JEE Main 2026 (23 Jan, Shift 2) Maths Analysis Chapter Weightage, Difficulty & Expected Cutoff
The 23 January 2026 evening shift stepped the difficulty up from the morning. The Mathematics paper was moderate-to-tough, with nine hard questions spread across matrices, conics and multi-step integration. Algebra again led, but the coordinate-geometry and calculus problems ran deep.
Here is the full breakdown: what was asked, where the marks sat, how hard it really was, and roughly what a good attempt looked like.
The paper at a glance
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exam | JEE Main 2026 · 23 Jan · Shift 2 (Evening) |
| Questions | 25 (Q1–Q20 single-correct MCQ, Q21–Q25 numerical) |
| Marks | 100 (+4 correct, –1 wrong on MCQs; no negative on numericals) |
| Overall difficulty | Moderate, leaning tough |
| Biggest units | Algebra (36 marks) · Calculus (20 marks) |
| Toughest questions | Q8, Q9, Q23, Q24 |
| Answer key | Independently verified — no errors found |
Overall verdict
A tougher paper than the morning. The hard questions weren't confined to the numerical section this time — Section A already carried six of them, including a circle-through-two-ellipses problem and an equilateral-triangle hyperbola. Algebra stayed the biggest scoring unit, and the easy marks (Q4 rhombus, Q15 distributing oranges) were genuinely quick, but the medium band was the real battleground.
Grab the 2 easy + 14 medium questions cleanly first, then pick your battles among the 9 hard ones. Q8, Q9, Q23 and Q24 were the biggest time sinks — don't get stuck on them early.
Unit-wise weightage
- Algebra — 9 questions · 36 marks. Two Sets/Relations/Functions, two Matrices, two Permutations & Combinations, plus Logarithms, Complex Numbers and Sequences.
- Calculus — 5 questions · 20 marks. Continuity, Area, Indefinite and Definite Integration, and a Differential Equation.
- Coordinate Geometry — 4 questions · 16 marks. Straight Lines, Circle, Hyperbola and Parabola.
- Vectors & 3D — 3 questions · 12 marks. Two vectors and one 3D reflection problem.
- Trigonometry — 2 questions · 8 marks.
- Statistics & Probability — 2 questions · 8 marks.
Algebra + Calculus = 56 of 100 marks, but with several hard coordinate-geometry problems, breadth mattered more than usual.
Chapter weightage
Five chapters gave two questions each — Sets/Relations/Functions, Matrices & Determinants, Permutations & Combinations, Vectors and Trigonometry — while 15 other chapters gave exactly one.
| Chapter | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Sets, Relations & Functions | 2 | 8 |
| Matrices & Determinants | 2 | 8 |
| Permutations & Combinations | 2 | 8 |
| Vectors | 2 | 8 |
| Trigonometry | 2 | 8 |
| 15 other chapters | 1 each | 4 each |
Difficulty split
| Level | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 2 | 8% |
| Medium | 14 | 56% |
| Hard | 9 | 36% |
At 36% hard (DI 2.28), this shift was clearly tougher than the morning's 28%. The hard questions were unusually spread through Section A, not just the numerical section.
The four questions that decided the paper
Q8 — Circle through two ellipses' intersections (Hard). A family-of-conics trick made to look like a circle.
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The family becomes a circle when the coefficients match: . That circle has centre and , so . Answer: (4).
Q9 — Equilateral triangle on a hyperbola (Hard).
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With , . The equilateral condition gives , so and the area . Answer: (2).
Q23 — Convolution integral equation (Hard).
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Expanding and integrating by parts gives . Setting this forces , i.e. ; on there are 16 such values. Answer: 16.
Q24 — Cayley transform of a skew matrix (Hard).
▸ SHOW SOLUTION
is skew-symmetric, so is orthogonal: . Therefore . Answer: 3.
Every answer on this shift was independently re-derived and verified by IITIANFORUM. In Q16 the correct relation count is 34 (not the booklet's 36), so Statement I is false and Statement II true — option (2).
Expected good attempt & cutoff read
Directional only — actual percentiles depend on normalisation across shifts:
- Excellent (top percentile): 21+ correct with clean numericals.
- Strong: 17–20 correct.
- Safe: 13–16 correct — bank every easy and medium question.
With hard questions scattered through Section A, time-management mattered more here than on the morning shift.
What to take away for your prep
- Algebra was 36% of the paper. Sets/Relations/Functions, Matrices and P&C all repeated — none are optional.
- Coordinate Geometry went deep. A circle-through-conics and an equilateral-triangle hyperbola were both genuinely hard — conics reward real practice, not just formulae.
- Section A can hide hard questions. Don't assume the MCQs are all easy; triage as you go.
FAQ
How difficult was JEE Main 2026 Maths on 23 January Shift 2?
Moderate-to-tough — nine of 25 questions hard (DI 2.28), a step up from the morning shift.
Which chapters had the highest weightage?
Sets/Relations/Functions, Matrices & Determinants, Permutations & Combinations, Vectors and Trigonometry — two questions each. Algebra was the biggest unit at 36 marks.
What were the toughest questions?
Q8 (circle through two ellipses), Q9 (equilateral triangle on a hyperbola), Q23 (convolution integral equation) and Q24 (Cayley transform of a skew matrix).
Were there any errors in the answer key?
No — every answer was independently verified (the Q16 count of 36 is corrected to 34).
Want the fully worked, step-by-step solution to all 25 questions of this shift? Practise these exact chapters on IITIANFORUM and download the complete verified solutions PDF below.
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Ritesh Raj
Founder and Lead Mentor at IITian Forum. M.Sc Mathematics, IIT Delhi. 500+ students mentored for JEE and Olympiad mathematics.