JEE Main 2025: Why Has NTA Discontinued Optional Questions From Joint Entrance Exam

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will discontinue the optional selection of questions in the Section B of JEE Main exam from the upcoming entrance exam. The optional section was introduced in the paper during the Covid period and is being dicontinued now after the UN World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Covid-19 as an end of public health emergency.

NTA released a notification mentioning that during the onset of the Covid – 19 pandemic, NTA had implemented an option in Section B of each subject in the JEE (Main) exam allowing candidates to attempt any five questions out of a total of 10 questions since JEE (Main) 2021. This modification was introduced as a temporary measure to accommodate the challenges faced during the pandemic and has been in practice till the year 2024 for JEE (Main) exam.

In the upcoming JEE Main exam, Section B in the paper will include only five questions instead of 10 and students will be required to attempt all the five questions without any question. The examination structure would return to its original format, where Section B will contain only five questions per subject, and candidates will be required to attempt all five questions, without any option for selection in JEE (Main) 2025 for Paper 1 (BE/BTech), Paper 2A (BArch) and Paper 2 B (B Planning).

The Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India has entrusted the responsibility of conducting the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Main) to the NTA from 2019 onwards. For the conduct of the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) – 2025, the registration process for the online application form will be starting soon.