The JEE Main 2026, Day 5 of Session 1, has now concluded. The JEE Main Exam on 28 January was conducted in 2 shifts: Shift 1 (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM) and Shift 2 (3:00 PM – 6:00 PM).

The Shift 1 detailed Paper Analysis will be based on the feedback given by candidates, the memory-based paper, and the expert reviews from the coaching institutes like Vedantu, Allen, and collegedunia.com.

The Paper Analysis will cover the overall difficulty, subject-wise trends, topic-weightage, good attempts, and cutoff to help candidates check the performance and prepare for the next shifts.

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JEE Main 2026 January 28 Shift 1 Paper Analysis

JEE Main 2026 January 28 Overall Difficulty Level

  • Shift 1 (Morning): Moderate to difficult. Calculation-heavy Physics, NCERT-heavy Chemistry, and lengthy Math. The paper was exceptionally lengthy and calculation-heavy. Time management was the biggest hurdle.
  • Shift 2 (Afternoon): Moderate to difficult. NCERT-based multi-statement chemistry. Lengthy Physics and challenging Math. Shift 2 questions required thinking outside the box.
  • Day 5 Overall: Moderate to difficult, as per ‌recent trends. Chemistry emerged as moderate, while Physics was slightly tougher and longer. No major surprises, but normalisation across shifts will influence final percentiles.

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Subject-Wise JEE Main 2026 January 28 Shift 1 Analysis

The JEE Main 2026 Analysis differs as per the different subjects of Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics.

JEE Main 2026: 28 January Shift 1 Physics Analysis

  • Difficulty: Moderate.
  • Key Topics & High Weightage:
    • Mechanics (Kinematics, Laws of Motion, Work-Energy, Gravitation)
    • Electrostatics, current electricity, and magnetism.
    • Ray Optics, Modern Physics
    • Thermodynamics
  • Student Reactions: As per some students, Shift 1 questions were mostly based on multi-concept problems. It was generally easy but required more time to solve due to application-based questions.

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JEE Main 2026: 28 January Shift 1 Chemistry Analysis

  • Difficulty: Moderate. Questions felt easier but time-consuming.
  • Key Topics & High Weightage:
    • Physical: Chemical kinetics, Mole concept, Thermodynamics, Solutions
    • Organic: GOC, Alcohol, Phenol & Ethers, Biomolecules
    • Inorganic: Coordination Compounds, Periodic Table, d and f-block Elements
  • Student Reactions: Many multi-statement questions. Focused more on organic chemistry than on physical and inorganic chemistry. Physical chemistry questions were mostly numerical problems. Despite being a moderate paper, it took so much time to complete.

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JEE Main 2026: 28 January Shift 1 Mathematics Analysis

  • Difficulty: Difficult. Lengthy and most time-consuming.
  • Key Topics & High Weightage:
    • Calculus (Integration, Differentiation, Applications)
    • Algebra (Matrices, Determinants, Sequences & Series)
    • Coordinate Geometry (Conics, Straight Lines)
    • Vectors and 3D Geometry, Probability
  • Student Reactions: Lengthy calculations and a very time-consuming section. Even though the questions were familiar, couldn’t complete them because of heavy calculations.
Predict Your College Chances As Per Your JEE Main 2026 Marks

Student Reactions & Feedback on JEE Main 2026 January 28 Shift 1

Students exiting the exam centres shared mixed but positive reactions to the JEE Main 2026 January 28 shift 1.

  • Time Management: Time management was very challenging, especially with the physics and mathematics sections.
  • Subject-wise: Students note that chemistry was easy compared to the other 2, while physics was time-consuming, even though the questions felt moderate. Mathematics was a difficult and time-consuming section.
  • Overall sentiment: Many students were not happy with physics being tricky and time-consuming. Mathematics was tough and challenging.
Aspect Student Feedback Approx. Percentage of Students
Overall difficulty Moderate to Difficult 75%
Time Management Challenging 85%
Physics Section Moderate 60%
Chemistry Section Moderate 70%
Mathematics Difficult 80%
NCERT Coverage Sufficient for 60-70% questions. 70%

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Expected Good Attempts, Marks & Cutoff After January 28 Analysis

Early estimates based on Day 5 feedback and normalisation trends:

  • Good Attempts: 45-50 questions (with high accuracy) for 180 marks.
  • Marks vs Percentile (Expected for 99+): 170-180+ marks.
  • Qualifying Cutoff (General Category): Likely 93-95 percentile (may rise slightly if papers remain moderate across the session).
  • Category-Wise Expected Percentile:
    • OBC-NCL/EWS: 80-82
    • SC: 60-62
    • ST: 47-50 These are preliminary projections - final cutoffs depend on overall session performance, number of candidates (~15+ lakh expected), and NTA normalisation.

Download JEE Main 2026 Answer Key:

JEE Main 2026 January 21 Shift 1 Answer Key JEE Main 2026 January 21 Shift 2 Answer Key
JEE Main 2026 January 22 Shift 1 Answer Key JEE Main 2026 January 22 Shift 2 Answer Key
JEE Main 2026 January 23 Shift 1 Answer Key JEE Main 2026 January 23 Shift 2 Answer Key
JEE Main 2026 January 24 Shift 1 Answer Key JEE Main 2026 January 24 Shift 2 Answer Key

This JEE Main 2026 January 28 shift-wise analysis indicates a moderate to difficult paper, offering scoring potential for prepared candidates. Stay updated with daily analysis. Best of luck to all JEE aspirants!