Exam Pattern
JEE Main Paper 2 Exam Pattern
Joint Entrance Examination Main: Paper 2 (B.Arch and B.Planning)
The JEE Main Paper 2 exam pattern below is checked stage by stage, so one stage cannot inherit another stage's scoring rules.
Paper 2A (B.Arch)
Official 2026 pattern| Questions | 75 |
| Total marks | 300 |
| Duration | 180 minutes |
| Negative marking | 1 per wrong answer |
| Sections | Mathematics, Aptitude Test |
Timing: Single 180-minute PLATFORM-DEFINED practice timer covering Mathematics and Aptitude Test; NTA does not publish a separate official time limit for only these two parts.
Objective-only practice: Mathematics (20 multiple-choice questions plus 5 numerical-value questions) and Aptitude Test (50 multiple-choice questions). The official 2026 B.Arch paper also includes a 100-mark offline pen-and-paper Drawing Test, which is excluded here since it requires human evaluation and cannot be auto-graded. Some official Aptitude Test tasks are visual; this text-only adaptation does not reproduce them exactly.
Official source · checked 19 August 2026The JEE Main Paper 2 Paper 2A (B.Arch) exam pattern is 75 questions carrying 300 marks, to be answered in 180 minutes. That works out to about 144 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 2 sections are Mathematics and Aptitude Test. All sections share one composite timer, so you are free to move between them and spend your time where it earns most.
JEE Main Paper 2 Paper 2A (B.Arch) marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 4 marks.
- A wrong answer deducts 1 mark; an unattempted question scores zero.
- A guess therefore breaks even at 20% accuracy: above that it gains you marks on average, below it loses them. A blind guess between four options is right 25% of the time, which is already above that line, so an educated guess is clearly worth making rather than leaving the question blank.
- Worked example: attempt 60 of the 75 questions and get 45 right and 15 wrong, and you score 165 out of 300.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 144 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free JEE Main Paper 2 mock test to see where your time actually goes.
Paper 2B (B.Planning)
Official 2026 pattern| Questions | 100 |
| Total marks | 400 |
| Duration | 180 minutes |
| Negative marking | 1 per wrong answer |
| Sections | Mathematics, Aptitude Test, Planning |
Timing: Single 180-minute timer, official NTA duration; no sectional lock.
Complete official B.Planning objective structure: Mathematics (20 multiple-choice questions plus 5 numerical-value questions), Aptitude Test (50 multiple-choice questions), and Planning (25 multiple-choice questions). Some official Aptitude Test tasks are visual; this text-only adaptation does not reproduce them exactly.
Official source · checked 19 August 2026The JEE Main Paper 2 Paper 2B (B.Planning) exam pattern is 100 questions carrying 400 marks, to be answered in 180 minutes. That works out to about 108 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 3 sections are Mathematics, Aptitude Test and Planning. All sections share one composite timer, so you are free to move between them and spend your time where it earns most.
JEE Main Paper 2 Paper 2B (B.Planning) marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 4 marks.
- A wrong answer deducts 1 mark; an unattempted question scores zero.
- A guess therefore breaks even at 20% accuracy: above that it gains you marks on average, below it loses them. A blind guess between four options is right 25% of the time, which is already above that line, so an educated guess is clearly worth making rather than leaving the question blank.
- Worked example: attempt 80 of the 100 questions and get 60 right and 20 wrong, and you score 220 out of 400.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 108 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free JEE Main Paper 2 mock test to see where your time actually goes.
JEE Main Paper 2 exam pattern: frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in JEE Main Paper 2?
JEE Main Paper 2 Paper 2A (B.Arch) deducts 1 mark for a wrong answer; JEE Main Paper 2 Paper 2B (B.Planning) deducts 1 mark for a wrong answer. An unattempted question always scores zero, so the choice is only ever between guessing and leaving it blank.
How many questions are there in JEE Main Paper 2?
JEE Main Paper 2 Paper 2A (B.Arch) has 75 questions, JEE Main Paper 2 Paper 2B (B.Planning) has 100 questions. That leaves about 144 seconds per question in JEE Main Paper 2 Paper 2A (B.Arch) and 108 seconds per question in JEE Main Paper 2 Paper 2B (B.Planning).
What are the total marks in JEE Main Paper 2?
JEE Main Paper 2 Paper 2A (B.Arch) is out of 300 marks, JEE Main Paper 2 Paper 2B (B.Planning) is out of 400 marks.
How long is the JEE Main Paper 2 exam?
JEE Main Paper 2 Paper 2A (B.Arch) runs for 180 minutes, JEE Main Paper 2 Paper 2B (B.Planning) runs for 180 minutes.
Does JEE Main Paper 2 have a sectional time limit?
No. Every section shares one composite timer, so you can move between sections freely and give the slower ones more of your time.
How many stages does JEE Main Paper 2 have?
This site covers 2 objective stages: Paper 2A (B.Arch), Paper 2B (B.Planning). Each stage is checked against the official notification separately, because scoring rules routinely differ between stages of the same exam.