JEE Main 2027: Why Solving More Questions Is Not Enough By Priyank Joshi (PJ Sir) | Chemistry Educator & Mentor, Kota

 If you are preparing for JEE Main 2027, you may have heard this advice many times:

“Solve as many questions as possible.”

Question practice is definitely an important part of JEE preparation. But after teaching and mentoring students for more than 18 years, I have observed one common problem—many students solve hundreds of questions, yet their test scores do not improve in the same proportion.

Why?

Because solving more questions and learning from questions are not the sam
e thing.

A student may solve 100 questions in a day, check the answers and move on. Another student may solve only 40–50 questions but carefully analyse every mistake, revise the weak concepts and attempt similar questions again.

The second approach can often produce much better learning.

JEE Main Is Not About Your Question Count

JEE Main does not know whether you solved 5,000 questions or 20,000 questions during your preparation.

In the examination, what matters is whether you can:

Identify the concept → Choose the correct approach → Solve accurately → Manage your time

This is why students should stop measuring preparation only by the number of questions completed.

Instead of asking:

“How many questions did I solve today?”

also ask:

“What did I learn from the questions I solved today?”

That is a much more powerful question.

Why Students Repeat the Same Mistakes

Suppose you solve a Chemistry question incorrectly.

You immediately check the solution and think:

“Oh! I understood it. Next question.”

But after ten days, a similar question appears in a test and you make the same mistake again.

The problem was not lack of practice.

The problem was lack of analysis.

Whenever you get an important question wrong, identify the reason.

Was the concept unclear?

Did you forget a formula or reaction?

Was there a calculation mistake?

Did you misread the question?

Did you know the concept but fail to apply it?

Or was it simply a careless mistake?

Once you know why you lost the mark, you know what needs improvement.

Maintain an Error Log for JEE Main 2027

One of the simplest habits I recommend to JEE aspirants is maintaining an Error Log or Mistake Notebook.

After every practice session or test, note:

Question/Topic → Mistake → Reason → Correct Approach

For example:

Chemical Equilibrium → Wrong answer → Used incorrect approximation → Revise conditions for approximation

You don't need to copy the entire solution.

Record only enough information to remind yourself what went wrong.

Before your next test, spend some time revising this error log.

Your mistakes should gradually become your personal revision material.

A simple rule:

Make a mistake once, analyse it properly, and try not to repeat it.

Don't Just Solve JEE Previous Year Questions

JEE Main Previous Year Questions (PYQs) are extremely important, but PYQs should not become another checklist.

Many students do this:

Chapter completed ✓
PYQs completed ✓
Next chapter ✓

Instead, while solving a PYQ, ask:

Which concept is JEE testing here?

What clue in the question tells me which concept to use?

Is there a faster method?

Why are the other options incorrect?

How could the same concept be asked differently?

This turns PYQ practice into exam-pattern analysis.

Accuracy First, Speed Later

Another common mistake in JEE Main preparation is trying to solve questions quickly before developing accuracy.

Students see toppers solving questions rapidly and try to copy their speed.

But speed generally develops after repeated correct application.

Follow this sequence:

Concept Clarity → Accuracy → Speed → Timed Practice

First learn how to solve the question correctly.

Then improve the method.

Then reduce the time.

Finally, practise under examination conditions.

Fast and wrong does not help. Accurate first, efficient later.

Physical, Organic and Inorganic Chemistry Need Different Practice

For JEE Main Chemistry, students should also remember that all three branches cannot be practised in exactly the same way.

Physical Chemistry

Physical Chemistry requires conceptual understanding followed by numerical application.

Use:

Concept → Formula Understanding → Application → Numerical Practice

Don't only memorise formulas. Understand the conditions under which a formula is applicable.

Organic Chemistry

Organic Chemistry becomes difficult when students try to memorise hundreds of isolated reactions.

Build your fundamentals first.

Understand electronic effects, intermediates, nucleophiles, electrophiles and reaction mechanisms.

While studying a reaction, ask:

Why is this reaction happening?

Once reactions start connecting with concepts, Organic Chemistry becomes much more systematic.

Inorganic Chemistry

Inorganic Chemistry needs a different strategy.

Careful study of NCERT and relevant syllabus material, followed by frequent recall and question practice, is important.

Questions help you identify what you have forgotten, but question solving alone should not replace revision.

Try the 20-Question Experiment

Here is a simple exercise for JEE Main 2027 aspirants.

Choose one topic and solve 20 good questions.

After finishing, don't immediately start another set.

Classify your attempts:

Correct and confident
Correct but slow
Correct through guessing
Wrong because of weak concept
Wrong because of calculation
Wrong because of careless reading

Now analyse the pattern.

Suppose you scored 15/20.

The important information is not only that five questions were wrong.

The real question is:

Why were those five questions wrong?

That answer determines what you should study next.

The JEE Main 2027 Preparation Cycle

Instead of endlessly solving questions, follow a complete preparation cycle:

LEARN → PRACTISE → TEST → ANALYSE → REVISE → RETEST

Each step has a purpose.

Learn the concept.

Practise its applications.

Test yourself without help.

Analyse your mistakes.

Revise the weak areas.

Retest to check whether the weakness has actually been corrected.

If you stop after “Practice”, the learning cycle remains incomplete.

Quality vs Quantity: You Need Both

Does this mean students should solve fewer questions?

No.

JEE preparation requires sufficient question practice because exposure to different problems builds application ability.

But quantity without analysis can become mechanical practice.

So the right approach is not:

Quality OR Quantity

It is:

Quality + Quantity + Analysis

Solve enough questions to experience different patterns, but extract maximum learning from the questions you solve.

A Simple Rule for JEE Main 2027

At the end of every study session, ask yourself three questions:

1. What new concept/application did I learn today?

2. What mistakes did I make today?

3. What will I do differently when I see a similar question again?

If you can answer these three questions regularly, your practice is moving in the right direction.

Final Advice for JEE Main 2027 Aspirants

Don't turn JEE preparation into a competition of completing the maximum number of books, modules and questions.

Questions are not merely tasks to finish.

Every good question is feedback.

It tells you what you know, what you don't know and where your preparation needs improvement.

So don't just build a question-solving habit.

Build a question-learning habit.

Solve → Analyse → Correct → Revise → Retest

Your objective should not simply be to say:

“I solved 100 questions today.”

A much better statement is:

“I became better at solving questions today.”

About the Author

Priyank Joshi (PJ Sir) is a Chemistry educator and mentor based in Kota, Rajasthan, with more than 18 years of teaching and mentoring experience. He teaches Physical, Organic and Inorganic Chemistry to JEE and NEET aspirants and focuses on conceptual clarity, systematic question practice, mistake analysis and exam-oriented preparation.