It’s a dream of so many students to become an engineer and more so to get to study in one of the IITs. If it’s your dream, too, then you are at the right place. As an aspiring engineer, you should prepare thoroughly for the JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) – (formerly “All India Engineering Entrance Examination”) because it’s one of the top engineering entrance exams in the country. 

There are three key subjects – Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. Your fundamental knowledge of these three subjects should be solid. 

There will be a combination of theoretical and numerical questions. You will find 70% theoretical and 30% numerical questions in JEE Mains. Whereas, in JEE Advanced, it’s more of a 50-50 scenario. When preparing for JEE, it’s not just enough to solve the problems accurately (there’s going to be negative marking, so accuracy is definitely a primary goal). You should also gain speed and solve as many sums in less time to get an edge over other aspirants.

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The Difference Between JEE Main and Advanced!

But first, let’s talk about the differences between JEE Main and Advanced. Knowing the difference between the two will help you strategically plan your exam preparations. The primary difference lies in where do you want to get your admission? If your goal is to get admission in B.E or B. Tech courses in NITs, IIITs, or any other central or state government-run institutes, then you have to only prepare for the JEE Mains. On the other hand, JEE Advanced is for getting admission to the highly prestigious IITs, IIST, or RGIPT. The top two lakh fifty thousand JEE Mains qualifiers are eligible for JEE Advanced paper.    

You will be able to appear for JEE Mains twice a year, organized by the National Testing Agency. JEE Advanced, which IIT JAB Exam Body conducts, is held only once a year. Age is a crucial factor for JEE. You can appear for JEE Mains for a maximum of 3 years and 2 years for JEE Advanced. 

The JEE Main paper is a 3-hour-long paper with a total of 90 questions with 4 marks each. You have to answer 75 out of them. On the other hand, JEE Advanced is 6-hour-long, 3 hours for paper 1, and 3 hours for paper 2. There will be a break between the two papers. The marks distribution in JEE Advanced paper cannot be ascertained beforehand. The question pattern is unique, and you won’t have any idea how many questions will come in the paper.    

A lot of students are concerned about the language of the papers. Especially students coming from state government schools who prefer to continue their education in their mother tongue or regional language. In JEE Mains, there are a lot of language options. The Mains Paper is in English, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Punjabi, and Urdu. On the other hand, JEE Advanced paper is only held in English and Hindi. 

Overall, the syllabus of JEE Mains and Advanced is almost similar. There are some topics that come in Mains but not in Advanced and vice versa. Your preparation for both the exams will be similar since the subjects are the same. However, your strategy of solving the question paper must be according to the standard of Mains and Advanced, as the question patterns are quite different. So, focus more on this while solving the previous years’ question papers. Take as many mock tests to refine your strategy. 

JEE Mains requires more memorization. This exam tests your overall understanding of the subjects and how quickly and accurately you can solve the problems. However, the motive of the JEE Advanced paper is to test your in-depth knowledge of various concepts. So, in a nutshell, even though the syllabus of the two exams is similar, the difference lies in the standard of the questions. The questions in JEE Advanced are going to be more on the higher level. So, yes, JEE Advanced is more difficult than Mains. Your knowledge of the subject concepts has to be way deeper to answer the Advanced question paper. 

Best Books To Read For JEE Main & Advanced Exams! 

Now, if you are just starting out, it’s recommended that you start with NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) books. NCERT books aren’t enough to crack JEE. However, it’s a good starting point. They will help you to grow your fundamental knowledge in the three key subjects. Over and above NCERT books, you will need some other books to expand your knowledge and cover more significant parts of the syllabus. 

Confused about which are the best books to prepare for JEE? Here are some of the best study materials for all the JEE aspirants out there. Some of them are even available as Kindle ebooks or PDFs for downloading online.

1. Mathematics Class 11 and 12 by R.D. Sharma

There are some books that are a must-read for every student. And this is one such book. Before you completely delve deep into JEE preparations, revising and clarifying all the basic concepts and chapters is a good idea. This will help you in your advanced stage. A lot of students get stuck in solving sums because their basics aren’t polished. So make sure you spend enough time clearing your fundamentals. This will help you in getting an extra advantage over other aspirants. You can get the books here: Class 11 and Class 12 📚

2. Integral Calculus for IIT JEE by Amit M. Agarwal

Find it hard to understand Differentiation and Integration? If yes, then adding this book to your studying list is a no-brainer. Integral Calculus for IIT JEE is one of the best books on this topic. It will not only help you to polish your basics in calculus but also help you to solve advanced problems. You will find numerous JEE standard questions, many of which were actually part of the question papers. This will help you understand the question pattern and accordingly prepare for the difficulty level. It doesn’t matter how many mathematics books you have already solved, Integral Calculus for IIT JEE will be your holy grail. You can get the book here! 📖

3. Concepts of Physics Volume 1 and 2 by H.C. Verma

If you are done with your NCERT books, then now is the time you get your hands on H.C. Verma’s book Concepts of Physics (both volumes). This book covers all the important topics of physics. You will get to study all these topics in extreme detail, and the explanation will help you get a deeper understanding of the subject, which is a must when preparing for JEE. Now, this book is more on the theoretical side, which means there aren’t as many numerical problems in this book. So, use this book to prepare for detailed theoretical questions, as you will find the most common questions in JEE from this book. You can get the books here: Volume 1 and Volume 2 📚

4. Understanding Physics by D.C. Pandey

D.C. Pandey is a renowned name amongst JEE students. Especially in coaching centers in Kota, you will find almost every aspirant carrying his books. The reason why so many students swear by this book is that this book is great to get started with learning the primary concepts and chapters. There are a bunch of numerical questions that will help you to brush up on your fundamental knowledge of the subject. Now, this book isn’t that good for theoretical questions. Use this one for its vast collection of numerical problems, and you will be good to go. You can get the book here! 📖

5. Problems and Solutions of Physics by Shashi Bhushan Tiwari

Wouldn’t it be great if you could find a book that will prepare you for both theoretical and numerical questions? Especially if you find it hard to balance your revision for both aspects. If that’s the case, this book is a must-read for you. Shashi Bhushan Tiwari’s book Problems and Solutions of Physics is great to practice and revise all the important key chapters. Your chances of cracking the entrance will strengthen if you add this book to your studying list. Keep this book for the later parts of your preparation. That will be the best way of utilizing this book to its full potential. You can get the books here: Volume 1 and Volume 2 📚

6. Organic Chemistry by O.P. Tandon

Do you also spend time wondering about the books the toppers must have studied in order to excel? Well, Organic Chemistry by OP Tandon is one of the most highly recommended books amongst JEE toppers. Organic Chemistry is considered one of the most challenging subjects amongst students, especially because you need complete and comprehensive knowledge to solve its questions. It also requires a whole lot of memorization, which is difficult for some students. So, if you are also scared of Organic Chemistry, this book will help you polish your fundamentals of the concepts. You can get the book here! 📖

7. Comprehensive Mathematics for JEE Advanced by Tata McGraw Hill Publications 

Do you find it difficult to solve problems even after understanding the concepts? If yes, then this book is a must. In this book, you will find brief chapter-wise explanations, along with a lot of solved questions. The solved questions will help you apply your theoretical knowledge to practical problems. There are exercise questions after every chapter. The questions are complex and will help you to practice for JEE Advanced. If you finish this book from start to finish, you won’t have to worry about anything. You will be able to clear one of the toughest exams in the world. You can get the book here! 📖

8. Concise Inorganic Chemistry by J.D. Lee

Inorganic Chemistry can be overwhelming for students as you have to remember a lot of elements. It’s quite difficult to memorize so much theoretical information. Concise Inorganic Chemistry by J.D. Lee is a great book to understand every concept in detail, so your fundamentals are clear. The best part about this book is that the concepts aren’t just discussed theoretically. Instead, experiments and examples are used throughout the book to make the topics easier to comprehend. The language of the book is also very simple, so more and more students can benefit from this book. You can get the book here! 📖

9. Modern Approach to Chemical Calculations by R.C. Mukherjee

If you are enrolled in a coaching center or getting private coaching, then this book is a must. Modern Approach to Chemical Calculations by R.C. Mukherjee is a book that delves deep into complex concepts and makes you an expert by providing you with a vast collection of numerical problems. There are a bunch of principles in physical chemistry that further boil down to rules and formulas. The best way to get a grasp on these principles is by practicing more and more numerical. Often students find themselves memorizing theoretical parts to get a hold of the numerical problems. This book works backward by making you understand theoretical concepts with the help of numerical problems. You can get the book here! 📖

There cannot just be one single list that will encompass everything. Every author has a different approach; hence, with every book, you will come across new ways of understanding the same topic. The idea is to not just rely on one book but use different books to expand your knowledge on specific topics. 

Especially if your goal is to get into the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, then make sure you focus on gaining in-depth knowledge of every concept since you will need to clear the JEE Advanced to make your dream come true. 

Did you find this article useful? If you have any book recommendations for the JEE, then you can share them in the comments below. You can also become a part of our community by joining the Facebook group BookWritten.