JEE Main 2026 (5 Apr, Shift 2) Maths Analysis Chapter Weightage, Difficulty & Answer-Key Error
The 5 April 2026 evening shift was a moderate-to-tough Mathematics paper with nine hard questions and it carries a finding worth flagging loudly: the official answer key for Q7 is wrong. Our independent verification (and the booklet's own working) gives 3360, not the printed 3480.
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 · 5 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, leaning tough |
| Biggest units | Algebra (36 marks) · Calculus (24 marks) |
| Toughest questions | Q1, Q10, Q22, Q24 |
| Answer key | Q7 key error found (3480 → 3360); Q9 ambiguous |
Overall verdict
A demanding but fair paper with an unusually generous three easy marks (Q6 arithmetic means, Q8 total probability, Q16 a vector ratio). The difficulty clustered in the back half the entire Section-B block bar one question was hard plus a tough Sequences pair early on. Algebra carried the most weight at 36 marks, with Sequences & Series alone contributing three questions.
Grab the 3 easy + 13 medium questions cleanly (that's a strong 64/100), then pick your battles among the 9 hard ones. Q1, Q10, Q22 and Q24 were the biggest time sinks — save them for last.
Unit-wise weightage
- Algebra — 9 questions · 36 marks. Three Sequences & Series, two Matrices, plus Complex Numbers, Binomial, Permutations & Combinations and Sets/Relations.
- Calculus — 6 questions · 24 marks. Two Differential Equations, Limits, Definite Integration, Application of Derivatives and Area.
- Coordinate Geometry — 4 questions · 16 marks. Circle, Parabola, Hyperbola (all medium) and a hard Straight Lines problem.
- Vectors & 3D — 3 questions · 12 marks.
- Trigonometry — 1 question · 4 marks.
- Statistics & Probability — 2 questions · 8 marks.
Algebra + Calculus = 60 of 100 marks — the usual backbone.
Chapter weightage
Sequences & Series led with three questions; Matrices & Determinants, Differential Equations and 3D Geometry gave two each; 16 other chapters gave one apiece.
| Chapter | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Sequences & Series | 3 | 12 |
| Matrices & Determinants | 2 | 8 |
| Differential Equations | 2 | 8 |
| 3D Geometry | 2 | 8 |
| 16 other chapters | 1 each | 4 each |
Difficulty split
| Level | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 3 | 12% |
| Medium | 13 | 52% |
| Hard | 9 | 36% |
At 36% hard (DI 2.24) this was on the tougher side, but the three easy marks — more than most April shifts gave students a real foothold.
The four questions that decided the paper
Q1 — Four roots in G.P. across two quadratics (Hard).
▸ SHOW SOLUTION
Writing the roots as and using the two sums gives ; integrality forces , so and . Answer: (3).
Q10 — Median of a binomial-frequency distribution (Hard).
▸ SHOW SOLUTION
With , the mean is , so . The cumulative frequency places both middle observations in the block, so the median is 56. Answer: (1).
Q22 — Two rays reflected in a mirror (Hard).
▸ SHOW SOLUTION
The two 45° rays are and ; reflecting each in gives and , so . Answer: 7.
Q24 — Functional maximum feeding an area (Hard).
▸ SHOW SOLUTION
The functional equation gives with max , so . Matching the area gives , so . Answer: 16.
Q7 has a genuine key error. The coefficient of in is — option (2) — but the printed key marks (3) 3480. The booklet's own working also gives 3360. Separately, Q9 is ambiguous: it never states whether same-colour balls are distinct; the solution treats them as distinct (4100).
Expected good attempt & cutoff read
Directional only — actual percentiles depend on normalisation across shifts:
- Excellent (top percentile): 20+ correct with clean numericals.
- Strong: 16–19 correct.
- Safe: 13–16 correct bank the three easy and the medium block.
With nine hard questions but three genuinely easy ones, this shift rewarded students who triaged quickly and didn't over-invest in the back five.
What to take away for your prep
- Sequences & Series appeared three times. G.P. root problems and quartic telescoping sums both showed up this chapter repays deep practice.
- Always verify against your own working. Q7's printed key is wrong; a student confident in the binomial general term would have scored it correctly.
- Watch for ambiguous phrasing. Q9 doesn't specify distinct vs identical balls attempt cleanly on the standard convention and move on.
FAQ
How difficult was JEE Main 2026 Maths on 5 April Shift 2?
Moderate-to-tough nine of 25 questions hard (DI 2.24), though three genuinely easy marks softened it.
Which chapters had the highest weightage?
Sequences & Series (3 questions), followed by Matrices & Determinants, Differential Equations and 3D Geometry (2 each). Algebra was the biggest unit at 36 marks.
What were the toughest questions?
Q1 (four roots in G.P.), Q10 (binomial-frequency median), Q22 (reflected rays) and Q24 (functional maximum feeding an area).
Were there any errors in the answer key?
Yes Q7's printed key (3480) is incorrect; the correct coefficient is 3360, option (2). Q9 is also ambiguously worded.
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.