Do you know which IIT sets the toughest paper for JEE Advanced? The difficulty level of JEE Advanced changes every year. Out of 2.5 lakh shortlisted candidates for IIT JEE, only 17,000 are accepted for admission in JEE Advanced keeping the acceptance rate at only 1%. Therefore, JEE Advanced also ranks as the 2nd toughest exam in the world. But does this mean that the difficulty level of the exam is dependent on the conducting IIT? Not every time.
IIT Delhi Director V. Ramgopal Rao said in an interview that “ The exam is designed to eliminate people or to reject candidates, not to select them. So it is tricky and complicated.”
- Not one IIT is responsible for the difficulty level of the exam
- A panel of subject matter experts from the seven zonal IITs set the exam paper every year.
- IIT Roorkee’s 2019 paper had the lowest qualifying percentage in recent years, suggesting it was more challenging compared to other years.
- IIT Guwahati’s 2016 paper is considered the most challenging to date, with some questions being exceptionally difficult to solve, even for experienced teachers.
Last year, 2,50,255 candidates was shortlisted for JEE Advanced. Out of which only 1,89,487 and 180371 candidates registered and appeared for the exam respectively. After the declaration of results, 43769 candidates qualified which is only 17% of the total shortlisted candidates.
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What Does Conducting IIT mean?
Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) are prestigious engineering colleges in India. A few IIT's such as IIT Bombay (World University Rank 149) have also ranked in the top universities in the world. Every year one of the IIT gets the authority to conduct the examination. This includes release of notifications regarding exam, registration process, releasing Hall tickets, provisional answer key and response sheet, results etc. They ensure that the exam goes well without any hindrance.
| JEE Advanced Year | Conducting IIT |
|---|---|
| 2014 | IIT Kharagpur |
| 2015 | IIT Bombay |
| 2016 | IIT Guwahati |
| 2017 | IIT Madras |
| 2018 | IIT Kanpur |
| 2019 | IIT Roorkee |
| 2020 | IIT Delhi |
| 2021 | IIT Kharagpur |
| 2022 | IIT Bombay |
| 2023 | IIT Guwahati |
| 2024 | IIT Madras |
| 2025 | IIT Kanpur |
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How do IITs set JEE Advanced Question Paper?
Most students believe that the conducting IIT also sets JEE Advanced question paper, which is not completely true. Subject expert professors from each IIT come to a panel and set a balanced questionnaire for candidates including Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. JEE Advance takes place in two sections, Paper 1 and Paper 2 and each paper is 3 hours long.
Which JEE Advanced Paper Was Toughest in The Last Five Years?
To know the toughest JEE Advanced paper, let us first have a look at the year-wise qualifying percentage mentioned in the article below.
JEE Advanced Year-Wise Qualifying Statistics
| Year | Appeared Candidates | Qualified Candidates | Qualifying Percentage | Allotted Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 180,422 | 54,378 | 20.56% | 18,160 |
| 2024 | 1,80,200 | 48,248 | 35% for the general category, 31.5% for OBC-NCL/EWS, and 17.5% for SC/ST/PwD | 59,917 |
| 2023 | 180372 | 43769 | 24.26% | 17340 |
| 2022 | 155538 | 40712 | 26.17% | 16635 |
| 2021 | 141699 | 41862 | 29.54% | 16296 |
| 2020 | 150838 | 43204 | 28.64% | 16061 |
| 2019 | 161319 | 38705 | 23.99% | 13604 |
The last five year JEE Advanced statistics depict a low qualifying percentage and 2019 was the toughest year for JEE Advanced exam. Paper analysis shows that Physics was most difficult. Application based questions were asked and only candidates with deep understanding of concepts can solve the questions. Chemistry was relatively easy and most of the syllabus was covered in the exam. As for Mathematics, it was very lengthy and time consuming. The difficulty of physics and time consuming Mathematics made students struggle in exam, making it the toughest JEE Advanced exam in the last five years.
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JEE Advanced: The Most Difficult Year Paper Analysis
When people talk about the most brutal JEE Advanced paper, 2016 comes up every single time. Candidates struggled, teachers scratched their heads, and social media exploded with memes and rants.
Let’s break down the facts.
- In 2016, JEE Advanced had tricky, unpredictable patterns especially in Paper 2.
- The Chemistry section was so odd that even top scorers couldn’t finish it on time.
- For Physics, the number of lengthy calculations caught a lot of folks off-guard.
- The toppers’ average percentage plummeted compared to other years.
"Students weren’t just tested on how much they knew, but how well they could stay calm when nothing looked familiar. It was the ultimate stress test." — Vineet Loomba, IITian & Educator
- 2016 Paper 2 Chemistry stumped most students—just 23% got more than half the questions right.
- Physics saw a rise in calculation-intensive questions, making even confident students spend too long on a single problem.
- Mixed type and matrix-matching questions were unusually tricky—if you missed one match, no partial credit.
| Year | Average Score (Top 500) | Highest Score | Paper Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 27% | 334/360 | Straightforward pattern, moderate difficulty |
| 2015 | 25% | 335/360 | Physics-heavy, but predictable |
| 2016 | 17% | 320/372 | Unpredictable, lots of conceptual traps |
| 2017 | 23% | 339/366 | Long paper, math-focused tricks |
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Source: Quora
Why Are Some JEE Advanced Papers So Tough and Legendary?
Some years, JEE Advanced has pulled stunts that left even top rankers stumped. When students talk about the toughest JEE Advanced paper ever, a few moments always come up.
- Unpredictable Patterns: In 2016, Chemistry threw a mix of assertion-reason and unconventional matrix match patterns that caught students off guard. People prepped for classic formats, then panicked when they saw questions they'd never seen even in mock tests.
- Strange Marking Schemes: The 2015 papers gave partial negative marking for multiple correct options. No one wanted a string of negative scores over silly mistakes.
- Tricky Language: Papers in years like 2013 and 2018 had wordy, vague options and questions where every word counted. Some questions were like puzzles inside puzzles.
- Unexpected Subject Weightage: In 2019, Physics got way more weightage in Paper 1 than usual, so anyone banking on Math or Chemistry had to improvise, fast.
| Year | Memorable Feature | Avg. Score (Paper 1) | Cutoff (General) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Partial negative marking, hard Physics | 42/180 | 105/504 |
| 2016 | Weird matrix match, confusing Chemistry | 48/186 | 100/372 |
| 2019 | Physics-heavy, tough numericals | 40/186 | 89/372 |
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JEE Advanced Qualifying Statistics: Category Wise
Candidates appearing in JEE Advanced have to clear JEE Mains first which is a relatively easier exam. The number of shortlisted candidates last year was 2,50,255. This number includes the bunching of percentiles and excludes the foreign and OCI/PIO candidates.
| Category | PwD Status | JEE Advanced Registered Candidates | Candidates appeared in both papers | Qualified | Allotted Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | No | 40994 | 39176 | 13829 | 6517 |
| Yes | 686 | 632 | 177 | 100 | |
| GEN-EWS | No | 31369 | 30348 | 5363 | 1999 |
| Yes | 253 | 240 | 74 | 44 | |
| OBC-NCL | No | 69913 | 66612 | 9028 | 4652 |
| Yes | 772 | 732 | 181 | 95 | |
| SC | No | 30898 | 29058 | 10993 | 2604 |
| Yes | 146 | 130 | 28 | 12 | |
| ST | No | 14403 | 13396 | 4082 | 1307 |
| Yes | 53 | 48 | 14 | 10 | |
| Total | 189487 | 180372 | 43769 | 17340 |
The above table clearly shows that the percentage of qualified students is just around 17% which makes the exam one of the most difficult exams to crack.
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Is JEE Advanced Difficult Than Other Engineering Exams Around The World?
JEE Advanced is widely considered one of the most challenging undergraduate engineering entrance exams in the world. It is held for admission to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), and only the top candidates from JEE Main qualify for it. Other exams, such as the SAT, are also easier than the JEE Advanced exam. Every year JEE Advanced is conducted in a different pattern and there is no fixed syllabus for all three subjects. Students must have a deep understanding of Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. The unpredictability of the exam makes it one of the most difficult exams.
If we consider the statistics of lowest pass percentage of students, we can also say that those were the toughest.
| Year | Setting IIT | Total Candidates | Average Score (%) | What Stood Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | IIT Guwahati | 1,47,678 | 49 | Tricky Chemistry, ambiguous questions |
| 2015 | IIT Bombay | 1,22,114 | 51 | Challenging Physics, long calculations |
| 2018 | IIT Kanpur | 1,64,622 | 45 | Switched to computer-based, new pattern |
JEE Advanced Previous Year Papers
| JEE Advanced Question Paper | PDF Download Link |
|---|---|
| JEE Advanced Question Paper 2025 | Check Here |
| JEE Advanced Question Paper 2024 | Check Here |
| JEE Advanced Question Paper 2023 | Check Here |
| JEE Advanced Question Paper 2022 | Check Here |
| JEE Advanced Question Paper 2021 | Check Here |
| JEE Advanced Question Paper 2020 | Check Here |
| JEE Advanced Question Paper 2019 | Check Here |
| JEE Advanced Question Paper 2018 | Check Here |
Quick Link: Check JEE Advanced Previous Year Papers for Both Paper I and II.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ques. Which IIT is conducting JEE Advanced 2026?
Ans. IIT Roorkee is expected to conduct the JEE Advanced 2026 examination, following the established rotation system by the Joint Admission Board (JAB). The conducting IIT is selected in round robin rotation manner where out of 7 zonal IITs in India gets the authority to conduct the examination. This is how every year a different IIT organises JEE Advanced.
Ques. Which IIT sets the toughest paper for JEE Advanced?
Ans. Busting this myth that only the conducting IIT sets JEE Advanced paper. What happens is that various IIT subject experts of Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics come together and set the question paper for the examination. Therefore, just one IIT is not responsible for the difficulty level for JEE Advanced.
Ques. What makes JEE Advanced tougher than GATE?
Ans. GATE is indeed one of the most difficult exam in India but it is more focused on theoretical and conceptual numerical knowledge whereas JEE Advanced is more problem solving and time consuming.
Ques. Why is JEE Advanced set so difficult for Class 12th students?
Ans. JEE Advanced sets a difficult paper to select the best talent for engineering colleges. There is a large number of students applying every year for the exam, the difficulty level also filters out candidates from the exam.
Ques. What should I do if I don’t get selected in JEE Advanced?
Ans. JEE Advanced can get you to the top engineering college in India. But if unfortunately you missed IIT, you can go for the second best option possible. Your JEE Main scores can get you into other top engineering colleges in India. Participate in JOSAA counselling or you can take admission in other engineering colleges as well.
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