The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially removed the optional questions from Section B of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2025 paper pattern, returning the exam to its pre-pandemic structure.
The NTA introduced optional questions in JEE Main 2021 as a temporary measure due to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring an end to the global health emergency in May 2023, the NTA has decided to revert to the original exam format.
Starting with JEE Main 2025, Section B of the exam will no longer offer the option to select 5 out of 10 questions. Instead, all five questions in Section B will be compulsory, without any choices for candidates. This change applies to all three papers of the JEE Main: Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech), Paper 2A (B.Arch), and Paper 2B (B.Planning).
The NTA also clarified that the exam pattern had been maintained throughout the pandemic years but will now align with the traditional format followed before 2021.
The JEE Main 2025 exam will be conducted in two sessions, with the first scheduled for January 2025 and the second for April 2025. The application process is expected to begin in November-December 2024. Students who have completed or are appearing for their Class 12 exams in the science stream with mathematics are eligible to apply. The NTA will release the full schedule and additional details regarding the application process on the official website—jeemain.nta.ac.in.
This decision marks a return to normalcy in the JEE exam process, which serves as a crucial gateway for engineering aspirants across India.
