Common Myths About JEE Main Preparation Debunked

Common Myths about JEE Main Preparation: Every year, more than 9 lakh students appear for JEE Main to get into India’s premier engineering institutes. However, myths about JEE Main preparation have emerged that create stress and confusion among many aspiring students from taking the exam.

The JEE Main 2026 exam is scheduled to be conducted from January 2026 as a computer-based test. Here, we have debunked some common misconceptions about the JEE Main exam to help students approach the exam with the right mindset and strategy.

Common Myths About JEE Main 2026 Preparation

Several myths revolve around JEE Main preparation 2026 including studying for long hours, compulsory coaching classes, numerous mock assessments and many more. Here we have discussed the common myths about JEE Main exam preparation and how to prepare for the JEE Main 2026:

JEE Main is not for Average Students

One of the most common misconceptions about JEE Main is an average student cannot clear the JEE Main exam with flying colours. The reality is any student dedicated to JEE Main with the right approach can ace India’s most prestigious and highly competitive exam. Every JEE Main aspirant must know that conceptual clarity is the key to cracking the IIT JEE exam. Therefore to build the foundation you must practice several numericals and worksheets of the specific topic to strengthen your theoretical and practical application.

Suppose you are an average student preparing for the JEE Main examination. In that case, you must identify the key areas from the JEE Main syllabus and previous years’ question papers and focus on those along with other scoring topics. For example, in JEE Main Syllabus Physics, Thermodynamics, Optics, Electrostatics, and Current Electricity are important topics to cover as they carry 8 to 12 marks in the JEE Main Physics section. Students can also familiarise themselves with the JEE Main Chapter-wise weightage to understand the exam pattern better. 

Study 12+ hours to Succeed in the JEE Main Exam

Many students believe in studying long hours to clear the JEE Main exam. In fact, the case is entirely different. Your study schedule should be as per your suitability. You should study religiously for fixed hours, be it 8 or 9 hours. Ensure you allot time for revision, periodic breaks, and mock tests in your schedule. You can include short-term goals and try to achieve those. This will eventually help you achieve the bigger goals leading you to score the desired percentile in JEE Main examination.

Offline Coaching Classes are Essential 

Although seeking guidance is essential to clarify doubts, opting for offline coaching is not mandatory. You may take online classes where they provide recorded lectures, notes and doubt sessions as well. 

Taking too many Mock Tests

Taking too many mocks for JEE Main is quite a common myth. JEE Main Mock tests are vital to check one’s progress, but the most important is to analyze each mock and learn to improve your score with each mock. You should take note of the questions that you could not answer correctly and study the same topic covered in the questions again. Ideally, 7-8 mock tests can be enough before the actual exam. 

Solving JEE Main Previous Years’ Question Papers a must

Solving the JEE Main previous years’ question papers provides a good insight to all three sections (Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics) of the question paper. Even toppers recommend practising the past few years’ question papers, but just solely depending on the previous papers can lead to burnout and be counterproductive. JEE Main previous years’ question papers give a brief idea about how you should approach each section, the difficulty level of the questions and the weightage of each section. You must solve the papers to check your progress, and whether you can complete each section within the given duration.

JEE Main is for Students with a Strong Background in Maths

Students taking the JEE exam should be good in Maths is a myth. Students with an average Math background can also perform well in JEE Main. You can score decent marks in JEE Main maths by working on certain things like covering the weak chapters, speeding up your calculation, and learning short tricks and important formulas. Most importantly, start from fundamental concepts of topics like Algebra, Calculus, Coordinate Geometry, and Complex Numbers and Quadratic Equations. Dedicate a fixed slot for Maths, go for sectional mock tests, and practice a variety of questions via previous years’ question papers.

Qualifying JEE Main is Enough for Admission to Top IITs

Just qualifying the JEE Main is not sufficient to get into top IITs. You must get the required cut-off marks to get admission to premier engineering institutes in India. For example, to secure a seat in top institutes like IIT Bombay, IIT Madras and IIT Delhi you must qualify JEE Advanced with at least 180+ marks.

Students should be in the top 2000 rank to get into such an institute. In fact, this seems possible if you aim at scoring 320+ in JEE Advanced. Also, if you aim at top NIT your score should not be less than 180 in JEE Main. The JEE Main previous year cut off will give an insight into the category-wise cut off for individual institutions. 

JEE Main Preparation Tips 2026: Mistakes to Avoid

JEE Main 2026 is set to be held in two sessions- January and April. While there are a few days left for the January session, here are some common mistakes that you should avoid. Students appearing for the April session may follow the same to boast their preparation:

• Avoiding Basics: Do not avoid basics. The fundamentals of each subject are the foundation of advanced learning. If know the basic concepts, it would be easy for you to approach the advanced topics in the right way.
• Relying on too many Resources: Do not rely on too many books. Stick to limited resources and revise them multiple times. We recommend NCERTs as the foundation of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics for JEE Main preparation.
• Not Solving Numericals: Along with theoretical reading of the topic, try to solve enough numerical problems for a better understanding of the topic. 
• Not Revising Enough: Revision is the key to identifying weak areas. Include a revision slot in your schedule. Revise every week to retain information for the long run.

The JEE Main preparation tips 2026 includes devising a practical study plan, taking short notes, practicing previous year question papers, understanding the JEE Main exam pattern and syllabus, choosing the quality study materials, etc. The JEE Main 2026 syllabus is released on the official website and students can access by by entering their login details.