The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced a key change to the JEE Main exam pattern for 2025, marking a return to its pre-pandemic format. In Section B, students will now face only five mandatory numerical questions per subject—without any optional questions. This adjustment signals an end to the flexibility introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, when candidates could select any five out of ten numerical questions across subjects like Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
JEE Main Exam Structure Changes
Between 2021 and 2024, the JEE Main allowed flexibility in Section B, with the intent of alleviating pressure on students affected by online classes and varying state board curricula. The examination consisted of 90 questions in total, distributed across three subjects, with each subject including 20 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in Section A and 10 numerical value type (NVT) questions in Section B. Candidates could then choose any five of these numerical questions per subject. However, with the World Health Organization declaring the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 5, 2023, the NTA has decided to remove the optional questions and restore the exam’s original format.
Expert Insights on the Revised Pattern
With the return of the original JEE Main pattern, experts believe this change will encourage comprehensive preparation among aspirants. Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, vice-chancellor of BITS Pilani Group and former director of IIT Delhi, remarks that eliminating optional questions will benefit students by strengthening their critical thinking skills, which are crucial for analytical subjects at the IIT level.
Moreover, the change aligns with academic integrity goals, which aim to prevent selective study strategies that can compromise student learning. Prof. Chandrashekar Ramanathan, Dean (Academics) at IIIT-Bangalore, highlights that without options, students will need to cover the entire syllabus comprehensively, rather than focusing selectively on topics. Removing choice in questions also reduces potential bias from topic-specific preparation, ensuring a more consistent test of students’ knowledge and reasoning skills.
Exam Pattern Details and Grading
The reintroduced format will reward candidates with four marks for each correct answer, with no negative marking for incorrect responses in Section B, a shift designed to minimize the impact of guesswork. This adjustment is expected to alleviate some stress, particularly for students concerned about penalties for incorrect answers under the previous format, which introduced negative marking during the pandemic.
Additional Changes to the Syllabus
In 2024, the syllabus was also revised, with significant modifications across subjects. In Chemistry, six units were removed, and around 20 topics were eliminated from five other units. Physics saw the complete removal of the Communication Systems unit, with several topics removed across 15 units. In Mathematics, Mathematical Induction and Mathematical Reasoning units were eliminated, while some new topics were introduced in Physics. These syllabus adjustments, coupled with the revised pattern, will further guide students’ preparation for the 2025 exams.
Academic and Pedagogical Implications
Experts, including Prof. Rao and Prof. Ramanathan, view the return to the pre-COVID pattern as a balanced and researched decision that restores rigour to the assessment. The structured approach requires students to engage with the full curriculum, supporting academic consistency across various education boards. Prof. Ramanathan further explains that the removal of optional questions promotes equitable assessments when questions are conceptually equivalent and have similar difficulty levels, providing a more reliable measure of student capability.
The new pattern also aims to ease students’ transition to the rigorous demands of JEE Advanced. According to Prof. Ramanathan, tackling mandatory numerical questions fosters a strong foundation in application-based problem-solving, which is essential for succeeding in advanced engineering courses.
Conclusion
For JEE aspirants, the new format will require adjustments in study strategies, emphasizing thorough preparation across all syllabus topics. Experts agree that the reinstated pattern will uphold the integrity and challenge of the JEE Main, enhancing the academic readiness of students entering engineering programs. While the changes may initially seem demanding, the exam’s pre-COVID structure has long been regarded as a rigorous yet fair evaluation method, equipping students for success in their engineering pursuits.
