With the new format of JEE Main, experts are expecting the cut-off and accuracy level to be lowered for this year's exam. Check how to ace the integer-type questions to stay ahead of others including the strategy, mock tests and important topics.
JEE Main 2020: The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2020 will have five long-form or integer-type questions from this year onwards. The total number of questions in the exam has been reduced from 30 to 25. Among these 25 questions, only 20 will be based on the previous year’s format of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and five will be long-form numerical type.
There will be equal weightage to mathematics, physics and chemistry. Each question will be of four marks and for objective type questions, one mark will be deducted for every wrong answer while for numerical-type questions, there will be no negative marking, as per the latest format. Since these questions are new, here is a look at what, when and how to prepare to ace the exam.
He adds, “This would prove to be a good move for well-performing students as it would kill the guesswork system and ensure only genuine attempts secure marks. Students can practice the last 10 years of question papers and NCERTs for the exam.”
Cut-off likely to lower
Akhand Swaroop Pandit, co-founder and CEO of Catalyst, an online learning platform, believed that the new format is likely to bring down the cut-off. “While the numerical-type questions will be simpler as compared to Advanced where multiple concepts are intermixed, it would also not be direct formulae questions. Conceptual knowledge will be judged more through these questions. Candidates need to prepare their basics well. With such questions, the accuracy levels are expected to be lowered and hence the cut-offs can be expected to decline too.”
JEE Main 2020: Mock tests, question papers, sample test
He also suggested subject-wise important topics for the long-form questions in JEE Main:
Physics: Most of the questions asked in JEE Main demand conceptual understanding of the chapters of mechanics, Newton’s law of motion, Bernoulli’s theorem, elasticity, equation of continuity, kinematics, fluid mechanics, work, energy and power, rigid body dynamics, gravitation, law of conservation of momentum (linear/angular), besides magnetism, which is an important topic figuring in a number of questions.Optics is also a very important topic for JEE Main and Modern Physics is the most important in Physics. This chapter typically constitutes 12-16 marks in JEE Main. Most frequently asked topics are X-ray, (continuous wavelength, characteristic wavelength), atomic structure (spectrum/radius), radioactivity, dual nature of matter, photoelectric effect, nuclear fission, oscillation and waves topic is also important for conceptual questions related to topics like SHM, sound waves, string, Doppler effect, Wave Optics are surely asked in JEE Main each year. At least 1-2 questions are asked every year from Thermodynamics.
Chemistry: Fajan’s Rule and its application, shape and hybridisation, besides molecular Orbital Theory, in which the most important topic is Electronic Configuration, dipole moment and periodic table need to be thorough to solve concept-based questions.