Summary: Use the time after login to read the marking scheme carefully, since it changes every year. In the first ten minutes of the paper, scan all three subjects, answer the questions you can do immediately, and decide which subject to start properly. Do not sink the opening minutes into one hard question.Before the clock starts
According to the JEE (Advanced) 2026 brochure, after you log in at your computer you can see the detailed instructions for the exam, and the questions appear only at the scheduled start time. That waiting period is valuable. The marking scheme for each section is given in these instructions, and since the pattern changes from year to year (see why every JEE Advanced paper looks different), this is where you learn what you are dealing with.
While you wait, work out and remember these for each section, and jot them on the scribble pad (the brochure says one is provided at the start of each paper) as soon as you are allowed to write:
- the question type (single correct, one or more correct, numerical, matching, paragraph)
- the number of questions and marks for a correct answer
- whether there is negative marking, and how much
- for numericals, how many decimal places to enter
This takes two or three minutes and saves you from the classic mistake of assuming last year's scheme. Students have lost marks by guessing in a section they wrongly believed had no negative marking.
The brochure also says you can switch between English and Hindi at any time during the exam. If a question's wording confuses you, reading it in the other language sometimes helps, though the English version prevails in any dispute.
The ten-minute routine
Once the paper opens, resist the urge to start solving question 1 of Physics and keep going. Use a short scan first.
| Minutes | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0 to 3 | Scroll through your first-choice subject. Read each question's last line and glance at the diagram. Tag questions mentally as "easy", "doable" or "leave for later". |
| 3 to 6 | Do the same for the second subject. You are not solving yet, only sorting. |
| 6 to 9 | Scan the third subject. If you see a question you can answer in under a minute (a direct formula, a known reaction), answer it now. |
| 9 to 10 | Decide your order for the next part of the paper and write it on the scribble pad with a time plan. |
The scan has a purpose beyond planning. Seeing that every subject has some questions you can do calms most students down, and a calm student makes fewer errors. Students who start by fighting a hard first question often spend the next hour anxious.
Choosing your order
There is no single correct order. What matters is that you decide on a default order well before the exam, practise it in mocks, and change it on the day only for a clear reason.
| If this describes you | A sensible default order |
|---|---|
| Chemistry is your fastest and most accurate subject | Chemistry first, to bank marks and time, then your stronger of Physics and Maths |
| Maths is your strongest subject but questions run long | Chemistry or Physics first for 45 to 50 minutes, then Maths with a solid block of time |
| You get anxious if you do not score early | Your strongest subject first, easy questions only, then a second pass |
| You tend to overspend time on Physics | Physics second, with a hard stop time written on the scribble pad |
Within a subject, most of our students do the single-correct and numerical questions they tagged "easy" first, then the one-or-more-correct questions, and leave long paragraph or matching sets for the second pass. The reasoning is that single-correct questions are quick to verify and the numerical sections have usually carried no negative marks, while multiple-correct questions need more careful thought about how many options to mark.
A three-pass plan for three hours
- First pass (about 100 minutes): every question tagged "easy" or "doable" in all three subjects, in your chosen order.
- Second pass (about 50 minutes): the questions you left, starting with the subject where you feel closest to answers.
- Last 20 to 30 minutes: check numerical entries, review multiple-correct choices, and decide on remaining guesses using the marking scheme you noted at the start.
Mistakes we see every year
- Reading the instructions screen as a formality and missing a change in the marking.
- Spending 15 minutes on question 1 because "I should be able to do this".
- Switching the planned order after seeing one tough question, and then switching again.
- Forgetting that Paper 2 needs the same routine. Its structure may differ from Paper 1's, and it comes after a tiring morning.
- Letting a bad Paper 1 affect Paper 2. Your rank uses both; many students recover in the second paper.
Practise the routine in every mock
The first ten minutes feel natural only after you have done them twenty times. In every full mock from January onwards, write down your scan tags and planned order on the rough sheet, then check afterwards whether the plan held. Over a few weeks you learn how accurate your first judgement is. That is the skill you take into the exam hall.
The official site jeeadv.ac.in provides mock tests in the actual computer interface under its Resources section. Use them at least twice before the exam so the screens are familiar.
Common questions
Can I go back and change an answer?
Yes. The brochure says you can change or modify answers any time during the exam. Your last saved response is the one evaluated.
Is there separate reading time?
There is no separate reading time for the questions. You can read the instructions after login, and the questions open at the scheduled start time.
Should I always start with Chemistry?
Only if Chemistry is quick and reliable for you. Build your order from your own mock results rather than copying someone else's.