JEE Main 2020 · 12 of 16 shifts analysed

JEE Main 2020 question papers

Lumi analysed 12 of the 16 JEE Main shifts held in 2020 (896 questions): 20% numerical-answer, 11% hard. Against 2017, numerical-answer questions went from 0% to 20% and hard ones went from 14% to 11%.

Shifts analysed: 12 / 16; 4 not in this analysis
Questions: 896; dropped questions left out
Numerical answer: 20%; typed answers, no options
Hard: 11%; easy 27%

JEE Main 2020: key findings

1
27% of the 2020 questions were easy and 11% hard.
2
95% tested an idea no earlier analysed year had asked (the highest of the seven years with an earlier analysed year).
3
5% repeated an exact idea from 2017, the analysed year before.
4
System of Particles and Rotational Motion came 2.3 times a shift (per 25 Physics questions), against its usual 1.4.
5
Three Dimensional Geometry came 1.2 times a shift, well under its usual 1.8.
6
The busiest topic was AP and GP (Sequences and Series): 19 questions across 10 of the 12 shifts.

Every 2020 shift

16 shifts held, 12 analysed

Each shift is a separate paper. Lumi analyses a shift when NTA published the full paper and its final answer key; 2 2020 papers were never published.

7 Jan 2020, Shift 1January sessionPaper not published
7 Jan 2020, Shift 2January sessionPaper not published
8 Jan 2020, Shift 174 QJanuary session
Easy 16Medium 50Hard 8
15 numerical · 15 with a figure
8 Jan 2020, Shift 275 QJanuary session
Easy 21Medium 46Hard 8
15 numerical · 14 with a figure
9 Jan 2020, Shift 175 QJanuary session
Easy 17Medium 46Hard 12
15 numerical · 16 with a figure
9 Jan 2020, Shift 273 QJanuary session
Easy 20Medium 48Hard 5
15 numerical · 14 with a figure
2 Sep 2020, Shift 175 QSeptember session
Easy 21Medium 50Hard 4
15 numerical · 16 with a figure
2 Sep 2020, Shift 275 QSeptember session
Easy 15Medium 55Hard 5
15 numerical · 18 with a figure
3 Sep 2020, Shift 174 QSeptember session
Easy 24Medium 41Hard 9
15 numerical · 12 with a figure
3 Sep 2020, Shift 275 QSeptember session
Easy 16Medium 47Hard 12
15 numerical · 12 with a figure
4 Sep 2020, Shift 175 QSeptember session
Easy 15Medium 48Hard 12
15 numerical · 18 with a figure
4 Sep 2020, Shift 275 QSeptember session
Easy 24Medium 41Hard 10
15 numerical · 12 with a figure
5 Sep 2020, Shift 175 QSeptember session
Easy 27Medium 43Hard 5
15 numerical · 11 with a figure
5 Sep 2020, Shift 2September sessionNot in this analysis yet
6 Sep 2020, Shift 1September sessionNot in this analysis yet
6 Sep 2020, Shift 275 QSeptember session
Easy 23Medium 42Hard 10
15 numerical · 7 with a figure

2020 in numbers

What the analysed shifts asked

Across the 12 2020 shifts Lumi analysed.

Difficulty

Easy 239Medium 557Hard 100

Chapters asked

80 of 81 chapters came up in 2020.

Shift by shift

Each subject in each shift

Scored questions, how many were easy, medium and hard, how many had a typed numerical answer, and the chapter that came most.

Shift	Physics	Chemistry	Maths
8 Jan, Shift 1	24 Q · 5 numerical Easy 4Medium 19Hard 1 Most: Ray Optics and Optical Instruments (3)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 6Medium 16Hard 3 Most: Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers (2)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 6Medium 15Hard 4 Most: Complex Numbers and Quadratic Equations (2)
8 Jan, Shift 2	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 7Medium 13Hard 5 Most: Moving Charges and Magnetism (2)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 9Medium 16Hard 0 Most: Hydrocarbons (3)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 5Medium 17Hard 3 Most: Conic Sections (3)
9 Jan, Shift 1	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 7Medium 13Hard 5 Most: Work, Energy and Power (2)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 6Medium 15Hard 4 Most: Hydrocarbons (3)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 4Medium 18Hard 3 Most: Integrals (4)
9 Jan, Shift 2	24 Q · 5 numerical Easy 5Medium 18Hard 1 Most: System of Particles and Rotational Motion (2)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 9Medium 14Hard 2 Most: Equilibrium (2)	24 Q · 5 numerical Easy 6Medium 16Hard 2 Most: Conic Sections (3)
2 Sep, Shift 1	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 7Medium 18Hard 0 Most: Work, Energy and Power (2)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 9Medium 13Hard 3 Most: Haloalkanes and Haloarenes (3)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 5Medium 19Hard 1 Most: Application of Derivatives (3)
2 Sep, Shift 2	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 6Medium 18Hard 1 Most: System of Particles and Rotational Motion (3)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 8Medium 14Hard 3 Most: Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers (3)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 1Medium 23Hard 1 Most: Application of Derivatives (2)
3 Sep, Shift 1	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 10Medium 10Hard 5 Most: System of Particles and Rotational Motion (3)	24 Q · 5 numerical Easy 8Medium 13Hard 3 Most: Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids (2)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 6Medium 18Hard 1 Most: Complex Numbers and Quadratic Equations (3)
3 Sep, Shift 2	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 6Medium 17Hard 2 Most: Current Electricity (2)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 6Medium 14Hard 5 Most: Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers (2)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 4Medium 16Hard 5 Most: Application of Derivatives (3)
4 Sep, Shift 1	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 7Medium 13Hard 5 Most: Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter (2)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 6Medium 17Hard 2 Most: Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers (2)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 2Medium 18Hard 5 Most: Integrals (3)
4 Sep, Shift 2	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 11Medium 11Hard 3 Most: Current Electricity (2)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 9Medium 12Hard 4 Most: Haloalkanes and Haloarenes (3)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 4Medium 18Hard 3 Most: Conic Sections (3)
5 Sep, Shift 1	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 7Medium 16Hard 2 Most: Motion in a Straight Line (2)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 14Medium 9Hard 2 Most: Amines (2)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 6Medium 18Hard 1 Most: Complex Numbers and Quadratic Equations (2)
6 Sep, Shift 2	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 4Medium 16Hard 5 Most: System of Particles and Rotational Motion (3)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 14Medium 11Hard 0 Most: Organic Chemistry: Some Basic Principles and Techniques (2)	25 Q · 5 numerical Easy 5Medium 15Hard 5 Most: Application of Derivatives (2)

Against other years

2020 next to the other years

Share of each year's analysed questions. 2020 is in navy. The change is against 2017 (the analysed year before) and against the average of all 8 years.

Easy

27%

29%’17 27%’20 34%’21 33%’22 34%’23 36%’24 27%’25 26%’26

vs 2017: -3 ptsvs average: -4 pts

Hard

11%

14%’17 11%’20 10%’21 14%’22 15%’23 12%’24 13%’25 15%’26

vs 2017: -2 ptsvs average: -2 pts

Numerical answer

20%

0%’17 20%’20 33%’21 33%’22 34%’23 33%’24 20%’25 20%’26

vs 2017: +20 ptsvs average: -4 pts

Multi-step

37%

36%’17 37%’20 28%’21 32%’22 29%’23 30%’24 41%’25 44%’26

vs 2017: +1 ptsvs average: +3 pts

Statement, assertion–reason, match

0%’17 2%’20 6%’21 6%’22 9%’23 8%’24 9%’25 9%’26

vs 2017: +2 ptsvs average: -5 pts

New idea

95%

–’17 95%’20 67%’21 36%’22 25%’23 23%’24 23%’25 18%’26

vs 2017: vs average: +54 pts

Repetition and surprises

What came back, and what moved

Repeats count against every earlier analysed year. Chapter moves are questions a shift, per 25 questions a subject, against the chapter's own average across the analysed years.

Asked before

Share of questions

Same chapter86%
Same topic48%
Same exact idea5%
Same idea as 20175%

Same idea as the year before, across the years: 5%, 32%, 55%, 57%, 39%, 50%, 29%.

Above its usual

System of Particles and Rotational Motion · Physics+0.82.3 a shift, usual 1.4
Continuity and Differentiability · Maths+0.51.6 a shift, usual 1.0
Application of Derivatives · Maths+0.51.7 a shift, usual 1.2

Below its usual

Three Dimensional Geometry · Maths−0.71.2 a shift, usual 1.8
Organic Chemistry: Some Basic Principles and Techniques · Chemistry−0.61.0 a shift, usual 1.6
Laws of Motion · Physics−0.50.3 a shift, usual 0.8

Busiest topics

170 topics asked

AP and GP · Sequences and Series · 10 shifts19 Q
Periodic Trends · Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties · 11 shifts13 Q
Quadratic Roots · Complex Numbers and Quadratic Equations · 11 shifts13 Q
Kinetic Theory of Gases · Kinetic Theory · 11 shifts12 Q
Crystal Field Theory · Coordination Compounds · 10 shifts12 Q
Cramer's Rule · Determinants · 11 shifts11 Q
Permutations and Combinations · Permutations and Combinations · 11 shifts11 Q
Variance and SD · Statistics · 11 shifts11 Q

How the questions were asked

Format

Single correct65%
Numerical value20%
Diagram based10%
Other3%
Match the list1%
Assertion–reason0%
Two statements0%

What they tested

Skill

Multi-step37%
Calculation30%
Application11%
Conceptual10%
Recall8%
Data or graph3%
Diagram reading1%

Drill down

What 2020 asked, and its history

Every chapter the 12 analysed 2020 shifts asked, with all its topics and ideas. Counts and squares cover every analysed year; rows 2020 did not ask are faded. Each row lists its 2020 questions with the most recent from other years; open a shift for the full question text.

subjectAskedShareYears’17’20’21’22’23’24’25’26

Open299 in 20203092 · 33%33%8/830299720720358540200225
Open299 in 20203065 · 33%33%8/829299715710354533200225
Open298 in 20203084 · 33%33%8/830298716720359538199224

Squares are the 8 years with analysed shifts, 2017 to 2026. A number is the questions that year when there is more than one; the shade is scaled to one shift, so a year with more analysed shifts (1 to 24 a year) does not look darker. Share is of the level above.

Questions

About JEE Main 2020

How many JEE Main 2020 shifts are analysed here?

12 of the 16 shifts held in 2020. Lumi analyses a shift when NTA published the full paper and its final answer key. It covers 108 of the 174 JEE Main shifts held from 2017 to 2026 (9,285 Paper 1 questions), not every shift.

Was JEE Main 2020 harder than 2017?

By Lumi's rating, 11% of the analysed 2020 questions were hard against 14% in 2017, and 27% easy against 29%. Difficulty is a rating, so read small changes as noise.

Which chapters came most in JEE Main 2020?

Conic Sections (28), System of Particles and Rotational Motion (27), Complex Numbers and Quadratic Equations (25), Coordination Compounds (25), Integrals (21), across the 12 analysed shifts.