JEE Main Numerical Questions (Section B): How to Score on Them

Short answer: Section B has five numerical-answer questions in each subject: 15 questions and 60 of the 300 marks. There are no options to check against and a wrong answer costs a mark, so the method is different from MCQs: solve completely, check the unit the question asks for, round as instructed, and enter the number carefully. Never type a number you haven't worked out.

How Section B works in JEE Main 2027

According to NTA's Information Bulletin for 2027:

Five questions per subject (Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics), alongside 20 MCQs in Section A.
+4 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong one, and 0 if you leave it blank.
The answer is an integer. You enter it with the mouse on an on-screen keypad, rounded off to the nearest integer.

Why guessing doesn't work here

In an MCQ you can eliminate options. In Section B there's nothing to eliminate. The chance of typing the right integer at random is close to zero, so a guess almost always costs you a mark.

Wrong answers can also matter in a tie. When two candidates have the same total, one of NTA's tie-breakers is the ratio of incorrect to correct answers. Fewer wrong answers is better.

The rule: in Section B, enter a number only when you've worked it out. If you're unsure, leave it blank and come back to it in your second pass.

A 4-step method for every numerical question

Underline the quantity and unit asked. "In cm", "in μC", "in kJ mol⁻¹". This is where most Section B marks are lost.
Estimate first. Decide roughly how big the answer should be, for example "a few metres" or "less than the total voltage".
Solve fully on the rough sheet, keeping units in every line.
Round and enter carefully. Compare the number on screen with your rough sheet before moving on: one digit typed wrong is a wrong answer.

Three worked examples

1. Units (Physics)

A ball is thrown at 20 m/s at 30° above the horizontal. Find its maximum height in cm (g = 10 m/s²).

H = u² sin²θ / 2g = (400 × 0.25) / 20 = 5 m
The question asks for cm, so the answer to enter is 500.

Typing 5 here would be a wrong answer and cost a mark, even though the physics was right.

2. Rounding (Physics)

For the same ball, find its horizontal range in metres, rounded to the nearest integer.

R = u² sin 2θ / g = (400 × sin 60°) / 10 = 20√3 ≈ 34.64 m
To the nearest integer, enter 35.

A non-integer working answer is fine when the question tells you to round. If the question doesn't mention rounding and your answer comes out as 34.64, that's a good moment to recheck your working.

3. Volume in mL (Chemistry)

How many grams of NaOH are needed to make 500 mL of a 0.2 M solution? (Molar mass of NaOH = 40 g/mol)

Moles = molarity × volume in litres = 0.2 × 0.5 = 0.1 mol
Mass = 0.1 × 40 = 4 g

Using 500 instead of 0.5 gives 4,000, which your estimate in step 2 should catch: a few grams makes sense for a lab solution, four kilograms doesn't.

When to attempt Section B

First pass: attempt a Section B question if you can see the method within about a minute. These are often standard calculations from a single chapter.
Second pass: come back to the rest once the quick MCQs are done.
Last 15 minutes: recheck the numbers you entered against your rough sheet. Our silly mistakes checklist has the full list of checks.

How to practise

Solve numerical questions without looking at options. Take MCQs from your practice books and cover the options; it builds the same skill.
Log every Section B error in your mock test error log, and note whether it was a unit, rounding, calculation or concept mistake.
Do every calculation by hand. Calculators aren't allowed in the exam, so don't use one in practice either.

Get stuck on the method, not the maths

If a numerical question stalls because you can't see where to start, the gap is usually in a concept, not in calculation. ErodovAI's tutor walks through a question step by step with voice and a whiteboard, and you can ask "why this formula?" as many times as you need. Explore the Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics courses, or all three together.

The pattern and marking scheme are from NTA's JEE Main 2027 Information Bulletin. Always confirm the current rules at jeemain.nta.nic.in. This is general study guidance, not a promise of any score or rank.