JEE Main 2026 (4 Apr, Shift 2) Maths Analysis Chapter Weightage, Difficulty & Expected Cutoff

The 4 April 2026 evening shift was a moderate Mathematics paper with one striking feature: every Coordinate Geometry question was hard. Algebra led the weightage heavily, eight questions were hard overall, and the conics were where the paper bit hardest.

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 · 4 Apr · 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 (40 marks) · Calculus (20 marks)
Toughest questions	Q6, Q11, Q24, Q25
Answer key	Independently verified — no errors found

Overall verdict

A well-distributed paper with a clear pressure point: all four conic questions (Ellipse, Hyperbola, Straight Lines, Parabola) were hard. Algebra, at 40 marks, was both the biggest and the most gettable unit — mostly medium — so a student strong in Algebra and Vectors could build a solid score before wrestling with the coordinate-geometry problems. The two easy marks (Q8 standard deviation, Q18 area) were quick.

Unit-wise weightage

• Algebra — 10 questions · 40 marks. The dominant unit: two Complex Numbers, two Matrices, two Sets/Relations/Functions, plus Theory of Equations, Sequences, Binomial and Permutations & Combinations.
• Calculus — 5 questions · 20 marks. Area, Definite Integration, Continuity, a Differential Equation and Application of Derivatives.
• Coordinate Geometry — 4 questions · 16 marks. Ellipse, Hyperbola, Straight Lines and Parabola — all hard.
• Vectors & 3D — 3 questions · 12 marks (all medium).
• Trigonometry — 1 question · 4 marks.
• Statistics & Probability — 2 questions · 8 marks.

Algebra + Calculus = 60 of 100 marks but with Algebra carrying most of the reachable marks.

Chapter weightage

Four chapters gave two questions each Matrices & Determinants, Sets/Relations/Functions, Complex Numbers and 3D Geometry — while 17 other chapters gave one apiece.

Chapter	Questions	Marks
Matrices & Determinants	2	8
Sets, Relations & Functions	2	8
Complex Numbers	2	8
3D Geometry	2	8
17 other chapters	1 each	4 each

Difficulty split

Level	Questions	Share
Easy	2	8%
Medium	15	60%
Hard	8	32%

At 32% hard (DI 2.24), this sat in the tougher-moderate band. The distinctive feature wasn't the overall count but the concentration: the entire Coordinate Geometry unit was hard.

The four questions that decided the paper

Q6 — Eigenvalue feeding a circle (Hard).

▸ SHOW SOLUTION

The characteristic cubic $\alpha^3+8\alpha^2-88\alpha-320=0$ gives the largest eigenvalue $p=8$; the circle $(x-8)^2+(y-16)^2=320$ meets the axes at three distinct points (the origin repeats). Answer: (3).

Q11 — Hyperbola triangle area (Hard).

▸ SHOW SOLUTION

Foci distance $6$ and directrix distance $\tfrac83$ fix $a=2,\ e=\tfrac32,\ b^2=5$. The area condition $\tfrac12|\alpha|\sqrt{5(\alpha^2-4)}=4\sqrt{15}$ gives $\alpha^2=16$. Answer: (2).

Q24 — Centroid locus of a right triangle in a parabola (Hard).

▸ SHOW SOLUTION

The right-angle condition at $B(4,8)$ gives $t_1+t_2+t_1t_2=-5$; eliminating the parameters yields a parabola $C_0$ whose latus rectum is $\tfrac{48}{9}$, so three times it is $16$. Answer: 16.

Q25 — Integral-functional equation (Hard).

▸ SHOW SOLUTION

Differentiating gives $f'=-(1+f)\tan x$, so $f(x)=\cos x-1$. Then $f''(\tfrac\pi6)+12f'(-\tfrac\pi6)+f(\tfrac\pi6)=5$. Answer: 5.

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 Algebra and Vectors, then pick off reachable conics.

With Coordinate Geometry entirely hard, a student weak in conics felt this paper far more than an Algebra-strong one.

What to take away for your prep

1. A whole unit can go hard. Every conic question here was tough Coordinate Geometry needs deep practice, not just formula recall.
2. Algebra was 40% of the paper. Complex Numbers, Matrices and Functions all recurred this is where the reachable marks lived.
3. Vectors & 3D were reliable. All three questions were medium — a steady source of marks on a tough paper.

FAQ

How difficult was JEE Main 2026 Maths on 4 April Shift 2?

Moderate eight of 25 questions hard (DI 2.24), with all four Coordinate Geometry questions hard.

Which chapters had the highest weightage?

Matrices & Determinants, Sets/Relations/Functions, Complex Numbers and 3D Geometry — two questions each. Algebra was the biggest unit at 40 marks.

What were the toughest questions?

Q6 (eigenvalue feeding a circle), Q11 (hyperbola triangle area), Q24 (centroid locus of a right triangle in a parabola) and Q25 (integral-functional equation).

Were there any errors in the answer key?

No every answer was independently verified (the Q6 "p=−8" print is a typo; p=8).

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.