JEE Main maths for CBSE students
JEE Main is the first engineering entrance exam most CBSE science students sit. Its maths section is built on the same Class 11 and 12 chapters as your board exam, asked faster and with more twists. Here is what it tests and how to practise for it.
At a glance
- Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech.) has three subjects: Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry (2026 information bulletin; the 2027 bulletin is not out yet).
- Mathematics has two sections: Section A has 20 multiple-choice questions and Section B has 5 numerical-value questions. All 25 are compulsory.
- Mathematics is 100 of the paper's 300 marks.
- Marking: +4 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong answer, 0 if left blank. The −1 applies to the Section B numerical-value questions too.
- JEE Main is held in two sessions a year: in 2026, one in January and one in April. The 2027 dates are not published yet.
- NTA publishes the question papers with final answer keys after each session. to confirm
- The 2026 syllabus has 14 maths units.
- The 14 units: sets, relations and functions; complex numbers and quadratic equations; matrices and determinants; permutations and combinations; binomial theorem; sequences and series; limits, continuity and differentiability; integral calculus; differential equations; coordinate geometry; three-dimensional geometry; vector algebra; statistics and probability; trigonometry. to confirm
Section B answers are typed in, with no options to check against, so an exact method matters more than spotting the answer.
Which CBSE chapters it uses
25 of the 27 chapters in CBSE Class 11 and 12 Mathematics are in recent JEE Main syllabuses. The full table, with the other exams side by side, is on the chapter map.
How to practise
- Learn the chapter from NCERT and secure the board-style questions first (our Class 11 and Class 12 chapter pages).
- Do the chapter set below untimed, and read the trap under every question you got wrong.
- When a few chapters are done, sit a timed JEE Main-style set in one go.
- Keep a list of your mistakes and redo them a week later (My mistakes works for the CBSE chapter questions too).
Aiming for the IITs? See what changes at the second stage in JEE Advanced maths.
Practice in the JEE Main style
Timed sets
Official papers and syllabus
We link to the official copies only. Past papers, answer keys, the syllabus and the information bulletin are on these sites:
- Joint Entrance Examination (Main): official site (National Testing Agency (NTA))
- NTA JEE (Main) documents: question papers, answer keys, syllabus and information bulletins
Questions students ask
How many maths questions are in JEE Main?
In NTA's 2026 information bulletin, JEE Main Paper 1 has 25 maths questions, all compulsory: 20 multiple choice (Section A) and 5 numerical value (Section B), worth 100 of the paper's 300 marks. The 2027 bulletin is not out yet, so check it when NTA publishes it.
Is there negative marking in JEE Main maths?
The 2026 bulletin gives +4 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong one and 0 for a question left blank, and the −1 applies to the numerical-value questions too. See our strategy guide for what this means for guessing.
Are JEE Main maths questions from NCERT?
The chapters are the NCERT Class 11 and 12 chapters (with a few small additions and removals). The questions are not NCERT exercises: they are written to be solved quickly and often combine two chapters.
Where can I find JEE Main previous year papers?
NTA publishes the question papers and answer keys on its JEE Main site. We link to the official copies only and do not reproduce them.
More: common traps · formulas and strategy · Boards + JEE plan · all JEE and CUET maths
CBSE Math Revision is independent and not affiliated with NTA, the IITs or CBSE. Exam details marked to confirm are from the exam bodies' published documents but have not yet been re-checked against the current edition: always follow the official information bulletin.