JEE Main 2026 Exam Date, Notification & Vacancies

From the official National Testing Agency (NTA), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India documents · last checked 3 October 2026

JEE Main is the short name for the Joint Entrance Examination (Main). The National Testing Agency (NTA) runs it for the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech.) is used for engineering admission at NITs, IIITs, other centrally funded technical institutions (CFTIs) and colleges in states that take part. Paper 1 also decides who can sit JEE (Advanced), the exam for IIT admission. Paper 2A is for B.Arch and Paper 2B is for B.Planning. The exam is held twice a year, in a January session and an April session. You can take one session or both. If you take both, your better total score counts. In 2026, Paper 1 was held on 21, 22, 23, 24 and 28 January and on 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 April. Final Paper 1 results came out on 20 April 2026. On 4 October 2026 the JEE Main 2027 information bulletin was not yet out. NTA's calendar of 16 September 2026 shows Session 1 of 2027 as tentative, on 22–24 and 28–30 January 2027.

Important dates

JEE Main 2026 (finished: both sessions held, final results out). JEE Main 2027 is expected. Its information bulletin was not out on 4 October 2026. NTA's exam calendar lists Session 1 tentatively for 22–24 and 28–30 January 2027.

  • Session 1: online application window31 October 2025 to 27 November 2025 (fee by 11:50 PM on 27 November 2025)done
  • Session 1: correction in application form01 December 2025 to 02 December 2025done
  • Session 1: exam city intimation slip08 January 2026done
  • Session 1: admit cards released (first batch)17 January 2026done
  • Session 1: Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech.) exam21, 22, 23, 24 and 28 January 2026done
  • Session 1: Paper 2A (B.Arch) and Paper 2B (B.Planning) exam29 January 2026done
  • Session 1: provisional answer key challenge (Paper 1)04 February 2026 to 06 February 2026done
  • Session 1: Paper 1 NTA scores declared16 February 2026done
  • Session 1: Paper 2 NTA scores declared24 February 2026done
  • Session 2: online application window01 February 2026 to 25 February 2026 (re-opened 12 March 2026 to 13 March 2026)done
  • Session 2: correction in application form27 February 2026 to 28 February 2026done
  • Session 2: exam city intimation slip21 March 2026done
  • Session 2: admit cards released (first batch)29 March 2026done
  • Session 2: Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech.) exam02, 04, 05, 06 and 08 April 2026done
  • Session 2: Paper 2A and Paper 2B exam07 April 2026done
  • Session 2: provisional answer key challenge (Paper 1)11 April 2026 to 13 April 2026done
  • Final Paper 1 result, ranks and JEE (Advanced) 2026 cut-off20 April 2026done
  • Final Paper 2A and 2B NTA scores05 May 2026done
  • NTA exam calendar up to March 2027 published16 September 2026done
  • JEE Main 2027 information bulletin and Session 1 applicationNot announced yet (as of 04 October 2026)tentative
  • JEE Main 2027 Session 1 exam (NTA calendar, tentative)22 to 24 January 2027 and 28 to 30 January 2027 (buffer day 31 January 2027)tentative

Vacancies

Not applicable. JEE Main is an entrance test for admission, not a job recruitment. NTA says it does not collect seat numbers. Seats are filled by JoSAA, CSAB and the institutes themselves. For scale: 15,38,468 unique candidates appeared for Paper 1 across both sessions of 2026 (NTA press release, 20 April 2026).

Official notification ↗National Testing Agency (NTA), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India website ↗

Frequently asked questions

How many times a year is JEE Main held?

Twice, in a January session and an April session. You can take one session or both. If you take both, NTA uses your better total NTA score for the merit list.

What is the marking scheme of Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech.)?

There are 75 questions for 300 marks: 25 each in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. Each subject has 20 MCQs and 5 numerical-answer questions. A correct answer gets +4 and a wrong answer gets −1, in both types. Unanswered questions get 0. Calculators are not allowed.

Is there an age limit, and which Class 12 years are allowed?

There is no age limit. For JEE Main 2026, you must have passed Class 12 in 2024 or 2025, or be appearing in 2026. Students who passed in 2023 or earlier were not eligible.

Do I need 75% in Class 12?

Not to sit the exam. To get admission to NITs, IIITs and other CFTIs through JoSAA/CSAB, you need at least 75% aggregate in Class 12 (65% for SC, ST and PwD). The other way is a place in the top 20 percentile of your board for your category.

What percentile was needed to qualify for JEE (Advanced) 2026?

The top 2,50,000 Paper 1 candidates qualified. NTA's lowest qualifying percentiles were: General 93.4123549, EWS 82.4164528, OBC-NCL 80.9232583, SC 63.9172792, ST 52.0174712 and General-PwBD 0.0023186.

When will JEE Main 2027 be held?

The JEE Main 2027 bulletin was not out on 4 October 2026. NTA's exam calendar of 16 September 2026 lists Session 1 tentatively for 22–24 and 28–30 January 2027, with 31 January as a buffer day. Check jeemain.nta.nic.in for the official notice.

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