the group of directors of all the IITs announced significant revisions to the examination. These were implemented from 2006 onward. The revised examination consisted of a single objective test, replacing and abolishing the earlier two-test system with screener. In the revised examination, to be eligible for taking it, candidates in the general category had to obtain at least 60% aggregate marks in the 12th-grade examinations organized by various educational boards of India, while candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Persons With Disabilities categories needed a minimum score of 55%.
In 2008, the director and the dean of IIT Madras proposed further revisions to the examination, arguing that the coaching institutes were "enabling many among the less-than-best students to crack the test and keeping girls from qualifying". They expressed concern that the present system did not allow for applicants' 12 years of schooling to have a bearing on admissions into IIT.
In 2008, the Indian Institutes of Technology began offering their admission tests in Dubai. Annually, the number of candidates for the examination in Dubai varies between 200 and 220.
In 2013, the AIEEE was renamed JEE-Main, and IIT-JEE was renamed JEE-Advanced; the JEE-Main had become the screening exam for JEE-Advanced.
In 2018, the JEE-Advanced exam started being conducted online.

Qualifying percentage (As of JEE Advanced 2024)

Minimum percentage of aggregate/subject marks may be lowered subsequently considering the toughness of the paper and the need of students.
CategoryMinimum percentage
of marks in each subject		Minimum percentage
of aggregate marks
Common rank list 4.17 15.28
OBC-NCL/GEN-EWS 4.17 13.89
ST/SC/PWD 2.50 7.78
Preparatory course
for SC/ST/PWD		 0.83 3.89

Number of applicants by year

Organizing institute

The JEE – Advanced exam is conducted by the seven zonal Indian Institutes of Technology : IIT Roorkee, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras and IIT Guwahati on a rotating basis. This list shows the organizers of the exam in recent years.
YearOrganizerDate
2000IIT Delhi
2001IIT Kharagpur
2002IIT Bombay
2003IIT Madras
2004IIT Kanpur
2005IIT Delhi
2006IIT Kharagpur
2007IIT Bombay
2008IIT Roorkee
2009IIT Guwahati
2010IIT Madras
2011IIT Kanpur
2012IIT Delhi
2013IIT DelhiJune 2, 2013
2014IIT KharagpurMay 25, 2014
2015IIT BombayMay 24, 2015
2016IIT GuwahatiMay 22, 2016
2017IIT MadrasMay 21, 2017
2018IIT KanpurMay 20, 2018
2019IIT RoorkeeMay 27, 2019
2020IIT DelhiSeptember 27, 2020
2021IIT KharagpurOctober 3, 2021
2022IIT BombayAugust 28, 2022
2023IIT GuwahatiJune 4, 2023
2024IIT MadrasMay 26, 2024
2025IIT KanpurMay 18, 2025
2026IIT RoorkeeMay 17, 2026

Paper pattern

JEE is conducted in two papers of three hours each – Paper-1 and Paper-2 consist of questions from three major subjects: physics, chemistry and mathematics. Unlike most of the other exams, the type, the number of questions being asked in the paper, the total marks and the marking scheme varies from year to year depending upon the organizing institute, with an average of about 32–38 questions asked from each subject across both the papers. For example, the 2021 JEE-Advanced paper had 38 questions from each of the three subjects.
Each paper in every subject is usually divided into 4 sections In JEE adv. 2025 in first paper, every subject is divided into 4 sections and in second paper, every subject is divided into 3 sections :
SectionProblem typeDescription
14 single-correct MCQs
  • +4 marks for every correct answer
  • 0 marks for unanswered questions
  • -1 mark for every wrong answer
23 question stems with 2 questions per stem
  • +2 marks for every correct answer
  • 0 marks otherwise
    • 36 multi-correct MCQs
  • +4 marks if the correct option is chosen
  • +3 marks if all the options are correct but only 3 options are chosen
  • +2 marks if 3 or more options are correct but only 2 correct options are chosen
  • +1 mark if 2 or more options are correct but only 1 correct option is chosen
  • 0 marks if unanswered
  • −2 marks if at least 1 incorrect option is chosen
    • 43 fill-in-the-blank questions
  • +4 marks for a correct answer
  • 0 marks otherwise
    • 5integer answers type questions
  • +4 marks for a correct answer
  • 0 marks otherwise
    • 6Numerical answer based questions
  • +3 marks for correct answer
  • 0 marks otherwise
    • Some previous year papers also included matrix match type questions instead of single-correct multiple choice questions.

    Syllabus

    Since the starting of the examination in 1961, the syllabus majorly consists of topics that are taught in Indian High schools, from the curriculum of Class XI and Class XII. These include topics from mathematics, physics and chemistry. A recent change in the syllabus was carried out in November 2021, when a revised syllabus was adopted for the exam, this syllabus has been implemented from 2023 onwards. A brief overview of topics asked is listed below.

    Mathematics

    Higher algebra, combinatorics, probability, geometry, coordinate system |points] and Line, [trigonometry, algebraic functions, exponential functions, logarithmic functions, floor function, fractional part function, signum function, even and odd functions, periodic functions, composite function, inverse functions, limits, derivative of a function, analysis of continuity and differentiability of a function, derivatives and their applications, indefinite antiderivative of a function, definite integrals, analysis of area bounded by a curve and its axis, and differential equations.

    Physics

    General physics, classical Newtonian mechanics, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, acoustics, electromagnetism, electrostatics, electrodynamics or, electromagnetism and electromagnetic waves, modern physics, optics

    Chemistry

    [Physical chemistry]

    General studies of substance, atomic structure, states of matter, chemical thermodynamics and chemical kinetics, equilibrium chemistry, electrochemistry, colligative properties, titrations, surface science and nuclear chemistry.

    [Inorganic chemistry]

    , bonding in chemicals, coordination compounds and complexes, metallurgy, qualitative inorganic salt analysis, hydrogen, detailed studies of reactions, physical and chemical properties, along with their certain compounds of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, boron family, carbon family, nitrogen family, oxygen family, halogens and noble gases, transition elements, actinides, lanthanides, types of reactions and environmental chemistry.

    [Organic chemistry]

    , general organic chemistry |heterolysis] and organic reagents, some named reactions, detailed analysis of [reaction mechanism">List of reagents">organic reagents, some named reactions, detailed analysis of [reaction mechanisms, the compounds and preparation of hydrocarbons, alkyl halides, carbonyl compounds, aromatic compounds, biomolecules, carbohydrates and polymers, amines, Chemistry in everyday life and practical organic chemistry.

    Seats

    Source:
    The number of students taking the examination increased substantially each year with 506,484 candidates registered for JEE-Advanced- 2012. However, with the two stage JEE-Main + JEE-Advanced structure from 2013, the number of candidates in JEE-Advanced is fixed at 150 thousand students in 2013 and it is increased in subsequent years to 250 thousand as of 2022. The total seats available in each institute is summarized in table below.
    Institute200220062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
    IIT Delhi5525525536267218518518518518518518518519101061120912091209120912091239
    IIT Jodhpur---------120120120160160200160120160180247352490490530550600610
    IIT Bombay49160057464874688088088088088090390392910261115136013601360135613681360
    IIT Kanpur4564565416087028278278278278278538278279101016118212101210121012101210
    IIT Kharagpur65365987498811381341134113701341134113411341134114531603190218691869186918991919
    IIT Madras553554540612713838838838838838838838838877967113311331133113411281121
    IIT Dhanbad44444465870592310121034103410239629359129121007952112511251125112511251210
    IIT Bhilai------------------------------ 120120127143183183183203243283329
    IIT Bhubaneswar---------120120120120120160180180260350369420475475475476496496
    IIT Dharwad---------------------------------120120126137170185310310385385
    IIT Gandhinagar---------120120120120120140150150180180194212250250288370400360
    IIT Goa---------------------------------909097150157157157157157165
    IIT Guwahati250350365435498588615615660660660615645702795902922952952962962
    IIT Hyderabad---------120120120140140210220220240285294317425470505595595630
    IIT Indore------------120120120120120120120260260275294360360360480480480
    IIT Jammu---------------------------------90120154213237240240280280305
    IIT Mandi------------120120120120120120145150150200282329329336520520520
    IIT Palakkad------------------------------120120120163181188169180200200200
    IIT Patna---------120120120120120200200200200225250361427547582733817817
    IIT Roorkee402546746884101311551155115511051065103097097510431190135313531353135313531353
    IIT Ropar---------120120120120120120120130155260309346370370395430430646
    IIT Tirupati------------------------------120120120180203237237237244254254
    IIT Varanasi5685686867668811057105710571090109010901090109011671364158915891589158915891589
    Total43694583553769928295950996189647988597841000610572109881208013674160531623216598173851774018160

    Note: This intake is only about bachelor's program intake through JEE-Advanced and it is not about intake in IITs, because some IITs also admit students through UCEED and Olympiads.
    In 2011, additional courses were introduced in the IITs. IIT Tirupati and IIT Palakkad were started in 2015 and four more institutes opened in 2016. In 2018, to ensure minimum female enrollment of 14%, the IITs introduced "female-only" and "gender-neutral" seats based on 2017 enrollment statistics; and "super-numerary" seats were allocated per-institute and per-course to reach a 14% target. With these, and slight overall seat increases, the total seat availability was over 12,000, including 801 "super-numerary female-only" seats. For 2019, with the partial rollout of a 10% EWS quota and the increase of the female enrollment target to 17%, the total seats available went up to over 13,500, with over 1200 super-numerary female-only seats. In 2020, with the full rollout of the 10% EWS quota and a 20% female enrolment target, total available seats increased further to 16,053, with over 1500 super-numerary female-only seats.

    Exam Toughness

    Every year, millions of students in India aspire to get into one of the Indian Institutes of Technology . "Cracking" the Joint Entrance Examination Advanced goes along with the brand of IIT. The JEE Advanced assesses candidates’ speed, accuracy, endurance, and most importantly, their conceptual understanding of physics, chemistry, and mathematics. It usually demands one to three years of focused preparation, long study hours, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. The "180 minutes + 180 minutes, morning and evening on the same day" exam format is unique to JEE Advanced in India. A 2024 Ministry of Education committee report describes India’s current entrance testing model as "elimination-centric".
    Along with the UPSC Civil Services Exam, JEE Advanced is perceived as being one of the toughest exams in India. JEE Advanced tests deep knowledge in specific fields, while UPSC tests breadth of knowledge and maturity across many areas, making them both tough in fundamentally different ways.

    Top Rankers in JEE Advanced

    YearAIR 1AIR 2AIR 3References
    2025Rajit GuptaSaksham JindalMajid Mujahid Husain
    2024Ved LahotiAdityaBhogalapalli Sandesh
    2023Vavilala Chidvilas ReddyRamesh Surya ThejaRishi Kalra
    2022R K ShishirPolu Lakshmi Sai Lohith ReddyThomas Biju Cheeramvelil
    2021Mridul AgarwalDhananjay RamanAnant Lunia
    2020Chirag FalorGangula Bhuvan ReddyVaibhav Raj
    2019Kartikey GuptaHimanshu Gaurav SinghArchit Bubna
    2018Pranav GoyalSahil JainKalash Gupta
    2017Sarvesh MehtaniAkshat ChughAnanye Agarwal
    2016Aman BansalBhavesh DhingraKunal Goyal
    2015Satvat JagwaniJanak AgrawalMukesh Pareekh

    Criticism

    In 2012, Super 30 founder and mathematician Anand Kumar criticized the New Admission Norms, saying that the decision of the IITs' council to give a chance to students in the top 20% from various boards in the class 12 examinations was "a decision in haste". "This is one decision that will go against the poor, who don't have the opportunity to study in elite schools," he added.
    The IIT-JEE is conducted only in English and Hindi; it has been criticized as being harder for students from places where other Indian languages, like Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu, Oriya, Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, or Gujarati, are more prominent. In September 2011, the Gujarat High Court acted on a Public Interest Litigation by the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, demanding the examinations be conducted in Gujarati too. A second petition was made that October by Navsari's Sayaji Vaibhav Sarvajanik Pustakalaya Trust. Another petition was made at the Madras High Court for conducting the exam in Tamil. In the petition, it was claimed that not conducting the exam in the regional languages violates article 14 of the Constitution of India. The Pattali Makkal Katchi party, a political party in Tamil Nadu, held a demonstration at Chennai for conducting the IIT-JEE and other national entrance exams in regional languages also, particularly Tamil in Tamil Nadu.
    The PMK party filed Public Interest Litigation in the Madras High Court to conduct the IIT-JEE entrance exam in Tamil. They claimed that every year 763,000 students were completing grade 12 in Tamil Nadu, 75% of them from Tamil Medium. They had to take the entrance exam in English or Hindi, neither of which was their medium of instruction nor their mother tongue, and so were denied their fundamental right to take the entrance exam in a language familiar to them. Shiv Sena urged the MHRD to conduct the IIT-JEE and other national undergraduate entrance exams in regional languages, particularly Marathi in Maharashtra. In 2017, the Supreme Court ordered JAB to put a bar on the ongoing counseling process. There were three questions comprising a total of 11 marks that were unclear.
    JEE has also been criticised for its notoriously tough, unpredictable paper pattern, for a high school student, the questions asked go way beyond the scope of conventional teaching in schools, this forces the students to opt for coaching classes. The coaching classes create a situation of extreme pressure for the students, gradually affecting their mental health.

    Coaching

    Many JEE training academies conduct mock tests multiple times a week, have up to 200 students per class, and make them study for long hours, ranging from 4 to 7 hours a day, in addition to regular high school work. There were hundreds of these academies across the country, and the most famous—in Kota, Rajasthan—attracted approximately 125,000 students each year. After Kota, a new city, Sikar, has been emerging as education city for entrance exams like JEE and NEET. In the last couple of years, Sikar is giving competition to Kota and students have started seeing Sikar as alternative of Kota.
    Coaching programs are major corporations, listed on the Indian stock market and also attracting billions of dollars of investment from private equity firms. The high-pressure environment at these coaching institutes has been blamed for a significant number of suicides. To mitigate this pressure, initiatives like National Level [Common Entrance Examination] provide students with exposure visits to prestigious institutions, helping them make informed decisions and reduce stress.

    Recent modifications in the exam

    There were several changes made to the exam in 2018. The Joint Admission Board decided to conduct the entire exam computer-based from 2018 onwards, hoping to reduce the chances of paper leak and make logistics and evaluation easier. It said that the online exam would neutralize the problem of misprinting.
    JEE 2020 was scheduled on 17 May 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the JEE-Main 2020 April attempt was postponed to September. JEE 2020 was also postponed and was held on 27 September 2020.
    A series of schedule revisions were carried out in 2021. The former Education minister of India, Ramesh Pokhriyal confirmed the dates for the exam. JEE-Main exam was slated to be conducted in eight sessions over four days—two sessions each day—for each phase, with a total of four phases being held in four different months. The first phase was organized from 23 to 28 February, while the other phases were scheduled to be organized in the subsequent months of March, April and May. The JEE-Advanced exam was scheduled to be held on 3 July 2021 but was postponed—together with the third and fourth phases of the JEE-Main examination that were to be held in the respective months of April and May—due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The third and fourth phases of the JEE-Main examinations were later held on 20 July – 3 August and 26 August – 2 September, respectively. The JEE-Advanced exam was held on 3 October 2021.
    JEE-Advanced 2022 was scheduled to be held on 3 July 2022 in the usual two sessions - Morning and Afternoon. However, with 2022 JEE-Main being postponed from April/May to 20–29 June/21–30 July, JEE-Advanced 2022 was also postponed and subsequently held on 28 August 2022.
    On 5 November 2024, it was announced by IIT Kanpur, and Joint Admission Board that the attempts of JEE-Advanced are now increased from 2 to 3. But after about 13 days, on 18 November 2024, this decision was canceled by the Joint Admission Board, and the old criteria were reinstated. During the course of these 13 days, some students left their colleges and joined coaching institutes for JEE and JEE preparation. A petition was filed in the Supreme Court of India by a group of students demanding the restoration of third attempt. The Supreme Court of India granted bail to the dropouts and said that the third attempt would only be applicable to those students who dropped out between 5 November and 18 November 2024.