Does JEE Main Have Negative Marking?

Yes. MCQ questions carry −1 for a wrong answer (+4 for correct). However, Numerical Value questions have NO negative marking — a wrong answer scores 0. B.Arch drawing questions also carry no negative marking.

Complete JEE Main Marking Scheme 2026

Understanding the marking scheme is critical for your exam strategy. JEE Main 2026 has different rules for different question types and papers. Here is the full breakdown:

Paper 1 – B.E./B.Tech (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics)

Question Type	Questions per Subject	Correct	Wrong	Unattempted
Single Correct MCQ (Section A)	20 (attempt all)	+4	−1	0
Numerical Value (Section B)	10 (attempt any 5)	+4	0	0

Each subject has 25 questions to attempt (20 MCQ + 5 numerical). Total: 75 questions, 300 marks.

Paper 2A – B.Arch

Section	Questions	Correct	Wrong
Mathematics (MCQ + Numerical)	25	+4	−1 / 0
Aptitude Test (MCQ)	50	+4	−1
Drawing Test (2 questions)	2	Variable	No penalty

Paper 2B – B.Planning

Section	Questions	Negative Marking
Mathematics (MCQ + Numerical)	25	−1 for MCQ; 0 for numerical
Aptitude Test (MCQ)	50	−1 per wrong
Planning-Based MCQ	25	−1 per wrong

Strategy: When to Attempt, When to Skip

Given the marking scheme, here is the optimal approach: Always attempt all Section B numerical questions — since there is no penalty, even a guess is worth making. For Section A MCQs, skip if you cannot eliminate at least 2 options. With 4 options, random guessing has a 25% chance of +4 vs 75% chance of −1, giving an expected value of −0.25 marks per random attempt. So skip completely random MCQs.

However, if you can eliminate even one option (reducing to 3 choices), the expected value becomes +4×(1/3) + (−1)×(2/3) = +1.33 − 0.67 = +0.67, which is positive. So attempt if you can narrow it down to 3 options.

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