JEE Main 2026 (24 Jan, Shift 2) Maths Analysis Chapter Weightage, Difficulty & Expected Cutoff

The 24 January 2026 evening shift was a moderate Mathematics paper — well-balanced overall, with the difficulty spread across Calculus, Trigonometry and the numerical section. One notable point: Q4 was officially declared a Bonus by NTA, as its conditions left the answer under-determined.

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 · 24 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
Biggest units	Algebra (32 marks) · Calculus (24 marks)
Toughest questions	Q1, Q7, Q21, Q25
Answer key	Q4 = Bonus (NTA); all others verified

Overall verdict

A fair, well-distributed paper. The hard questions were spread rather than clustered — a mixed integral-and-matrix problem, an infinite double series, an integral equation and a tangent-identity count. Both Trigonometry questions were hard (an inverse-sine domain and a tangent identity), which is worth noting. The two easy marks (Q2 ellipse, Q10 Legendre) and a large medium band made a solid score very achievable for a disciplined attempt.

Unit-wise weightage

• Algebra — 8 questions · 32 marks. Two Sequences, two Permutations & Combinations, plus Matrices, Functions, Quadratics and Complex Numbers.
• Calculus — 6 questions · 24 marks. Two Continuity, two Differential Equations, Indefinite Integration and Area.
• Coordinate Geometry — 4 questions · 16 marks. Two Ellipse, Straight Lines and Parabola — all medium/easy.
• Vectors & 3D — 3 questions · 12 marks. Two vectors (one the Bonus Q4) and one 3D shortest-distance.
• Trigonometry — 2 questions · 8 marks (both hard).
• Statistics & Probability — 2 questions · 8 marks.

Algebra + Calculus = 56 of 100 marks.

Chapter weightage

Six chapters gave two questions each — Sequences & Series, Permutations & Combinations, Continuity & Differentiability, Differential Equations, Ellipse and Vectors — while the remaining chapters gave one apiece.

Chapter	Questions	Marks
Sequences & Series	2	8
Permutations & Combinations	2	8
Continuity & Differentiability	2	8
Differential Equations	2	8
Ellipse	2	8
Others (incl. Vectors ×2)	1–2 each	—

Difficulty split

Level	Questions	Share
Easy	2	8%
Medium	16	64%
Hard	7	28%

A 28% hard share (DI 2.20) put this right in the "moderate" band — comparable to the morning shift, with the difficulty spread more evenly across units.

The four questions that decided the paper

Q1 — Integral feeding a matrix determinant (Hard). Two topics in one question.

▸ SHOW SOLUTION

A neat substitution gives $f(x)=\tfrac{x^9}{1+x^2+2x^9}$, so $f'(1)=1$ and $|A|=1-\alpha^2$. Then $|\mathrm{adj}(\mathrm{adj}A)|=|A|^4=81\Rightarrow|1-\alpha^2|=3\Rightarrow\alpha^2=4$. Answer: (4).

Q7 — Infinite double-geometric series (Hard).

▸ SHOW SOLUTION

The $k$-th bracket is $\tfrac{a^{k+1}-b^{k+1}}{a-b}$ with $a=\tfrac47,\ b=\tfrac13$. Summing the geometric tails gives $S=\tfrac{1}{a-b}\big(\tfrac{a^2}{1-a}-\tfrac{b^2}{1-b}\big)=\tfrac52$. Answer: (1).

Q21 — Integral equation for f(x) (Hard).

▸ SHOW SOLUTION

Writing $f(x)=e^x+A+Bxe^x$ with $A=\int_0^1 yf\,dy$, $B=\int_0^1 f\,dy$, the constant equation forces $A=1-e$, so $f(0)=2-e$ and $e+f(0)=2$. Answer: 2.

Q25 — Tangent-identity solution count (Hard).

▸ SHOW SOLUTION

The identity reduces (via product-to-sum) to $\sin(4x+100^\circ)=\sin(-40^\circ)$; on $[0^\circ,180^\circ]$ the solutions are $x=30^\circ,55^\circ,120^\circ,145^\circ$ — 4 values. Answer: 4.

Expected good attempt & cutoff read

Directional only — actual percentiles depend on normalisation across shifts:

• Excellent (top percentile): 22+ correct with clean numericals.
• Strong: 19–21 correct.
• Safe: 15–18 correct — bank every easy and medium question.

With the difficulty spread evenly, this was a shift where consistent accuracy beat chasing any one hard problem.

What to take away for your prep

1. Algebra + Calculus = 56% of the paper. Sequences and Permutations & Combinations each repeated — keep them sharp.
2. Both Trigonometry questions were hard. Inverse-trig domains and multi-angle identities reward genuine practice.
3. Watch for Bonus/ambiguous questions. Q4 shows why you should attempt cleanly and move on rather than over-invest in an under-specified problem.

FAQ

How difficult was JEE Main 2026 Maths on 24 January Shift 2?

Moderate — 16 medium, 7 hard and 2 easy (DI 2.20), with difficulty spread across Calculus, Trigonometry and the numerical section.

Which chapters had the highest weightage?

Sequences & Series, Permutations & Combinations, Continuity & Differentiability, Differential Equations, Ellipse and Vectors — two questions each. Algebra was the biggest unit at 32 marks.

What were the toughest questions?

Q1 (integral + adjugate determinant), Q7 (infinite double series), Q21 (integral equation) and Q25 (tangent-identity count).

Were there any errors in the answer key?

Q4 was officially declared a Bonus (under-determined); all other 24 answers were independently verified.

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.