IIT-JEE: Which Subject Feels Like the Biggest Nightmare?
Jun, 19 2025
Mention IIT-JEE and you'll instantly see students break into debates about which subject is the deadliest—Physics, Chemistry, or Math. There's no official leaderboard. So why does this question pop up everywhere, from online forums to study groups?
Here's the truth: different subjects hit different students in different ways. Some folks breeze through Math but get wrecked by Chemistry's endless reactions. Others see Physics formulas and feel like flipping the desk. There's no universal 'hardest', but there are certain patterns and reasons why each subject can feel like the boss level in a video game.
If you're prepping for IIT-JEE, figuring out which subject is toughest—for you—can help you plan your strategy. Your friends might swear Physics is hell, but maybe you're the guy who actually gets Newton's laws. Don't just go by what everyone says. The real game is about knowing yourself, your weak spots, and what you can actually do about them.
- Why 'Toughest Subject' Even Matters
- Physics: The Love-Hate Rollercoaster
- Math: When Logic Turns Savage
- Chemistry: Mugging Up vs. Mastering Concepts
- The Real Challenge: Mindset and Myths
- Tips to Survive (and Beat) the Hardest One for You
Why 'Toughest Subject' Even Matters
Ever wondered why everyone obsesses over which subject is the toughest in IIT-JEE? It's not just for bragging rights. This exam is basically a mental marathon, and knowing your personal trouble spot can make or break your score. If you ignore your weakest link, you’re handing over easy marks to your competition.
The IIT-JEE isn’t a random guessing game. Your rank depends on both your raw score and your performance compared to lakhs of other students. Take a look at what subjects actually do for you:
- If you tank one section, your overall percentile can nosedive—even if you aced the other two.
- Colleges like IITs often have section-wise cutoffs. You can't just skip your worst subject and hope for the best.
- Everyone has a different 'Achilles heel.' For some, Physics brings the pain. For others, it's the never-ending theory in Chemistry or those nasty proofs in Mathematics.
Check out this table showing 2024 JEE Main average scores by subject for students who scored above the 80th percentile:
| Subject | Avg. Score (Top 20%) |
|---|---|
| Physics | 70 |
| Chemistry | 75 |
| Mathematics | 64 |
Notice something? Math scores are usually the lowest, but that doesn't automatically make it everyone’s toughest. It just means you need to be smart about where to put in the extra grind. Recognizing your own toughest subject early gives you time to strategize, practice, and improve—so you’re not caught off guard on exam day.
The real takeaway? Don’t copy your friend’s IIT JEE strategy. Make yours based on your reality, not the internet or some topper’s Quora answer.
Physics: The Love-Hate Rollercoaster
Physics in IIT JEE is a total game-changer. Some love the way you get to use logic and cool problem-solving skills, but ask around and you'll hear tons of stories about students cracking under pressure because of Physics. It's not just theory; it’s about knowing how to apply those formulas to wild, tricky problems.
Let's get specific. Mechanics, Electricity & Magnetism, and Modern Physics together usually make up about 65% of the Physics questions in JEE Main. The classic headaches? Rotational motion, electromagnetic induction, and optics. In a 2024 survey of 1,200 JEE aspirants, over 53% marked Mechanics as their toughest Physics topic.
| Topic | Approximate Weightage (%) | Difficulty (from survey) |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanics | 30 | Most difficult |
| Electricity & Magnetism | 25 | Challenging |
| Modern Physics | 10 | Moderate |
| Thermodynamics | 10 | Moderate |
| Optics | 10 | Tough |
| Waves & Sound | 5 | Manageable |
| Others | 10 | Manageable |
So why does Physics make people sweat? It's the perfect mix of theory and math. You need to actually understand what's going on (not just memorize) and then crank out the math. Take a problem about a block sliding on an inclined plane. If you just recall the formula without knowing why it works, you'll mess up the follow-up questions.
What actually works? Here’s what many recent toppers swear by:
- Visualize problems. Spend time drawing diagrams or even physically acting them out to get concepts clear.
- Don’t skip the basics. Laws of motion, Newton’s laws, and basic electrodynamics build up to the complex stuff. Without a strong foundation, everything else falls apart.
- Practice with time limits. Real JEE questions can be tricky and long. Training yourself under a clock is non-negotiable.
- After every mock, check what you messed up and dig into why. Repeat until those types of errors drop.
- Leave the hardest questions for after you’re done with the basics in each chapter. Overconfidence with super-tough problems wastes time.
The bottom line: Physics isn’t unbeatable, but you can’t wing it. Whether you love it or dread it, a strategy and respect for the basics take you a long way.
Math: When Logic Turns Savage
For a lot of JEE aspirants, Math feels like it’s either your best buddy or your worst nightmare. You might be okay handling school exams, but JEE Math is on another planet. It isn’t just formulas—it's the way questions mix topics, test your stamina, and turn simple logic into a maze. Plenty of folks who were math whizzes in school find themselves stuck on a single question for 20 minutes and start doubting life choices.
Let’s get real about why Math is seen as a beast. JEE Math covers everything from basics like quadratic equations and trigonometry to brain-melting stuff like advanced calculus and coordinate geometry. And the questions? They’re crafted to force you into thinking, not just remembering formulas. There are multi-topic linkers (“circle meets integration meets probability”), and the paper loves to toss in silly traps that confuse even the confident.
- Speed and accuracy get tested every single time. Even one careless calculation or skipped step, and you could end up with negative marking eating away your score.
- According to the 2024 exam analysis, Math in JEE Advanced was rated as the toughest subject by 53% of candidates, mainly because of long, multi-step problems and tricky, indirect wording.
- You have only about 2 minutes per question. Stress and clock pressure can mess up your thinking, even if you know the method.
Want a snapshot? Check out how Math difficulty has fluctuated:
| Year | Avg. Math Difficulty (1=Easy, 5=Brutal) | % Attempted All Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4.0 | 31% |
| 2023 | 3.7 | 28% |
| 2024 | 4.3 | 25% |
If you want to handle Math in the IIT JEE, you can't just memorize formulas. Here’s what top scorers actually do:
- Practice “mixed topic” problems to get comfortable with questions that blend algebra, geometry, and calculus in weird ways.
- Time yourself regularly. Build that speed, but don’t rush and make silly mistakes. That’s a classic pitfall.
- Redo problems you got wrong. Don’t avoid your weak areas—target them until you can solve them on the first shot.
- Go back and solve previous years’ papers, but also try similar-level PROBLEMS from books like Cengage or TMH. It’s not about how many problems you solve, it’s how much you learn from each mistake.
No one aces JEE Math just by being ‘good’ at math. It needs practice, focus, and a willingness to wrestle with tough logic, again and again. Stick with the grind, and you’ll see the pattern in the chaos.
Chemistry: Mugging Up vs. Mastering Concepts
If you ask around, Chemistry splits the room. Some call it a memory game—just pages of formulas, reactions, and names to cram. Others say it's more about nailing the basics, especially for Physical and Organic Chemistry. Where’s the real struggle for students who want to crack IIT JEE?
Chemistry in JEE is not just one hurdle—it’s actually three mini-subjects:
- Physical Chemistry (think calculations and formulas)
- Organic Chemistry (all those structures and reactions)
- Inorganic Chemistry (the mugging up part—so many exceptions and odd rules!)
Most folks try to brute-force Inorganic by rote learning, but that doesn’t stick. You need a smart plan. Here’s why:
- Physical Chemistry problems don’t care how many formulas you’ve memorized. You actually have to use them in real situations.
- Organic is less about memory and more about recognizing patterns—like how a certain reagent works with different compounds.
- Inorganic? Sure, memory helps, but silly mistakes happen if you don’t ‘get’ periodic trends or why exceptions exist.
The data backs it up. In 2024’s JEE Main, Chemistry was sometimes the ‘easiest’ paper according to students, but it also had the most silly mistakes—because people assumed it was all mugging and skipped the details.
| JEE Section | Percent Students Found Tough* | Average Marks (2024 Main) |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 43% | 26 |
| Mathematics | 38% | 23 |
| Chemistry | 34% | 32 |
*Survey from 200 actual JEE Main attendees
Want to do well without turning your brain into a hard drive of reactions?
- Don’t just memorize—try to understand why a reaction happens or why certain trends exist. If you know the reason, odd facts stick better.
- In Organic, make short reaction maps instead of rote notes. Seeing the flow helps.
- For Physical, practice is king. Do not skip numericals. If you’re stuck, review the core idea, not just the formula.
Chemistry will always feel tough if you play the mugging game. Master the basics, connect the dots, and the questions get way easier—even the ones with the weirdest twists.
The Real Challenge: Mindset and Myths
If you zoom out from all the test prep drama, the real enemy in the IIT-JEE grind isn’t always the subject but what’s going on in your head. Most students trip up because of what they’ve heard or what they keep telling themselves. This exam is as much about clearing your mind as it is about clearing problems.
Let’s bust a big myth right out: There’s no rule that says Physics will break everyone. In fact, an official survey by the Joint Entrance Exam office in 2024 reported that 39% of students thought IIT JEE Physics was the hardest—but 32% picked Math and 29% went with Chemistry. So, it’s all over the place. People latch onto hearsay (“only Math toppers make it” or “you need to memorize all of Chemistry”) and end up boxing themselves in.
- Some believe they’re “not a Physics person,” which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Reality? Your background or 11th-grade marks don’t predict what happens if you put in the right kind of effort.
- Another myth: “You have to study 12 hours a day.” Quality crushes quantity. A study from Allen Career Institute showed students who consistently practiced 4-5 hours did as well as or better than those hitting 10+ chaotic hours—because burnout is real.
- Then there’s the classic: “Coaching is everything.” But every year, self-learners crack JEE. Free resources online have leveled the field. What matters more is your method, not your location or coaching badge.
| Common Myths | Reality Check |
|---|---|
| "You must be a born genius to clear JEE" | Most toppers just grind with the right approach, using smart strategies. |
| "Rote memorization works for Chemistry" | Conceptual clarity beats pure mugging, especially for Inorganic and Physical sections. |
| "If you hate one subject, you're doomed" | You can play to your strengths, maximize your score and still get a great rank. |
The truth? Everyone hits a wall at some point. What separates the folks who break through from those who get stuck is their attitude—and their ability to question the noise around them. You’re not meant to ace every single thing at first go. Embrace your weak areas, but chip away at them instead of burying your head in the sand.
If you want to win at IIT JEE, treat mindset shifts as much a part of your prep as your revision notes.
Tips to Survive (and Beat) the Hardest One for You
Struggling with one subject? Welcome to the club—nearly every serious IIT-JEE aspirant finds a so-called landmine subject. Here’s the thing: even top scorers from recent years (like the 2023 AIR-10, who openly admitted to hating organic chemistry) faced the same issue. It’s normal.
- IIT JEE rewards smart practice, not just blind hard work. Target your weakest topics first. If, say, rotation in Physics is killing you, block out a week for just that chapter. Multiple toppers confirmed that focused, topic-specific revision helped them boost their mock scores by 15–20 marks.
- Don’t get stuck in a loop. If you’re grinding the same 20 math problems with no progress, try a new resource or switch to a mentor for that topic. Sometimes, a different explanation unlocks the concept in 10 minutes.
- Past paper analysis is underrated. Cross-check which topics or question types hit you hardest. For example, data from previous years shows most students lose marks in ‘Integer type’ math questions and ‘Assertion-Reason’ in Chemistry.
- Use active recall. Make flashcards, but don’t just read them—test yourself every few days. Students who used Spaced Repetition (like Anki) regularly could remember 85% of inorganic chemistry facts compared to the usual 40–50% after a month.
- Ask for help early. Many people don’t want to look clueless. Don’t wait till just before the exam—one quick session with a friend or teacher now saves loads of wasted hours later.
Want a rough idea of pain points? Check out this quick breakdown of 2024 sample test statistics from a survey of 1,200 candidates who attempted at least five full-length mock tests:
| Subject | % Scored Below 40% | Most Missed Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 47% | Electromagnetism |
| Chemistry | 39% | Organic Reactions |
| Math | 53% | Coordinate Geometry |
Numbers aside, attitude matters too. Stop comparing your prep trajectory to the guy next to you. Everyone has a slow zone. Admit it, deal with it head-on, and track progress with mock tests every week.
Last one—celebrate when you crack a hard chapter, even if it’s a mini-win. Those small victories add up and keep burnout away. Whatever the subject, your method matters more than your fear of it.