Students flag multiple errors in JEE Main 2025 paper, NTA issues clarification

The NTA clarified that the JEE Main 2025 answer keys are provisional, open to objections, and only the final, thoroughly reviewed key will be used to calculate scores, ensuring accuracy and fairness

The credibility of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2025 has come under question after students and educators identified at least nine potentially flawed questions in the recently conducted Session 2 exam. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which administers the high-stakes engineering entrance test, now faces mounting pressure to address these alleged inaccuracies and ensure fair evaluation.

The concerns surfaced following the release of provisional answer keys and response sheets on April 11. Students, particularly from Kota—a prominent coaching hub—flagged discrepancies in questions across all three core subjects: physics, chemistry, and mathematics. Several reputed coaching institutes have independently reviewed the claims and corroborated the presence of factual errors.

Fundamental errors spark student outrage

Out of the nine disputed questions, four are from physics, including one on hydrogen-like ions that mistakenly assumes the atomic number to be two instead of three. Another physics problem lists 125mA as the correct answer, whereas calculations point to 5mA. A third question reportedly offers no correct answer among the options. Similar issues have been cited in three chemistry and two mathematics questions, leading to confusion and concern among examinees.

“These are not borderline cases or subjective interpretations—they are fundamental scientific errors,” said a senior academic from a leading institute. “If not rectified, they could unfairly penalize thousands of deserving students.”

Provisional keys under review

Educators are demanding that the NTA grant grace marks or exclude flawed questions from scoring. They argue that such lapses undermine the integrity of one of India’s most competitive exams, which serves as a gateway to premier engineering institutions.

In response, the NTA emphasized that the answer keys are provisional and open to challenge. “We consider every objection seriously. Only the final answer key will be used to determine scores,” the agency stated in a public release on X.

The NTA urged candidates to avoid drawing conclusions based on the provisional keys and assured that the final key, following a thorough review, would reflect accuracy and fairness.

As the situation unfolds, the incident once again raises concerns about exam governance and the need for more rigorous quality checks in national-level assessments.