JEE Main Paper 2 Marking Scheme for 2027 – B.Arch & B.Planning

Understanding the marking scheme of JEE Main Paper 2 is essential for candidates to strategize their attempts, especially since the paper combines objective (MCQ) sections with a subjective Drawing Test (Paper 2A) or additional objective Planning questions (Paper 2B). The scoring approach differs meaningfully from Paper 1 because of this mixed-format structure. In the 2026 cycle, Paper 2A had 77 questions to attempt (25 Mathematics, 50 Aptitude, 2 Drawing) for 400 marks, and Paper 2B had 100 questions (25 Mathematics, 50 Aptitude, 25 Planning) for 400 marks. Exact marking figures are set by NTA each year in the official information bulletin; we could not open the 2026 bulletin PDF directly, so the scheme below is cross-checked against secondary reports and should be treated as indicative.

Mathematics Section Marking (Common to 2A & 2B)

Numerical questions: older bulletins gave no negative marking for numerical-value questions, but the 2026 cycle changed the Section B format (all 5 numerical questions became compulsory instead of choosing 5 of 10), and several reports say a wrong numerical answer then cost 1 mark. Other sites still say 0. We could not verify this against the official bulletin, so check the numerical-question rule in the JEE Main 2027 bulletin before you decide how aggressively to attempt them.

Aptitude Test Marking (Common to 2A & 2B)

The Aptitude Test consists of MCQs and generally follows the same +4/-1 pattern as Mathematics. With 50 questions worth 200 marks total, this section carries the single largest weightage in both Paper 2A and Paper 2B, making consistent accuracy here critical to a strong overall score.

Drawing Test Marking (Paper 2A only)

In the 2026 cycle the Drawing Test had 2 questions of 50 marks each (100 marks in total), reduced from 3 questions in earlier years, and it is evaluated differently from the MCQ sections since it is a subjective, pen-and-paper assessment. NTA does not publish a detailed rubric; evaluators are generally understood to assess submissions on parameters such as: accuracy of proportion and scale, quality of composition and layout, ability to depict perspective and depth, use of shading and rendering technique, and overall visual communication of the given theme or object. There is no traditional "negative marking" concept here since it is not a right/wrong answer format — instead, scores are awarded on a graded scale based on how well the submission meets each criterion.

Planning-Based Questions Marking (Paper 2B only)

Paper 2B replaces the Drawing Test with 25 objective Planning-based questions worth 100 marks. These questions follow the standard MCQ marking convention used elsewhere in the paper — typically +4 for a correct response and -1 for an incorrect one. Because these are objective questions, scoring is direct and machine-evaluated, unlike the Drawing Test. Confirm the Planning section's question count and negative marking in the 2027 bulletin.

How Total Score Is Calculated

For Paper 2A, the total raw score is the sum of marks obtained in Mathematics (out of 100), Aptitude (out of 200), and Drawing (out of 100), for a maximum of 400. For Paper 2B, it is the sum of Mathematics (out of 100), Aptitude (out of 200), and Planning-based questions (out of 100), again totaling 400. Paper 2 results and All India Ranks are published separately from Paper 1. How NTA equates scores across shifts for Paper 2 and how the Drawing marks are combined is set out in the bulletin and result notice; we have not verified that method, so check those documents.

Tips for Managing Negative Marking

Since incorrect MCQ answers cost marks in Mathematics, Aptitude, and Planning sections, candidates should avoid guessing randomly unless they can eliminate at least two of the four options. In the Aptitude section particularly, questions involving spatial visualization can seem deceptively simple — students should practice extensively with previous years' papers to build the intuition needed to avoid careless errors that trigger negative marking.

How the Drawing Test Evaluation Process Works

Since the Drawing Test cannot be scored by a computer, it is evaluated by human examiners rather than by machine. NTA does not publish the evaluator panel or rubric in detail, so treat the criteria above as general guidance. Because manual evaluation takes extra time, Paper 2A results can come slightly after the fully computer-based parts; the exact timeline is announced by NTA each cycle. Practise the Drawing Test topics in the Paper 2 syllabus and compare Paper 2A with Paper 2B in our B.Arch vs B.Planning guide.

Sectional Cutoffs vs Overall Cutoff

It's worth noting that NTA and JoSAA generally do not apply separate minimum sectional cutoffs for Mathematics, Aptitude, and Drawing/Planning individually — what matters most for JoSAA counselling eligibility is your overall composite percentile and rank. That said, performing reasonably across all sections is still important, since a very weak performance in any one section — especially the 200-mark Aptitude section — can significantly drag down your overall composite score even if you perform well elsewhere.