JEE Main (Joint Entrance Examination Main)

01 January 1990

JEE Main 2026

Notification | Eligibility | Exam Dates | Application Form | Exam Pattern | Admit Card | Syllabus | Result | Counselling

The JEE Main exam is the first stage of the Joint Entrance Examination system, serving as the primary gateway for admission to undergraduate engineering programs. The JEE Main serves as a gateway into premier institutions such as the National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and other centrally funded technical institutes. This exam is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), which is held in multiple sessions throughout the year, providing aspirants with several opportunities to improve their scores.

The JEE Main exam consists of two papers: Paper 1 for B.E./B.Tech aspirants and Paper 2 for those seeking admission to B.Arch/B.Planning courses. Paper 1 is a three-hour computer-based test featuring questions from Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, structured to evaluate a candidate’s both conceptual understanding and problem-solving abilities. With a moderate difficulty level compared to JEE Advanced, JEE Main is accessible to a broader range of candidates, yet remains highly competitive due to the large number of applicants vying for limited seats in top engineering colleges in India.

JEE MAIN 2026 – Online Registration:

JEE MAIN is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). This exam is for those aspirants who are seeking admission to the following programs listed below.

  • 4 – 5 year full-time UG program at various colleges and universities accepting JEE MAIN
  • Candidates can pursue these UG programs in the field of – Technology, Engineering, Planning and Architecture.

JEE MAIN 2026 Notification:

JEE MAIN 2026 notification will be available in November 2025 (Session 1) following with the online application submissions starting in the 1st week of November 2025 (session 1) and 1st week of February 2026 (session 2). The last date for the submission of online applications is 1st week December 2025 (session 1) and 1st week of March 2026 (session 2)JEE MAIN exam will be conducted between 22nd – 30th January 2026 (session 1) and 2nd – 9th April 2026 (session 2) although the official dates are yet to be released by the authorities.

JEE MAIN 2026 Important Dates (Tentative):

Event

Session 1 (January)

Session 2 (April)

Release of Notification

November 2025

Registration Start Date

1st week of November 2025

1st week of February 2026

Last Date to Apply

1st week of December 2025

1st week of March 2026

Last Date to Pay Application Fee

1st week of December 2025

1st week of March 2026

Application Correction Window

1st–2nd week of December 2025

1st–2nd week of March 2026

Advance City Intimation Slip

2nd week of January 2026

3rd week of March 2026

Admit Card Availability

3rd week of January 2026

3 days before exam date

Exam Dates

22nd–30th January 2026

2nd–9th April 2026

Provisional Answer Key Release

By 4th February 2026

2nd week of April 2026

Result Announcement

2nd week of February 2026

4th week of April 2026

Counselling Process Begins

May/June 2026

May/June 2026

JEE MAIN 2026 Application Form:

  • The JEE Main 2026 application form will be available online only on the official NTA website – jeemain.nta.nic.in, with release expected in the 1st week of November 2025 for Session 1, and 1st week of February 2026 for Session 2.
  • Candidates must provide their personal details, contact details and parental details during registration.
  • Academic details will be required for each candidate applying for the said exam along with exam city preferences.
  • Candidates need to upload scanned images of their passport-size photograph, signature, and, if applicable, category or PwD certificate, in the prescribed format.
  • The application fee varies by category and gender for JEE Main exams and must be paid online via credit/debit card, net banking, or UPI (e.g., INR 1000 for general male candidates, INR 800 for general female candidates, INR 500 for SC/ST/PwD/Transgender).
  • Only one application per candidate will be allowed as multiple submissions may lead to rejection.
  • After submission, candidates should download and print the confirmation page for future reference.

JEE MAIN 2026 Application Process:

Requirements:

  1. Candidates must have a valid email id and phone number for ease of communication.
  2. Candidates will be required to provide their personal and academic details.
  3. Candidates need to upload their scanned images of a recent passport-size photograph and signature in JPEG/JPG format (size around 50 KB and signature size around 30 KB).

Steps to Apply for JEE MAIN 2026:

Online Mode:

  • Candidates need to visit the official JEE Main website and register themselves by providing a valid email ID, mobile number, and other basic details to generate application credentials.
  • Candidates will then be required to use the generated application number and password to log in and access the application form.
  • Candidates need to enter their personal, academic, and contact details, select exam city preferences, and choose the paper(s) (B.E./B. Tech, B. Arch, B. Planning) they wish to appear for.
  • Upload scanned images of photograph, signature, and relevant certificates (category, PwD, etc.) as per the specified guidelines.
  • Candidates need to pay the application fee online using available payment methods. However, fee details may vary based on category and session applied by the candidates.
  • Review all entered details carefully, submit the form, and download the confirmation page for records. No corrections are allowed after final submission; hence accuracy is crucial.
  • If needed, candidates can use the correction facility (if available for a limited period) to edit permissible fields before the final deadline.

JEE MAIN 2026 Eligibility Criteria:

4– 5 Year Under Graduate Program (B. Tech/ B.E./ B. Planning/ B. Arch):

  • Candidates must be qualified in their 10+2 (Class 12) or equivalent examination in 2024, 2025, or be appearing in 2026 from a recognized board.
  • Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics must be included as core subjects in the qualifying examination.
  • There is no age limit for candidates appearing in JEE Main 2026.
  • Candidates can attempt JEE Main for three consecutive years from the year of qualifying their Class 10+2 or equivalent exam.
  • Indian citizens, as well as NRIs, PIOs, OCIs, and foreign nationals, are also eligible to apply for JEE Main.
  • For admission to NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs, candidates must secure a minimum aggregate of 75% marks in Class 10+2 (65% for SC/ST) or be in the top 20 percentile of their respective boards.
  • Candidates holding a three-year diploma recognized by AICTE or a state board of technical education are also eligible to appear for JEE Main, but only for B.E./ B. Tech admissions (not B. Arch/ B. Planning).

JEE MAIN 2026 Exam Pattern:

  1. The exam will be conducted in an online computer – based mode for all papers except for the Drawing section of B. Arch, which is offline.
  2. The exam will consist of MCQ (Multiple-Choice-Questions) and numerical value.
  3. The exam will consist of three papers with three sections.
  4. The duration for the test will be of 3 hours and 4 hours for PwD candidates.
  5. There will be a negative marking of -1 for incorrect answers and 1 mark will be given for each correct answer and 0 marks for un attempted questions.
  6. The medium of language will be in 13 languages – English, Hindi and regional languages.

Following is a tabular representation of the exam format.

Paper

Sections

Total Questions

Total Marks

Type of Questions

Duration

B.E./ B. Tech

Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics

75 (25 per subject)

300

MCQs (20/subject) + Numerical Value (5/subject)

3 hours

B. Arch (2A)

Mathematics, Aptitude, Drawing

82 (25+50+2)

400

MCQs, Numerical Value, Drawing (offline)

3 hours

B. Plan (2B)

Mathematics, Aptitude, Planning-Based

100 (25+50+25)

400

MCQs, Numerical Value, Planning-based MCQs

3 hours

JEE MAIN 2026 Admit Card:

  1. Candidates will be provided with admit cards for the JEE MAIN 2026 exam during the 3rd week of January 2026 (Session 1) and three days before the exam date for Session 2.
  2. Admit card is mandatory without which no candidate will be allowed to appear for the exam.
  3. Candidates will be able to download their hall tickets/admit cards from the official website.

JEE MAIN 2026 Syllabus:

The JEE MAIN 2026 syllabus covers concepts from Class 11th and Class 12th. Following is a subject-wise tabular format that covers all major topics as outlined by the NTA and recent official sources.

Subject

Topics

Physics

Units & Measurement, Kinematics, Laws of Motion, Work, Energy & Power, Rotational Motion, Gravitation, Properties of Solids & Liquids, Thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory of Gases, Oscillations & Waves, Electrostatics, Current Electricity, Magnetic Effects of Current & Magnetism, Electromagnetic Induction & Alternating Currents, Electromagnetic Waves, Optics, Dual Nature of Matter & Radiation, Atoms & Nuclei, Electronic Devices, Communication Systems, Experimental Skills

Chemistry

Physical Chemistry: Some Basic Concepts in Chemistry, Atomic Structure, Chemical Bonding & Molecular Structure, Chemical Thermodynamics, Solutions, Equilibrium, Redox Reactions & Electrochemistry, Chemical Kinetics, Surface Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry: Classification of Elements & Periodicity in Properties, Hydrogen, s-block, p-block, d- and f-block Elements, Coordination Compounds, Environmental Chemistry, General Principles & Processes of Isolation of Metals
Organic Chemistry: Purification & Characterisation of Organic Compounds, Some Basic Principles of Organic Chemistry, Hydrocarbons, Organic Compounds Containing Halogens/Oxygen/Nitrogen, Polymers, Biomolecules, Chemistry in Everyday Life, Principles Related to Practical Chemistry

Mathematics

Sets, Relations & Functions, Complex Numbers & Quadratic Equations, Matrices & Determinants, Permutations & Combinations, Binomial Theorem & Its Simple Applications, Sequences & Series, Limits, Continuity & Differentiability, Integral Calculus, Differential Equations, Coordinate Geometry, Three-Dimensional Geometry, Vector Algebra, Trigonometry, Mathematical Reasoning, Statistics & Probability

Scholarship Details:

  • JEE Main scholarships are not directly provided by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
  • However, there are many engineering institutes, state governments, and private organizations offer scholarships to its students.
  • These institutes offer scholarships based on their JEE Main rank, category, and academic performance at the time of admission.

JEE MAIN 2026 Results:

JEE MAIN 2026 results will be announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in the 2nd week of January 2026 (Session 1) and 4th week of April 2026 (Session 2), i.e. after the JEE MAIN 2026 exam is conducted in the 1st to 2nd week of June 2026.

Candidates will be provided with preliminary answer keys on 4th February 2026 for Session 1 and 2nd week of April 2026 for Session 2. However, unlike other entrance exams, candidates will not be able to challenge the preliminary answer keys.

The results and cut-off marks will be released online. The cut-off in general varies by respective institute and course, and only candidates meeting or exceeding the cut-offs are eligible for the next stage i.e. counselling.

JEE MAIN 2026 Selection Process:

  • The National Testing Agency (NTA) declares the JEE Main results and publishes the All India Rank (AIR) list based on candidates’ best scores from both sessions.
  • Qualified candidates will need to register online for the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) counselling, which is required for admission to NITs, IIITs, GFTIs, and other participating institutes.
  • Candidates then fill in their preferred choices of institutes and engineering branches, then lock their options before the deadline.
  • JoSAA conducts multiple rounds of seat allotment, assigning seats based on rank, category, preferences, and seat availability.
  • Candidates who are allotted a seat must accept it online and pay the seat acceptance fee within the specified time to confirm their provisional admission.
  • Candidates need to upload or present required documents for verification, either online or at designated reporting centers, as per JoSAA guidelines.
  • In the final process, candidates will be reporting physically to the allotted institute to complete the remaining admission formalities and pay the institute fee, securing their seat.

JEE MAIN 2026 Instructions:

  1. Candidates should upload their photograph and signature with the preferred size in the portal which should be clearly visible.
  2. Candidates need to carry their admit card/hall ticket to the exam centre. Candidates will be prohibited from entering the exam hall without this document.
  3. Candidates will also be required to carry a valid ID proof such as – Voter ID Card/ Aadhaar Card/ PAN Card/ Driving License, etc.
  4. It is advisable for all candidates to enter the designated exam hall before time for a smooth security process before the beginning of exam.
  5. Any candidate violating the rules will be strictly dealt as per the norms of the exam centre.
  6. Any candidate pursuing any unfair means in the exam hall will be dealt with as per the rules and regulations of the test centre.

JEE Mains 2025 FAQs

Candidates who have passed Class 12th in 2021, 2025, or appearing in 2025 irrespective of their age are eligible to sit for JEE Main 2025.
As per the JEE Main exam pattern 2025 for B.Tech candidates, the exam has a total of 75 questions spread over the three sections of the exam- Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. The total marks for the exam are 300 marks.
As per the JEE Main 2025 exam pattern, for MCQ questions, candidates are allotted 4 marks for each correct answer and there is a negative marking of 1 mark for each incorrect answer. In the case of answers with numerical values, candidates are allotted 4 marks for each correct answer and there is no negative marking for incorrect answers.
As per the JEE Main exam pattern for B.Arch, there will be three sections- Mathematics, Aptitude, and Drawing. There will be 25 questions in the Maths section; 50 questions in the Aptitude section and 2 Drawing questions in the exam. The total number of questions in the paper is 77
Candidates can appear for JEE Main exam for up to 3 consecutive years. The exam is conducted twice a year, the candidate may appear in both attempts. Appearing in both sessions of the same year will be counted as a single attempt.
There a total of 110 institutes that are participating in JoSAA Counselling 2025.
Yes, you cannot get your JEE Main to admit card through the post. You can only download the JEE Main Admit Card from nta.ac.in. In that case, You need to log in to the systems with your roll number and password, which are stored on your email, just check in your personal email ID, or else send an email to the helpline to get your credentials.
There is no special criteria of minimum percentage defined for appearing in JEE Main 2025. But for taking admission in NITs, IIITs, IITs, and CFTIs through JoSAA Counselling, a candidate must secure a minimum percentage of 75 or be in the top 20 percentile in class 12. For SC/ST, the qualifying mark is 65%.