JEE Main 2025 exam pattern revised, no more optional questions in section B

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced changes to the JEE Main 2025 exam, removing optional questions from Section B. This decision marks a return to the pre-pandemic format, where candidates must attempt all questions in each subject.

In Short

• NTA reverts JEE Main 2025 to pre-pandemic format
• Section B will have mandatory questions, no options
• Optional questions were a COVID-19 measure, now removed

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced a significant change in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2025, reverting to its pre-pandemic format. Starting in 2025, Section B of the exam papers for both Engineering (BE/BTech, Paper 1) and Architecture/Planning (BArch/BPlanning, Paper 2) will no longer include optional questions, a feature introduced in 2021 to accommodate the academic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the previous four years, candidates could choose five out of ten questions in Section B, with a total of 90 questions spread across Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. However, the 2025 exam will revert to the original pattern, where each subject will consist of 25 questions, with five mandatory questions in Section B for all three subjects.

The NTA explained that the optional questions were a temporary measure during the COVID-19 crisis. However, with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the end of the pandemic as a public health emergency in May 2023, the decision has been made to discontinue the flexibility.

JEE Main 2025 will continue to be held twice a year, serving as the gateway for admissions to undergraduate engineering, planning, and architecture courses in prestigious institutions like the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and it will also act as the qualifying test for JEE Advanced.

Students are encouraged to regularly visit the official JEE Main website (jeemain.nta.ac.in) for updates, with the registration process expected to start soon.