JEE Main 2026: Exam Pattern, Eligibility & Study Plan

JEE Main (Joint Entrance Examination — Main) is India's premier engineering entrance exam conducted by NTA (National Testing Agency) in computer-based mode. It is the first of the two-stage JEE examination system — JEE Main qualifies candidates for JEE Advanced (the exam for admission to IITs). JEE Main is also used for direct admission to NITs (National Institutes of Technology), IIITs (Indian Institutes of Information Technology), and other Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs). Over 1 million students appear for JEE Main each year across two sessions (January and April). The exam has two papers: Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) and Paper 2 (B.Arch/B.Planning). The best of two sessions is used for the final merit list and JoSAA counselling.

Candidates must have passed Class 12 or be appearing in the current academic year. There is no minimum aggregate requirement for appearing in JEE Main, but for admission to NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs, candidates typically need 75% or above (or be in the top 20 percentile of their board). For SC/ST candidates, the requirement is 65%. There is no age limit for JEE Main. Candidates must have studied Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics (PCM) in Class 12. The board must be recognized by the Government of India.

JEE Main Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) consists of 90 multiple-choice questions across three sections: Physics (30 questions), Chemistry (30 questions), and Mathematics (30 questions). Each subject has Section A (25 MCQs) and Section B (5 Numerical Value questions — candidates attempt any 5 of the 10 questions). Each MCQ carries 4 marks with -1 for wrong answers; numerical questions carry 4 marks with no negative marking. Total: 300 marks, 3 hours. The exam is conducted online (CBT) in English and 12 regional languages.

JEE Main is conducted twice a year (January Session and April Session). A candidate can appear for both sessions in the same calendar year and the better of the two NTA scores is used for the final merit list. There is no upper age limit and no cap on the total number of attempts across years. However, for JEE Advanced eligibility, only the top 2,50,000 rankers from JEE Main are considered, and candidates must meet the 75% aggregate requirement (or top 20 percentile of their board) in Class 12.

JoSAA (Joint Seat Allocation Authority) conducts centralized counselling for admission to 118 NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs after JEE Main results are declared. The process: (1) Register on josaa.nic.in using JEE Main roll number and rank, (2) Fill in preferred choices of institute and branch, (3) Seat allocation happens in 6 rounds based on rank, category, and choices, (4) Accept or upgrade allocated seat in each round. The seat acceptance fee is ₹35,000 for General/OBC and ₹18,000 for SC/ST/PwD. After seat allocation, candidates report to the institute for document verification and admission confirmation.

JEE Main 2026 Session 2 is scheduled for April 2–8, 2026 (exact shift dates vary by candidate). The Session 2 admit card was released on March 29, 2026. To download: visit jeemain.ntaonline.in, log in with Application Number and Password, and download the PDF. Candidates must carry the printed admit card and a valid photo ID (Aadhaar/Passport/PAN) to the exam centre. The exam is conducted in two shifts: Morning (9:00 AM–12:00 PM) and Afternoon (3:00 PM–6:00 PM). The result for Session 2 is expected on April 20, 2026.

NTA uses an equipercentile method to normalize JEE Main scores across different exam sessions and shifts. Since the exam is conducted multiple times and in multiple shifts, raw scores alone are not comparable. NTA converts raw scores into percentile scores (0–100) for each session, then uses the best of two sessions for the final rank list. This ensures fairness — students who appeared in a tougher shift are not disadvantaged compared to those who got an easier shift.

For General category, a JEE Main percentile of 95+ (approximately 180+ marks out of 300) is typically needed for top NIT branches like Computer Science. For OBC category, 75+ percentile (~140–160 marks) is competitive. For SC/ST, 50+ percentile (~70–100 marks) can secure admission in many NITs. The exact cut-off varies by institute, branch, home state quota, and session difficulty. The qualifying cut-off (for JEE Advanced eligibility) is lower — around 82.5 percentile for General, 55 for OBC, 37.5 for SC, and 27.5 for ST.

After each JEE Main session, NTA releases a provisional answer key on its official website (nta.ac.in / jeemain.ntaonline.in). If you find an error: (1) Login to the objection portal during the objection window (typically 3–5 days after the answer key is released), (2) Select the question ID you want to challenge, (3) Pay ₹200 per question as the challenge fee (online payment), (4) NTA reviews all objections and releases the Final Answer Key, (5) The final answer key is used for calculating the official result. No challenges are accepted after the window closes — ensure you act within the specified dates.

The JEE Main 2026 answer key is released by NTA typically 2–3 days after the completion of each session exam. For Session 1 (January 21–29, 2026), the answer key was released in February 2026. For Session 2 (April 2–8, 2026), the answer key is expected in April 2026. Candidates can download the official answer key from the NTA website (jeemain.ntaonline.in or nta.ac.in) — it is available as a subject-wise PDF. Candidates who find discrepancies can raise objections within the specified window (3–5 days) by paying ₹200 per question. The final answer key, after considering objections, is used for calculating the official result declared on April 20, 2026 for Session 2.

JEE Main 2026 Session 1 result was declared in February 2026. Session 2 result is expected to be declared on April 20, 2026 per the official NTA schedule. Candidates can check their result on the official NTA website (nta.ac.in or jeemain.ntaonline.in) using their Application Number and Date of Birth. The result includes: raw score (out of 300), NTA percentile score, and All India Rank (AIR). The final JoSAA counselling uses the best of Session 1 and Session 2 percentile scores. Keep your Application Number and Password ready before the result date to avoid last-minute issues.