Paper 1 of IIT-JEE 2008 consisted of 69 questions with total marks of 246.

The difficulty level of the three subjects in the decreasing order was Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.

The questions in Mathematics required long steps to finally arrive at the answer. The difficulty was compounded because of the larger than usual share of questions (28%) in Coordinate Geometry that required – again – larger than usual steps to solve. The Comprehension Type questions were based on the application side of Complex Numbers, Integral Calculus and Coordinate Geometry. System of Equations commanded three Assertion Reasoning Type Questions.

In Physics, questions were almost uniformly distributed among all areas other than Electrostatics, EMI and AC. The easiest type of questions in Paper 1 were the Assertion-Reasoning type as none of them involved calculations by only clarity of the concepts being discussed. 12 Marks could be easily scored in this area. From the Straight Answer type questions, three were easily solvable. The Linked Comprehension type questions posed maximum difficulty because of the lengthy expressions and interconnectivity. The representation of Modern Physics was relatively higher in Paper 1 when compared to the importance given to the topic in the previous years.

The questions in Physical Chemistry – the ones students usually pick up first to solve – were tougher than usual. Some of the questions in the numericals were presented with a twist with the obvious intention of confusing the students. Instead of moles if the student were to take equivalents, the answer would be wrong, but was present among the choices.