JEE Main Paper 2 (2A: B.Arch | 2B: B.Planning)

Status checked: 15 Oct 2026. Official site: jeemain.nta.nic.in

Quick Facts

2027 Dates

• Session 1: January 2027 (inside the 22–31 Jan window; Paper 2 is usually held on one day, often the last day).
• Session 2: April 2027 (expected).
• Registration is through the same JEE Main form (choose Paper 2A, 2B or both).

Eligibility

• 2A (B.Arch): Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, Maths. For NITs, 75% in Class 12 or the top 20 percentile.
• 2B (B.Planning): Class 12 with Mathematics.

Exam Pattern

Paper 2A — B.Arch (400 marks, 3 hours)

Paper 2B — B.Planning (400 marks, 3 hours)

• Marking: +4 / −1 for MCQs and numericals. Drawing has no negative marking (marked by examiners).
• Students taking both papers sit for 3.5 hours (Aptitude and Maths shared, plus both Drawing and Planning).

Syllabus — Topics

• Mathematics: the same as JEE Main Paper 1 Maths (see the JEE Main page).
• Aptitude (Part I): awareness of people, places, buildings and materials; objects, textures and architecture; visualising 3D objects from 2D drawings; different sides of 3D objects; analytical reasoning; mental ability (visual, numerical, verbal).
• Aptitude (Part II): 3D perception: understanding and appreciating scale and proportion, building forms and elements, colour, texture, harmony and contrast; designing and drawing geometric or abstract shapes and patterns; transformation of forms (2D & 3D, union, subtraction, rotation, development of surfaces and volumes); generating plans, elevations and 3D views; creating 2D & 3D compositions.
• Drawing (2A): sketching scenes and activities from memory of urban scenes (public spaces, markets, festivals, street scenes, monuments, recreational spaces) and rural life.
• Planning (2B): general awareness of national programmes and development issues; social sciences (history, geography, civics: Indian cities, urbanisation, governance, economy, sustainable development); thinking skills (comprehension, map reading, critical reasoning, simple statistics, charts, graphs).

Preparation Timeline

• Start drawing practice from Class 11 (perspective, memory drawing, composition).
• Maths uses the same preparation as JEE Main Paper 1.
• For 2B, read newspapers and NCERT Class 9–10 Geography and Economics for urban and planning awareness.
• Many students prepare for NATA and JEE Paper 2A together, since the drawing and aptitude content overlaps heavily.

Tip: Paper 2A ranks are decided mostly by Aptitude + Drawing (300/400). Even a moderate Maths score can get a good NIT B.Arch seat if your drawing is strong.