Summary: NTA revised the JEE Main syllabus from the 2024 cycle, trimming it closer to the rationalised NCERT books. Whole chapters went, mostly in Chemistry, along with some topics inside chapters that stayed. Always study from the official syllabus PDF for your year, and skip old questions that fall outside it.When the reduced syllabus came in, the first thing we noticed was how many students kept solving questions on topics that were no longer asked. Their reference books were printed years earlier, their seniors' notes were older still, and nobody had crossed anything out. The time lost was not huge per chapter, but across a year it added up to weeks.
This page compares the syllabus NTA published for JEE (Main) 2026 with what older books and question banks cover. The 2027 syllabus will come with the next bulletin. Check it on jeemain.nta.nic.in and compare it with this list before you cross out anything.
Mathematics
The current syllabus has 14 units. Two whole units that older books include are gone:
- Mathematical Induction
- Mathematical Reasoning (statements, logical connectives, truth tables)
Inside the units that remain, the wording is narrower than it used to be. Some examples you can see by reading the current PDF:
- Three Dimensional Geometry lists lines, direction cosines, skew lines and the shortest distance between them. It does not list the plane.
- Vector Algebra lists scalar and vector products; triple products are not mentioned.
- Trigonometry lists identities, trigonometric functions and inverse trigonometric functions. Heights and distances are not listed.
- Sequences and Series lists AP, GP, arithmetic and geometric means and the AM-GM relation.
A caution here. Topics like the plane still turn up inside other questions, and your Class 12 board exam still teaches them. Do not drop anything from your board preparation because of the JEE list.
Physics
Physics lost the least. The current syllabus has 20 units, including a unit on experimental skills. The main differences from older books:
- Communication Systems is not in the syllabus.
- The Atoms and Nuclei unit lists Rutherford and Bohr models, the hydrogen spectrum, mass defect, binding energy, fission and fusion. Radioactivity and decay law are not listed.
- Electronic Devices lists semiconductors, diodes, LED, photodiode, solar cell, Zener diode and logic gates. Transistors are not listed.
- Current Electricity lists Kirchhoff's laws, the Wheatstone bridge and the metre bridge. The potentiometer is not listed.
- Oscillations and Waves ends with standing waves and beats. The Doppler effect is not listed.
The experimental skills unit names 18 experiments, from vernier callipers and screw gauge to the Zener diode characteristic. Questions on these are usually short and easy once you have read the procedure and the error analysis, so do not skip them.
For chapter-wise notes that follow NCERT, see our Physics notes.
Chemistry
Chemistry changed the most. The current syllabus has 20 units, and these chapters that older books contain are not among them:
| Branch | Chapters not in the current JEE Main syllabus |
|---|---|
| Physical | States of Matter (gases, liquids, solid state), Surface Chemistry |
| Inorganic | Hydrogen, s-Block Elements, General Principles and Processes of Isolation of Metals, Environmental Chemistry |
| Organic | Polymers, Chemistry in Everyday Life |
The p-block unit has also been cut back. It now covers groups 13 to 18 at the level of electronic configuration, general trends and the unusual behaviour of the first element of each group. The long lists of compounds and their preparations that older books carry are not spelt out in the current syllabus. The d- and f-block unit still names K2Cr2O7 and KMnO4 specifically, so learn those two properly.
One unit that many students overlook is Principles Related to Practical Chemistry. It lists specific salt analysis ions, titrations and preparations (Mohr's salt, potash alum, acetanilide and others). It is short and predictable.
Our Inorganic Chemistry plan is built around the current syllabus.
What stays, and why it matters more now
A smaller syllabus does not mean an easier exam. When NTA sets 75 questions from fewer topics, each remaining topic gets asked more deeply and more often. In our experience the core of the paper is unchanged: mechanics and electricity in Physics, calculus, coordinate geometry and algebra in Mathematics, and in Chemistry the physical chapters, coordination compounds and the main organic reaction chapters.
Using old books and previous year papers
Old papers are still the best practice material you have. Use them with a filter:
- Keep a printed copy of the current syllabus in your file. Before starting any chapter from a reference book, strike out the sections that are not listed.
- When solving a previous year paper, skip questions from removed topics and note how many you skipped. Adjust your score out of the remaining total.
- For papers from 2024 onwards, the questions already follow the new syllabus, so treat those as the closest guide to the current style.
- Do not delete a topic that your Class 12 board still examines, and remember that MHT‑CET follows the Maharashtra State Board syllabus, which is different again.
Our online previous year papers let you attempt real JEE papers with analysis afterwards.
A quick checklist for the start of Class 11
- Download the current syllabus PDF from jeemain.nta.nic.in.
- Mark each unit against your NCERT chapters so you know which book chapter covers it.
- Write "not in JEE Main" on the first page of any chapter or section that is out, so you do not rediscover it in December.
- Recheck when the next bulletin comes out.
Common questions
Is the reduced syllabus the same as the JEE Advanced syllabus?
No. JEE Advanced has its own syllabus, published by the organising IIT on jeeadv.ac.in each year. Check it separately if you plan to write Advanced.
Should I still study removed chapters for my boards?
Yes, if your board syllabus includes them. The JEE Main list decides only what JEE Main asks.
Are questions from removed topics asked by mistake?
NTA sets the paper from the published syllabus. Occasionally a question sits at the edge of a unit and students argue about it afterwards, but spending your time on removed chapters to cover that small chance is a poor trade. Follow the official list.