JEE Main vs NEET Exam: Which Entrance Exam is Toughest?

The students can get to know the JEE Main vs NEET difference to choose the career paths after finishing their 12th grade in science group. The syllabus for each exam is also available for the students to anticipate the topics covered in each entrance exam.

While graduating from Class 12, a very common question in most of our minds was/are "Should I take up Engineering or Medicine?", "JEE Main vs NEET: Which is better?", and so on. NEET is for the medical stream and JEE Main for Engineering.

As for difficulty level, NEET is slightly tougher than JEE Main but easier than JEE Advanced, but that is subjective, as seats are comparatively limited in NEET making it more competitive. After all, both are national-level common entrance tests that one needs to give usually after the 12th standard to enter the stream of science.

Table of Contents

What is JEE Main?
What is NEET?
JEE Main vs NEET: Differences
Which is Tough, NEET or JEE Main?
Are JEE Main Questions Repeated in NEET?
JEE Main 2024 Eligibility Criteria
NEET 2024 Eligibility Criteria

What is JEE Main?

Joint Entrance Examination Main, or JEE Main, is a national-level entrance exam conducted for admission to top-notch engineering institutions in India like IITs, NITs, IITs, etc. This computer-based test is administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA). This year, JEE Main will be conducted in two sessions. JEE Main syllabus 2024 includes topics from three major subject areas- Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.

What is NEET?

National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is a national-level entrance examination for students who intend to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate medical programs (MBBS, MD, MS) and dental courses (BDS, MDS) in government or private colleges in India. Conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), it is the most sought-after medical entrance exams in India. NEET 2024 is scheduled to be conducted on May 2024. NEET exam evaluates candidates' knowledge in three subjects- Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

JEE Main vs NEET: Differences

The main difference between JEE and NEET is that JEE Main is meant to get into the field of engineering, whereas NEET is used to make it into a medical college and pursue a career in that field. That being a major difference, the other more immediate difference is that JEE exam pattern has weightage for Mathematics, whereas NEET exam pattern has weightage for Biology.

NEET vs JEE can be understood better with the help of the table given below. And meanwhile, it should be noted that JEE Main is the first stage of JEE, and JEE Advanced is the next.

JEE Main vs NEET - Differences
Basis	JEE Main	NEET
Abbreviation for	Joint Entrance Examination	National Eligibility cum Entrance Test
Type	Computer-based test	Pen and paper-based
Subjects/ skills	Paper 1: Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics	Biology, Chemistry and Physics
Subjects/ skills	Paper 2: Mathematics, Aptitude, Drawing and Planning	Biology, Chemistry and Physics
Used for	Admission to undergraduate Engineering and architecture courses in 31 NITs, 23 IITs and other colleges. Also serves as a prelim selection for JEE Advanced.	Admission to undergraduate Medical courses in government and private colleges. Qualifying it is mandatory for pursuing the same abroad.
Score Range	-75 to 300	-180 to 720
Frequency	2 times in a year	Once a year
Restriction	Within 3 years of passing class 12th	Applicant must be at least 17 years old (if more than 25 years old, then subjected to the Supreme Courts’ orders)
Languages	Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odiya, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu and Telugu.	Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu
12th Class Cutoff for Eligibility	General - 75%	General - 50%
	Reserved - 65%	OBC - 45%
	Reserved - 65%	SC/ST/PWD - 40%

Also Read: How to Crack NEET Exam 2024? - Preparation Tips, Strategy

Which is Tough, NEET or JEE Main?

JEE Main and NEET both are tough exams to crack. As these exams are conducted annually and with the constraints of limited seats, cracking these exams becomes more challenging. Furthermore, the number of seats in medical institutes is much lesser than in engineering colleges. Hence, even if the questions' difficulty level is less in NEET than JEE Main, it makes the exam more competitive and adds another dimension to the difficulty for NEET.

However, if we look at the question which is tough JEE or NEET? from a general perspective, the answer to it will be much different. Below is the sequencing of papers from easiest to toughest:

Least Difficult - JEE Main
Difficult - NEET
Most Difficult - JEE Advanced

Although all this becomes irrelevant if you have a particular career path already set out for yourself already. In that case, you have to take on the relevant paper to that career irrespective of the difficulty level.

Are JEE Main Questions Repeated in NEET?

When a student is giving both papers, there is a common question that arises in one’s mind: Are JEE Main questions asked in NEET? As we know that both papers have chemistry and physics as their common subjects, so that question is only natural to come to one’s head. Well, although the subject and even the course that one has to study may align together, the difficulty level varies.

If one is preparing for JEE Main, it will support the preparation of NEET and visa versa, but going by the assumption that enough questions will be repeated to make a difference will have unfavourable effects. One will have to prepare for both the papers so that they both will help the other paper with supportive and complementary topics and help solve the papers speedily.

Read More: JEE Main Chemistry Syllabus 2024

Physics and Chemistry Syllabus for NEET and JEE Main 2024

For better clarity, you should refer to the courses that both papers cover. For a basic understanding, a broad overview of chemistry and physics is given below. It is to be noted that having through with what NCERT has to offer, is most important for basics for both the papers.

JEE Main

The students can check the syllabus of Physics and Chemistry from the pointers given below.

Physics

Section A

Atoms and nuclei
Communication systems
Current electricity
Dual nature of matter and radiation
Electromagnetic induction and alternating currents
Electromagnetic waves
Electronic devices
Electrostatics
Gravitation
Kinematics
Kinetic theory of gases
Laws of motion
Magnetic effects of current and magnetism
Optics
Oscillations and waves
Physics and measurement
Properties of solids and liquids
Rotational motion
Thermodynamics
Work, energy and power

Section B

Experimental Skills

Read More: JEE Main Physics Syllabus 2024

Chemistry

Physical Chemistry

Atomic structure
Chemical bonding and molecular structure
Chemical kinetics
Chemical thermodynamics
Equilibrium
Redox reactions and electrochemistry
Solutions
Some basic concepts in chemistry
States of matter
Surface chemistry

Organic Chemistry

Biomolecules
Chemistry in everyday life
Hydrocarbons
Organic compounds containing halogens
Organic compounds containing nitrogen
Organic compounds containing oxygen
Polymers
Principles related to practical chemistry
Purification and characterisation of organic compounds
Some basic principles of organic chemistry

Inorganic Chemistry

Block elements (alkali and alkaline earth metals)
Classification of elements and periodicity in properties
Coordination compounds
d- and f - block elements
Environmental chemistry
General principles and processes of isolation of metals
Hydrogen
P Block elements group 13 to group 18 elements

NEET Exams

The students can check the syllabus of Physics and Chemistry from the pointers given below.

Physics

Alternating current
Atoms
Current electricity
Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter
Electric Charges and Fields
Electromagnetic induction
Electromagnetic waves
Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance
Gravitation
Kinetic theory
Laws of Motion
Magnetism and Matter
Mechanical Properties of Fluids
Mechanical Properties of Solids
Motion in a Plane
Motion in a Straight Line
Moving Charges and Magnetism
Nuclei
Oscillations
Physical World, Units and Measurements
Ray optics and optical instruments
Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits
System of Particles and Rotational Motion
Thermal Properties of Matter
Thermodynamics
Wave optics
Waves
Work, Energy and Power

Chemistry

Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers
Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids
Biomolecules
Chemical bonding
Chemical Kinetics
Chemistry in everyday life
Coordination Chemistry
d-and f-block elements
Electrochemistry
Environmental Chemistry
Equilibrium
General Principles and Process of Isolation elements
Haloalkanes and Haloarenes; Amines
Hydrocarbons
Hydrogen
N containing Organic Compounds
Organic chemistry some basic principles and techniques - 1
Organic chemistry some basic principles and techniques - 2
p-block elements
p-block elements
Periodic table
Polymers
Redox reactions
s-block elements
Solutions
States of Matter
Structure of Atom
Surface Chemistry
The Solid State
Thermodynamics

JEE Main 2024 Eligibility Criteria

The JEE Main eligibility criteria 2024 include age criteria, number of attempts, qualifying marks, and other aspects. To appear for B.E./B.Tech (Paper 1), it is compulsory for candidates to have studied Physics and Mathematics as well as one subject from Chemistry, Biology, and Biotechnology.

Moreover, B. Arch. (Paper 2) requires students to have studied and passed Physics, Chemistry, and Maths in class 12th. Further, students must have studied Mathematics at the 10+2 level if they are appearing for B. Planning (Paper 3). Take a look at the detailed eligibility criteria for JEE Main 2024 below:

JEE Main 2024 Eligibility Criteria
Criteria	Eligibility for General and OBC	Eligibility for Reserved Categories
Minimum Qualifying Marks	75% aggregate marks in 12th	65% aggregate marks in 12th
Age Limit	There is no age restriction for JEE Main 2024. It is recommended, however, that students ensure the age limit requirements of the institution, they are applying for.
Maximum Number of Attempts	Twice a year, for three consecutive years
Number of Subjects in Qualifying Exam	5 Subjects
Year of Passing Class 12	Passing after 2022 or 2023 or currently appearing in 2024

Read More: JEE Main Number of Attempts 2024

Eligibility Criteria for NEET 2024

NEET eligibility criteria states all the requirements that medical aspirants must meet in order to appear for the exam.The criteria involves factors like age, academic qualifications, nationality, number of attempts, etc. The information brochure released by NTA states that the upper age limit for NEET UG has been removed for all categories. Here is the eligibility criteria for NEET 2024:

NEET 2024 Eligibility Criteria
Criteria	Eligibility
Domicile	Citizens of India can apply for NEET 2024
Domicile	If the candidate does not stay in India, he or she must be an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) to be eligible to apply for NEET 2024
Minimum Age Criteria	17 years
Maximum Age Limit	NMC has removed the upper age limit
Minimum Qualification	The candidate must have cleared class 12th with at least 50% aggregate marks, PWD-45%, and SC/ST-40%
Maximum Number of Attempts	There is no restriction on the number of attempts within the prescribed age limit.
Aadhar Card is Not Compulsory	According to the order of Supereme Court, a candidate is not required to have an Aadhar Card to apply for NEET 2024. Therefore, non-residents of India are also eligible to apply for the exam.