Detailed subject-wise syllabus with chapter-wise topics, weightage analysis, and preparation strategy
The JEE Main 2026 syllabus is the foundation upon which the entire examination is built. Understanding the syllabus thoroughly is the first and most crucial step in JEE Main preparation. The syllabus for JEE Main 2026 is based on the NCERT curriculum of Classes 11 and 12, covering three main subjects: Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. The exam pattern clearly indicates that all questions asked in the examination are derived from this prescribed syllabus, making it essential for aspirants to master every topic mentioned.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts JEE Main, has designed the syllabus to test conceptual understanding, analytical ability, and problem-solving skills rather than rote memorization. The syllabus is comprehensive yet focused, ensuring that students develop a strong foundation in fundamental concepts while also preparing them for the challenges of engineering education. Over the years, the JEE Main syllabus has evolved to include more application-based questions, reflecting the changing needs of technical education.
The JEE Main 2026 syllabus is expected to remain largely similar to the previous year, with minor modifications to align with current educational standards. Students should regularly check the official NTA website for any updates or changes to the syllabus.
Physics in JEE Main is known for its conceptual depth and numerical complexity. The subject tests students' understanding of fundamental principles and their ability to apply these principles to solve complex problems. The Physics syllabus is divided into two parts: Class 11 and Class 12 topics, with a balanced distribution between both years.
This unit covers the fundamentals of physics and measurement techniques. Topics include: Physics - scope and excitement; nature of physical laws; Physics, technology and society; Need for measurement: Units of measurement; systems of units; SI units, fundamental and derived units; significant figures; Dimensions of physical quantities, dimensional analysis and its applications.
Kinematics deals with the motion of objects without considering the cause of motion. Key topics include: Frame of reference, Motion in a straight line: Position-time graph, speed and velocity; Uniform and non-uniform motion, average speed and instantaneous velocity; Uniformly accelerated motion, velocity-time and position-time graphs, relations for uniformly accelerated motion (graphical treatment); Elementary concepts of differentiation and integration for describing motion; Scalar and vector quantities: Position and displacement vectors, general vectors and notation, equality of vectors, multiplication of vectors by a real number; addition and subtraction of vectors; Relative velocity; Unit vectors; Resolution of a vector in a plane-rectangular components; Motion in a plane; Cases of uniform velocity and uniform acceleration- projectile motion; Uniform circular motion.
This unit covers Newton's laws of motion and their applications: Intuitive concept of force; Inertia, Newton's first law of motion; momentum and Newton's second law of motion; impulse; Newton's third law of motion; Law of conservation of linear momentum and its applications; Equilibrium of concurrent forces; Static and kinetic friction, laws of friction, rolling friction, lubrication; Dynamics of uniform circular motion: Centripetal force, examples of circular motion (vehicle on level circular road, vehicle on banked road).
Work-energy theorem and power concepts are covered in this unit: Work done by a constant force and variable force; kinetic energy, work-energy theorem, power; Notion of potential energy, potential energy of a spring, conservative forces: conservation of mechanical energy (kinetic and potential energies); non-conservative forces: motion in a vertical circle, elastic and inelastic collisions in one and two dimensions.
This unit deals with rotational motion and center of mass: Centre of mass of a two-particle system, momentum conservation and centre of mass motion; Centre of mass of a rigid body; centre of mass of uniform rod; Moment of a force,-torque, angular momentum, conservation of angular momentum with some examples; Equilibrium of rigid bodies, rigid body rotation and equations of rotational motion, comparison of linear and rotational motions; Moment of inertia, radius of gyration, values of moments of inertia for simple geometrical objects (no derivation).
Electric charges and fields concepts: Electric charges; Conservation of charge, Coulomb's law-force between two point charges, forces between multiple charges; superposition principle and continuous charge distribution; Electric field, electric field due to a point charge, electric field lines; electric dipole, electric field due to a dipole; torque on a dipole in uniform electric field; Electric flux, statement of Gauss's theorem and its applications to find field due to infinitely long straight wire, uniformly charged infinite plane sheet and uniformly charged thin spherical shell (field inside and outside).
Electric current and circuit analysis: Electric current, flow of electric charges in a metallic conductor, drift velocity and mobility, and their relation with electric current; Ohm's law, electrical resistance, V-I characteristics (linear and non-linear), electrical energy and power, electrical resistivity and conductivity; Carbon resistors, colour code for carbon resistors; Series and parallel combinations of resistors; temperature dependence of resistance; Internal resistance of a cell, potential difference and emf of a cell, combination of cells in series and in parallel; Kirchhoff's laws and simple applications; Wheatstone bridge, metre bridge; Potentiometer-principle and applications to measure potential difference, and for comparing emf of two cells; measurement of internal resistance of a cell.
Magnetic fields and their effects: Concept of magnetic field, Oersted's experiment; Biot-Savart law and its application to current carrying circular loop; Ampere's law and its applications to infinitely long straight wire, straight and toroidal solenoids; Force on a moving charge in uniform magnetic and electric fields; Cyclotron; Force on a current-carrying conductor in a uniform magnetic field; Force between two parallel current-carrying conductors-definition of ampere; Torque experienced by a current loop in a magnetic field; moving coil galvanometer-its current sensitivity and conversion to ammeter and voltmeter.
Electromagnetic induction principles: Electromagnetic induction; Faraday's law, induced emf and current; Lenz's Law, Eddy currents; Self and mutual inductance; Alternating currents, peak and rms value of alternating current/voltage; reactance and impedance; LC oscillations (qualitative treatment only), LCR series circuit, resonance; power in AC circuits, wattless current; AC generator and transformer.
Electromagnetic spectrum and wave properties: Electromagnetic waves and their characteristics (qualitative ideas only); Transverse nature of electromagnetic waves; Electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-rays, gamma rays) including elementary facts about their uses.
Chemistry in JEE Main is divided into three branches: Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Inorganic Chemistry. Each branch requires a different approach and preparation strategy. The Chemistry syllabus is designed to test conceptual understanding, memorization skills, and application knowledge.
Fundamental concepts: Matter and its nature, Dalton's atomic theory; Concept of atom, molecule, element and compound; Physical quantities and their measurements in Chemistry, precision and accuracy, significant figures, S.I. Units, dimensional analysis; Laws of chemical combination; Atomic and molecular masses, mole concept, molar mass, percentage composition, empirical and molecular formulae; Chemical equations and stoichiometry.
Three states of matter: Gaseous state: Measurable properties of gases; Gas laws - Boyle's law, Charle's law, Graham's law of diffusion, Avogadro's law, Dalton's law of partial pressure; Concept of Absolute scale of temperature; Ideal gas equation; Kinetic theory of gases (only postulates); Concept of average, root mean square and most probable velocities; Real gases, deviation from Ideal behaviour, compressibility factor and van der Waals equation. Liquid state: Properties of liquids - vapour pressure, viscosity and surface tension and effect of temperature on them (qualitative treatment only). Solid state: Classification of solids: molecular, ionic, covalent and metallic solids, amorphous and crystalline solids (elementary idea); Bragg's Law and its applications; Unit cell and lattices, packing in solids (fcc, bcc and hcp lattices); voids, calculations involving unit cell parameters, imperfection in solids; Electrical, magnetic and dielectric properties.
Fundamental particles: Discovery of electron, proton and neutron; atomic number, isotopes and isobars; Thomson's model and its limitations; Rutherford's model and its limitations; Bohr's model and its limitations; Concept of shells and subshells, dual nature of matter and light, de Broglie's relationship, Heisenberg uncertainty principle, concept of orbital, quantum numbers, shapes of s, p and d orbitals, rules for filling electrons in orbitals - Aufbau principle, Pauli's exclusion principle and Hund's rule, electronic configuration of atoms, stability of half-filled and completely filled orbitals.
Separation techniques: Purification - Crystallization, sublimation, distillation, differential extraction and chromatography - principles and their applications; Qualitative analysis - Detection of nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus and halogens; Quantitative analysis (basic principles only) - Estimation of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, halogens, sulphur, phosphorus; Calculations of empirical formulae and molecular formulae; Numerical problems in organic quantitative analysis.
Fundamental concepts: Tetravalency of carbon; Shapes of simple molecules - hybridization (s and p); Classification of organic compounds based on functional groups: - C = C - , - C ≡ C - and those containing halogens, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur; Homologous series; Isomerism - structural and stereoisomerism; Nomenclature (Trivial and IUPAC); Covalent bond fission - Homolytic and heterolytic: free radicals, carbocations and carbanions; stability of carbocations and free radicals, electrophiles and nucleophiles; Electronic displacement in a covalent bond - Inductive effect, electromeric effect, resonance and hyperconjugation; Common types of organic reactions - Substitution, addition, elimination and rearrangement.
Classification: Alkanes - Nomenclature, isomerism, conformation (ethane only), physical properties, chemical reactions including free radical mechanism of halogenation, combustion and pyrolysis; Alkenes - Nomenclature, structure of double bond (ethene), geometrical isomerism, physical properties, methods of preparation; chemical reactions: addition of hydrogen, halogen, water, hydrogen halides (Markownikov's addition and peroxide effect), ozonolysis, oxidation, mechanism of electrophilic addition; Alkynes - Nomenclature, structure of triple bond (ethyne), physical properties, methods of preparation, chemical reactions: acidic character of alkynes, addition reaction of - hydrogen, halogens, hydrogen halides and water; Aromatic hydrocarbons - Introduction, IUPAC nomenclature; Benzene: resonance, aromaticity; chemical properties: mechanism of electrophilic substitution - Nitration sulphonation, halogenation, Friedel Craft's alkylation and acylation; directive influence of functional group in mono-substituted benzene; Carcinogenicity and toxicity.
Periodic table: Modern periodic law and present form of periodic table, s, p, d and f block elements, periodic trends in properties of elements atomic and ionic radii, ionization enthalpy, electron gain enthalpy, valence, oxidation states and chemical reactivity.
Metallurgy principles: Modes of occurrence of elements in nature, minerals, ores; Steps involved in the extraction of metals - concentration, reduction (chemical and electrolytic methods) and refining with reference to the extraction of Al, Cu, Zn and Fe; Thermodynamic and electrochemical principles involved in the extraction of metals.
Position of hydrogen: Position of hydrogen in periodic table, occurrence, isotopes, preparation, properties and uses of hydrogen, hydrides-ionic covalent and interstitial; physical and chemical properties of water, heavy water; hydrogen peroxide-preparation, reactions and structure; hydrogen as a fuel.
Mathematics in JEE Main is often considered the most challenging subject due to its vast syllabus and the analytical thinking required. The Mathematics syllabus covers topics from Algebra, Calculus, Coordinate Geometry, and Trigonometry, with equal importance given to Class 11 and Class 12 portions.
Fundamental concepts: Sets and their representations, union, intersection and complement of sets and their algebraic properties; Power set; Relation, Type of relations, equivalence relations, functions; one-one, into and onto functions, the composition of functions.
Complex number system: Complex numbers as ordered pairs of reals, Representation of complex numbers in the form a+ib and their representation in a plane, Argand diagram, algebra of complex numbers, modulus and argument (or amplitude) of a complex number, square root of a complex number, triangle inequality, Quadratic equations in real and complex number system and their solutions Relations between roots and co-efficients, nature of roots, formation of quadratic equations with given roots.
Matrix algebra: Matrices, algebra of matrices, types of matrices, determinants and matrices of order two and three, properties of determinants, evaluation of determinants, area of triangles using determinants, Adjoint and evaluation of inverse of a square matrix using determinants and elementary transformations, Test of consistency and solution of simultaneous linear equations in two or three variables using determinants and matrices.
Fundamental concepts: Real valued functions, algebra of functions, polynomials, rational, trigonometric, logarithmic and exponential functions, inverse functions, Graphs of simple functions, Limits, continuity and differentiability, differentiation of the sum, difference, product and quotient of two functions, differentiation of trigonometric, inverse trigonometric, logarithmic, exponential, composite and implicit functions, derivatives of order upto two, Rolle's and Lagrange's Mean Value Theorems, Applications of derivatives: Rate of change of quantities, monotonic - increasing and decreasing functions, Maxima and minima of functions of one variable, tangents and normals.
Integration techniques: Integral as an anti-derivative, Fundamental integrals involving algebraic, trigonometric, exponential and logarithmic functions, Integration by substitution, by parts and by partial fractions, Integration using trigonometric identities, Evaluation of simple integrals of the type, Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, Properties of definite integrals, Evaluation of definite integrals, determining areas of the regions bounded by simple curves in standard form.
Formation techniques: Ordinary differential equations, their order and degree, the formation of differential equations, solution of differential equations by the method of separation of variables, solution of homogeneous and linear differential equations of the type: dy/dx + p(x)y = q(x).
Line concepts: Brief recall of two dimensional geometry from earlier classes, shifting of origin, Slope of a line and angle between two lines, Various forms of equations of a line: parallel to axis, point-slope form, slope-intercept form, two-point form, intercept form and normal form, General equation of a line, equation of family of lines passing through the point of intersection of two lines, Distance of a point from a line.
Circle geometry: Standard form of equation of a circle, general form of the equation of a circle, its radius and centre, equation of a circle when the end points of a diameter are given, points of intersection of a line and a circle with the centre at the origin and condition for a line to be tangent to the circle, equation of the tangent, sections of conics, equations of conic sections (parabola, ellipse and hyperbola) in standard forms, condition for y = mx + c to be a tangent and point(s) of tangency.
Coordinates in space: Coordinates of a point in space, distance between two points, section formula, direction ratios and direction cosines, angle between two intersecting lines, Skew lines, the shortest distance between them and its equation, Equations of a line and a plane in different forms, intersection of a line and a plane, coplanar lines.
Understanding the weightage of different topics in JEE Main is crucial for strategic preparation. While the entire syllabus is important, some topics consistently carry more weight than others. Here's a detailed analysis based on previous years' question papers:
| Topic | Weightage (Approx. Questions) | Importance Level |
|---|---|---|
| Electrostatics | 3-4 questions | High |
| Current Electricity | 2-3 questions | High |
| Magnetic Effects of Current & Magnetism | 2-3 questions | High |
| Electromagnetic Induction & AC | 2-3 questions | High |
| Optics | 2-3 questions | High |
| Modern Physics | 2-3 questions | High |
| Mechanics | 4-5 questions | High |
| Thermodynamics & Kinetic Theory | 2 questions | Medium |
| Waves & Sound | 1-2 questions | Medium |
| Properties of Matter | 1 question | Low |
| Topic | Weightage (Approx. Questions) | Importance Level |
|---|---|---|
| Coordination Compounds | 2-3 questions | High |
| p-Block Elements | 2-3 questions | High |
| Alcohols, Phenols & Ethers | 2 questions | High |
| Aldehydes, Ketones & Carboxylic Acids | 2 questions | High |
| Chemical Bonding | 2 questions | High |
| Electrochemistry | 2 questions | High |
| Chemical Kinetics | 1-2 questions | Medium |
| d & f Block Elements | 1-2 questions | Medium |
| Biomolecules | 1 question | Medium |
| Environmental Chemistry | 1 question | Low |
| Topic | Weightage (Approx. Questions) | Importance Level |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinate Geometry | 5-6 questions | High |
| Calculus | 4-5 questions | High |
| Algebra | 3-4 questions | High |
| Vector & 3D Geometry | 2-3 questions | High |
| Trigonometry | 2 questions | Medium |
| Probability & Statistics | 2 questions | Medium |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 1 question | Low |
| Linear Programming | 1 question | Low |
The weightage analysis provided is based on previous years' trends and may vary slightly in the actual JEE Main 2026 examination. While focusing on high-weightage topics is important for maximizing scores, students should not completely ignore low-weightage topics as they can be crucial for securing those extra marks that make a difference in rank.
Effective preparation for JEE Main 2026 requires a well-planned strategy that covers the entire syllabus while focusing on important topics. Here are some key strategies to help you prepare effectively:
Begin your preparation by thoroughly understanding the complete syllabus and exam pattern. This will help you identify important topics and allocate your time accordingly. Make sure you're familiar with the marking scheme, question types, and duration of the exam.
Develop a study schedule that covers all subjects and topics. Allocate more time to difficult subjects or topics you're weak in, but don't completely ignore your strong areas. Include regular revisions and practice tests in your schedule.
JEE Main tests conceptual understanding rather than rote learning. Make sure you understand the fundamental concepts behind each topic. This will help you solve application-based questions that are common in the exam.
Regular practice is key to success in JEE Main. Solve a variety of problems from different sources, including previous years' question papers and mock tests. This will help you improve your speed and accuracy.
Learn to manage your time effectively during both preparation and the actual exam. Practice solving questions within time limits to improve your speed. During the exam, don't spend too much time on difficult questions; move on and come back to them later if time permits.
Regular revision is essential to retain what you've learned. Create short notes for quick revisions, especially for formulas, important concepts, and common mistakes.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle with proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Stay positive and motivated throughout your preparation journey. Don't let setbacks discourage you; learn from them and keep improving.
Focus on understanding the application of concepts rather than just memorizing formulas. JEE Main questions often test your ability to apply concepts to new situations, so developing strong problem-solving skills is crucial.