What is the JEE Main & JEE Advanced?

JEE Main and JEE Advanced are national-level entrance exams that grant admissions to the top engineering colleges of India. Joint Entrance Test (JEE) is one of the milestones that any engineering student needs to clear to seek admission into the desired courses. Any JEE aspirants need to know the difference between these two Entrance Examinations. However, both exams are inter-connected but their contrast cannot be avoided. 

Students first need to crack JEE Main to appear for the JEE advance exam. JEE Main is operated by the National Testing Agency (NTA) whereas JEE Advanced is managed by the IIT. Here, we are presenting complete data regarding the difference between JEE Mains And JEE Advanced.

Difference between JEE Main and JEE Advanced

There are several differences between JEE Main and JEE Advanced but, below are the basic differences mentioned:

1. Courses:

JEE Main is conducted to provide admissions into BE or B.Tech courses in IIITs, NITs & other Institutions all around India, while JEE Advanced is the criteria to get admissions in all 23 well renowned Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

2. Eligibility:

For JEE Main, there is no designated percentage to appear in the examination. But to get admissions in IITs, NITs, and CFTIs, a candidate should score a minimum of 75% marks (for SC/ST students it's 65%) in the JEE advanced exam or must be in the top 20% in class 12th exam. 

For JEE Main

• There is no age limit to appear in the JEE Main Exam 
• Candidates must have passed Class 12th in 2019, 2020 or are appearing for the exams in 2021. 
• Students who have passed Class 12th in 2018 or before are not eligible.

However, the top 2,50,000 candidates who qualify for JEE Main are eligible to appear for JEE Advanced. 

For JEE Advanced 2021

• Those candidates are eligible who have been born on or after October 1, 1996. But, SC, ST and PwD candidates will get a relaxation of 5 years (born on or after 1st October, 1991).
• The maximum number of attempts a candidate can attempt for JEE Advanced is two times in two consecutive years.
• Candidates who passed their 12th class exam in 2019 or 2020 are eligible.

3. Number of Attempts:

AS there is no attempt limit, a student can apply for the JEE Main exams any number of times, but for JEE Advanced, students can apply a maximum of two times in two consecutive years.

4. Mode of Examination:

JEE Main Paper consists of: Paper 1 & Paper 2

Paper 1 (B.Tech/BE) is carried through an online mode (Computer Based Examination), while Paper 2 (B.Arch/B.Planning) is conducted through offline mode (Pen and Paper based examination).

JEE Advanced Examination consists of: Paper 1 & Paper 2

It is held through online mode (Computer Based Examination) only. Students have to appear in both Paper 1 & Paper 2 for admission in the engineering courses. 

Students who wish to take admissions into the B.Arch programme offered by the IITs, first, they have to pass both Papers 1 & 2 and then apply for the Architecture Aptitude Test (AAT). 

AAT is conducted by the 7 zonal IITs of India. Only after qualifying for the JEE advanced exam, students can apply for the AAT exam.

5. Paper Type:

The JEE Main Question Paper (Paper 1) covers Chemistry, Physics, & Mathematics.

Each subject will have 20 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and 10 numerical questions, 5 out of 10 numerical questions are optional and do not have negative marking. 

On the other hand, JEE Advanced Paper 1 & 2 have objective-type questions from Chemistry, Physics, & Mathematics.

An exciting feature of the JEE Advanced exam is its marking scheme which comprises full, partial and zero marks scheme.

JEE Advanced Paper-1 Pattern 

Section	Types of questions	No. of questions	Maximum Marks
Section 1	MCQs with 1 or more than1 right answer	6	24
Section 2	Numerical value answer type questions	8	24
Section 3	Paragraph based questions	4	12

JEE Advanced Paper-2 Pattern 

Section	Types of questions	No. of questions	Maximum Marks
Section 1	MCQs with 1 or more than1 right answer	6	24
Section 2	Numerical value answer type questions	8	24
Section 3	Paragraph based questions	4	12

6. Syllabus:

The syllabus of both the exams is also separate. The JEE Main syllabus comprises Class 11th and 12th Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics while in JEE Advanced, some additional topics are to be covered in the exam.

7. Admission Criteria

Here comes the main difference in terms of admissions:

Candidates who qualify for the JEE Main can get admission in IIITs, NITs, and various CFTIs across the nation, while all 23 IITs and ISM Dhanbad give admissions according to All India Rank (AIR) in JEE Advanced along with the top 20 percentiles in reputed boards.

We believe this article has cleared all your doubts, queries, and confusions regarding the differences between JEE Main and Advanced entrance exams.

All the very best for your preparation and exam!