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JEE Mains 2025: Shift-Wise Difficulty Level, Toughest & Easiest Shifts Explained

By Jeevan MNNovember 05, 2025
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Which Shift Was the Hardest in JEE Mains 2025 Session 1?


Understanding the difficulty level of JEE Mains helps aspirants refine their study strategies and set realistic expectations. Each year, the exam’s shift-wise variation significantly influences scoring and rank. Here, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the 2025 session, highlighting the toughest and easiest shifts, aiding in smarter preparation and improved outcomes.


Toughest Shift of JEE Mains 2025 Session 1


Which is the Hardest Shift in the JEE Mains 2025 January Session?


Analysing the difficulty level of JEE Mains 2025, January 28th Shift 1 stands out as the most challenging. Student and expert feedback reveal that its Physics section, in particular, made it the toughest shift in the last four years. Understanding which shift is hardest can help candidates prepare more strategically for future attempts.


JEE Main 2025 Exam Highlights


ParameterDetails
Exam DatesJanuary 22nd to 29th, 2025
Exam Duration5 Days
Total Shifts10 Shifts (2 per day)
Subjects CoveredMathematics, Physics, Chemistry
Overall Difficulty LevelModerate to Difficult

JEE Main 2025 consisted of 10 shifts across five days, covering core science subjects. Most students found the overall exam moderately difficult, with significant variation between shifts.


Overall JEE Mains Difficulty Level for 2025 Examination


The overall difficulty level of JEE Mains 2025 ranged from moderate to difficult. Mathematics posed the highest challenge for candidates, mainly due to lengthier calculations. Physics and Chemistry were balanced, though certain shifts presented unique hurdles for aspirants.


Subject-Wise Difficulty Breakdown


  • Mathematics: Challenging, requiring intense calculation and conceptual clarity in all shifts.
  • Physics: Easy to moderate with conceptual and formula-based questions.
  • Chemistry: Moderate, balanced mix from syllabus, and NCERT-focused.

Which is The Toughest Shift Of JEE Mains 2025?


The toughest shift of JEE Mains 2025 is widely recognised as January 28th, Shift 1. This session featured complex, time-consuming Physics and challenging Mathematics. According to experts, this shift’s overall difficulty surpassed that of the last several years, pushing even high-achievers.


Which is the Easiest Shift of JEE Mains 2025?


January 29th Shift 1 is generally considered the easiest shift of JEE Mains 2025. It offered a balanced paper with manageable Mathematics, straightforward Physics, and Chemistry questions primarily based on the NCERT syllabus, allowing effective time management for most candidates.


  • Mathematics: Simple questions with fewer calculations or traps.
  • Physics: Formula-driven and conceptually direct items.
  • Chemistry: Strong focus on NCERT, making questions familiar.
  • Time Management: Students could complete the exam comfortably.

JEE Main 2025 Shift Wise Difficulty Level


A shift-wise analysis clarifies the difficulty level of JEE Mains 2025 and helps students adapt future strategies. This comparison overview gives a sense of which shifts were more demanding and which were more manageable for aspirants.


  • January 22 Shift 1: Moderate to difficult, with Mathematics being the hard section.
  • January 22 Shift 2: Overall moderate, consistent across subjects.
  • January 23 Shift 1: Moderate, slightly easier Physics and Chemistry.
  • January 23 Shift 2: Moderate, required careful time allocation.
  • January 24 Shift 1: Moderate with well-balanced subject weightage.
  • January 24 Shift 2: Moderate, no unexpected challenges.
  • January 28 Shift 1: Toughest shift overall, especially in Physics.
  • January 28 Shift 2: Challenging Mathematics, moderate Physics and Chemistry.
  • January 29 Shift 1: Easiest paper, balanced and straightforward sections.
  • January 29 Shift 2: Moderate, Chemistry stood out as easier.

This breakdown allows candidates to identify which shifts matched their strengths, helping optimise future attempts and revision routines.


Comparison with Previous Year Trends


Looking at the difficulty level of JEE Mains 2024 and 2023, similar trends emerge. Shift 2 often posed extra challenges, and Mathematics consistently tested candidates’ time-management skills. This insight allows those targeting the difficulty level of JEE Mains 2026 to anticipate key patterns.


Exam DateShiftDifficulty Level (Out of 3)
Jan 27, 2024Shift 11.68
Jan 27, 2024Shift 21.79
Jan 29, 2024Shift 11.42
Jan 29, 2024Shift 21.67
Feb 1, 2024Shift 11.82

Consistent analysis across years reveals that aspirants should thoroughly cover Mathematics while watching for unexpected difficulty spikes in certain shifts.


Preparation Tips for Toughest Shifts


  • Practise timed mock tests under realistic exam conditions for improved accuracy.
  • Prioritise easier questions first to gain momentum and confidence quickly.
  • Deepen preparation in high-weightage Mathematics topics such as Calculus and Probability.
  • Revise fundamental Physics concepts and formulae to solve numericals quickly.
  • Balance Chemistry by focusing on both theory and application-based questions.
  • Solve several previous year JEE papers to identify changing patterns in difficulty.
  • Maintain a regular study and revision schedule to address weak areas early.

Following these strategies can help manage the varying difficulty level of JEE Mains 2025 shift wise, especially during challenging sessions.


Important JEE Main 2025 Study Materials Links


S.No.Study Material
1 JEE Main Important Questions
2 JEE Main Revision Notes
3 JEE Main 2025 Books
4 JEE Main 2025 Question Paper
5 JEE Main Mock Test Series

Students can reinforce preparation with quality materials above and explore additional resources like JEE Main preparation tips and top JEE scoring strategies on Vedantu’s blog.


By closely tracking the difficulty level of JEE Mains, learning from shift-wise patterns, and integrating smart preparation techniques, students can boost their confidence and success rate. Vedantu supports aspirants with quality resources and adaptive guidance, paving the way for better results in all exam sessions.

FAQs on JEE Mains 2025: Shift-Wise Difficulty Level, Toughest & Easiest Shifts Explained

1. What is the JEE Mains Difficulty Level for the 2025 examination?

The JEE Mains 2025 Difficulty Level was overall moderate to difficult.
- Mathematics was the most challenging subject, featuring lengthy calculations and complex problem-solving.
- Physics and Chemistry were moderately challenging with some shifts containing tougher topics and concepts.

2. Which is the JEE Main 2025 Toughest Shift?

The toughest shift of JEE Main 2025 was Shift 1 on January 28th.
- This shift stood out due to difficult Physics questions and time-consuming problems in Mathematics.
- It is considered the most challenging shift in the past four years based on student feedback and expert analysis.

3. What makes the Toughest Shift Of JEE Mains 2025 particularly challenging?

The January 28th Shift 1 exam was especially tough because:
- Physics featured several conceptually demanding and time-consuming questions, especially from Rotational Motion and Modern Physics.
- Mathematics included lengthy calculations and a greater number of application-based problems.
- Effective time management was critical for this shift.

4. Which is the easiest shift Of JEE Mains 2025?

The easiest shift of JEE Mains 2025 was January 29th, Shift 1.
- It had balanced difficulty across all sections.
- Mathematics featured straightforward questions and fewer lengthy calculations.
- Physics was more formula-based and clear.
- Chemistry focused mainly on NCERT topics, especially Physical Chemistry, resulting in manageable questions for well-prepared candidates.

5. How does the JEE Main shift-wise difficulty level help students?

JEE Main shift-wise difficulty level analysis helps students by:
- Allowing comparison of difficulty across all shifts,
- Providing insights to optimise exam preparation, and
- Helping in better time management and stress handling by identifying challenging sections in advance.

6. How does the JEE Main shift wise difficulty level vary across different shifts?

The shift-wise difficulty level in JEE Main varies due to the distribution of questions and topics among Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.
- Some shifts have tougher Mathematics or Physics sections, while others may present easier Chemistry.
- Analysing difficulty shift-wise helps reveal trends and lets students adapt their strategy accordingly.

7. Why understanding the JEE Mains Difficulty Level is important for aspirants?

Knowing the JEE Mains Difficulty Level is crucial because:
- It helps identify complex areas in the exam,
- Aids in focused revision and practice, and
- Enables aspirants to build effective exam strategies and manage time efficiently during the test.

8. What preparation tips can help students tackle the toughest shifts of JEE Mains?

To succeed in tough shifts like January 28th, Shift 1:
- Practise timed mock tests regularly.
- Attempt easy questions first for quick marks.
- Prioritise difficult topics in Mathematics, especially Calculus and Coordinate Geometry.
- Revise fundamental Physics concepts and focus on problem-solving speed.
- Balance Chemistry preparation across all chapters and types of questions.
- Move through previous year papers to get familiar with question styles and patterns.

9. Can the JEE Main shift-wise difficulty affect your percentile or rank?

Yes, JEE Main shift-wise difficulty is factored in through a normalisation process:
- NTA uses statistical methods to ensure fairness if one shift is tougher.
- Scores are normalised, ensuring no candidate is disadvantaged due to their shift's difficulty.

10. How can I identify if my shift in JEE Main was difficult or easy?

You can assess your shift’s difficulty using:
- Expert analysis and shift-wise reviews published after the exam,
- Feedback from fellow students who took the same shift,
- Comparison with official answer keys and solutions for your paper,
- Normalised percentile released by NTA indicating performance relative to other shifts.

11. What was the overall trend in subject-wise JEE Main 2025 difficulty?

The trend for JEE Main 2025 subject-wise difficulty was:
- Mathematics: Most challenging with lengthy, calculation-based problems.
- Physics: Moderate, with both conceptual and formula-based questions.
- Chemistry: Moderate, predominantly NCERT-based, with a balance between theoretical and numerical questions.

12. Where can I find shift-wise question papers and solutions for JEE Main 2025?

You can access detailed JEE Main 2025 shift-wise question papers and solutions by:
- Visiting the Vedantu JEE resources section for each shift’s analysis.
- Downloading PDFs of previous question papers, solutions, and comprehensive analysis to help your preparation.


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