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Should you guess? The answer is not a feeling. It is a small calculation, and it depends on the marking scheme of the exact section in front of you.
What are the current marking schemes?
From the official 2026 documents:
JEE Main Paper 1 (2026 bulletin): +4 for a correct answer, -1 for a wrong one, 0 if unanswered, for both the multiple-choice and the numerical-value sections.
NEET (UG) (2026 bulletin): +4 correct, -1 wrong, 0 unanswered, with four options per question.
JEE Advanced 2026 (Paper 1): single-correct questions +3 or -1; one-or-more-correct questions +4, with partial marks of +3, +2 or +1, and -1 for any wrong choice; numerical-value questions +4 or 0, with no negative marking; matching-list questions +4 or -1.
Schemes change. The JEE Advanced brochure says the marking scheme is given in the instructions at the time of the exam, so read them on the day.
The break-even rule
Suppose a correct answer earns R marks and a wrong one loses P. If your chance of being right is p, the expected gain from answering is:
p × R − (1 − p) × P
This is positive when p is greater than P ÷ (R + P). That fraction is your break-even probability.
+4/-1 (JEE Main, NEET): 1 ÷ 5 = 20%.
+3/-1 (JEE Advanced single-correct): 1 ÷ 4 = 25%.
+4/0 (JEE Advanced numerical): 0%. Always answer.
Worked examples with four options
JEE Main or NEET, blind guess among four options. p = 25%, above the 20% break-even. Expected gain: 0.25 × 4 − 0.75 × 1 = +0.25 marks per question.
Same, but you have ruled out one option. p = 1/3. Expected gain: (1/3) × 4 − (2/3) × 1 = +0.67 marks.
Ruled out two options. p = 1/2. Expected gain: 2 − 0.5 = +1.5 marks.
JEE Advanced single-correct, blind guess. p = 25%, exactly at break-even. Expected gain: 0.25 × 3 − 0.75 × 1 = 0. A blind guess here is pointless. Rule out one option and it becomes 1 − 0.67 = +0.33.
JEE Main numerical question. These also carry -1. A random integer has almost no chance of being right, so do not enter one blindly. Enter an answer only if you have a real method and a reasonable chance it is right.
JEE Advanced numerical question. No negative marks, so always enter your best estimate.
Multiple-correct questions in JEE Advanced
Partial marking changes the decision. Under the 2026 Paper 1 scheme, choosing only one option that is correct earns +1 if two or more options are correct, and +4 if it is the only correct option. That is never negative.
So if you are sure of one option and unsure of a second, compare:
Choose only the sure option: at least +1.
Add the doubtful option: if it is wrong, you get -1. If it is right, you get +2 or more.
If adding the second option would earn +2 when right, the switch gains 1 mark when right and costs at least 2 when wrong. By our calculation it only pays when you are more than about two-thirds sure the second option is correct. When in doubt, mark only what you are sure of.
Things the averages hide
Expected value is an average. Over many guesses it holds; on any one guess you may lose a mark. That is fine. You are playing the long game across the whole paper.
Your "50-50" may not be 50-50. Track your guesses in mocks: mark every guess, then count how often each kind was right. If your "ruled out two" guesses are right only 30% of the time, adjust.
Ties in JEE Main. The 2026 bulletin breaks ties partly by a lower proportion of incorrect to correct answers. Reckless guessing can matter at the margin.
Time matters too. A guess that takes ten seconds is cheap; a half-solved problem that eats five minutes is not. Our guide to time management in the exam hall covers when to stop and decide.
For how these schemes differ between the two JEE papers, see JEE Main vs JEE Advanced. To see how your own guesses perform, use the routine in how to analyse a mock test.
If you are preparing for JEE Main or Advanced, Fermi Testprep includes adaptive mocks, which give you regular practice at making these decisions under time pressure.
Next step: in your next mock, mark every guess with a "G" and your estimated chance, then check afterwards how well calibrated you were.
