JEE Main 2026: Exam Date (21 Jan), Session 1 Registration (Closed), Eligibility, Syllabus, and More

The JEE Main Session 1 exam dates 2026 are scheduled between 21st to 30th January 2026, and probably between 1st to 10th April 2026 for the Session 2. The JEE Main 2026 registration for Session 1 has begun from 31st October 2025 & will end on 27th November 2025. The registration link for Session 2 will be activated possibly in the last week of January 2026.

For JEE Main 2026, the syllabus & the exam pattern will be released soon by the conducting authorities which the students can check at the official website.

JEE Main is a National level entrance test for students aspiring to take admissions in the UG Engineering, Architecture, and Planning programs in top Colleges like NITs, IITs, etc. The conducting body of the JEE Main 2026 is National Testing Agency i.e., NTA. The exam will be held in around 13 languages across India for a duration of 3 hours for Paper 1, and 3 hours and 30 minutes for Paper 2.

This article includes details related to JEE Mains 2026, including the eligibility criteria students need to fulfil, the registration / application dates and process, syllabus of the exam along with its pattern, and more crucial details related to NTA JEE Main 2026 exam which candidates must know.

JEE Main Exam – the Joint Entrance Examination was formerly known as AIEEE – the All India Engineering Entrance Examination. The exam is conducted two times in a year, mostly the first session in January and second session in April.

The first session / Paper 1 of JEE Main is an entrance test for Engineering Programs like B.Tech / B.E Session 2 / Paper 2 of the exam is conducted for the students aspiring to get admissions in UG programmes like B.Arch and B.Planning.

Aspiring candidates are allowed to attempt the exam 6 times in 3 sequential years. NTA, the conducting body, is responsible for officially releasing the notifications for all important details related to JEE Main Exam 2026. 

The below-given table includes the highlights of JEE Main exam 2026:

The exam dates for Session 1 and Session 2 of JEE Main exam and the Schedule for their related events are as follows:

Candidates who wish to take admissions in Undergraduate Engineering, Architecture, and planning programs in top colleges accepting JEE Main scores must know that they need to meet the eligibility criteria to attempt the entrance i.e., JEE Main 2026 Exam. Furthermore, it is important to know that qualifying for the JEE Main exam is a must to apply for JEE Advanced.

The basic JEE main eligibility criteria 2026 is listed below:

• The candidates must have passed the 10+2 / PUC/ other equivalent examination in 2023, 2024 / Appearing in the 10+2 examination in 2026.
• There is no minimum or maximum age limit criteria to appear for JEE Main exam 2026.

* Students who have passed their 10+2 examinations in 2022 / prior or appearing in 2026 are not eligible to apply for JEE 2026.

* Candidates must check and fulfil the age criteria of the particular Institute in which they are seeking admission.

Check: JEE Main Eligibility Crtieria 2026

The JEE Main Registration 2026 will open so the eligible candidates can visit the official website and proceed to fill the application form of JEE Main exam 2026. The registration / application of the exam mainly involves the below given steps:

• Complete registration on the official website.
• Fill the registration form with correct details including educational qualifications, personal information, providing preference for the exam centre, etc. 
• Upload the required documents including the candidate’s photograph, signature, and other applicable documents.
• Pay the applicable registration fees through net banking, credit or debit card, UPI, etc. 
• Take a printout of the confirmation page for further use.

Check: JEE Main Application Process

JEE Main is considered to be a tough entrance exam. In order to prepare well for the examination, students must go through the whole JEE Main 2026 syllabus.

The JEE main syllabus 2026 is different for Paper 1, Paper 2 (A) and Paper 2 (B). The Subject-wise syllabus for all these papers can be checked out with the tables given below in the article.

JEE Main Syllabus for Paper 1

JEE Mains syllabus 2026 comprises 3 subjects including Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. Following table comprise important chapters for jee mains 2026:

JEE Main Syllabus for Paper 2 (A)

It comprises 3 subjects including Mathematics, Aptitude Test, and the Drawing Test. The Units & topics for Mathematics will be the same as it is for Paper 1. The syllabus for remaining two subjects is given below:

Aptitude Test Syllabus

JEE Main Syllabus for Paper 2 (B)

For this Paper, the syllabus for the first 2 subjects (Mathematics and Aptitude Test) remains the same as it is for Paper 2 (A). The syllabus for third subject of this paper is as follows:

Check: JEE Main Syllabus 2026

When the eligible students complete the registration process and start their preparation after checking the syllabus, they are advised to go through the exam pattern of the exam. It will provide them with a deep understanding of how much time they need to provide to each subject as per its weightage in the exam.

Candidates must check out the below-given JEE Main Exam Pattern 2026:

Paper 1: It is a Computer Based Test (CBT), mainly for the students seeking admissions in B.E./ B. Tech. programmes. The Paper 1 exam pattern is given below:

Paper 2 (A): For this paper, the 1^st Part i.e., Mathematics and 2^nd Part i.e., Aptitude will be in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode. 3^rd Part of this Paper i.e., Drawing test will be taken offline on a A4 size Drawing sheet. This paper is mainly for the students seeking admissions in B.Arch. The Paper 2(A) exam pattern is given below:

Paper 2 (B): This exam paper will comprise 3 parts including 1^st Part which is Mathematics, 2^nd Part that is the Aptitude test and the 3^rd Part which is Planning based Questions, all will be in the CBT mode. This paper is for the students looking for admissions in B.Planning. The pattern of Paper 2(B) JEE Main exam 2026 is given below:

The admit card of the JEE Main comprises the exam date, allotted shift, exam time, and other important information about the test. Students need to note that they will be able to download the JEE Main Admit Card 2026 from 3 days before the exam date. To download the admit card, candidates need to ensure that they have completed the registration successfully.

The exam authorities will release the JEE Main admit card on the official website i.e., “jeemain.nta.ac.in”. The Admit Card will be required when the students will go to the test centre on the exam day. It is advised to the candidates to carefully check all the information mentioned on the Admit card and  if they find any mismatch, get in touch with the authorities immediately.

As the JEE Main exam is conducted in around 13 different languages, the availability of exam centres for the candidates will depend upon their chosen language / medium.

Below given is the list of exam centres available for the candidates:

While preparing for the exam, students can refer to tips that will help them elevate the level of their JEE Main Preparation 2026; some of such tips are as follows:

• Students are advised to collect the best study resources and make their preparation strategies accordingly so that they will not miss out on any important topics.
• The time table candidates make for the preparation of the exam must be realistic and allocate enough time for preparation of each subject.
• Aspirants should go through the detailed exam syllabus and the JEE Main exam pattern in order to avoid any confusion regarding the exam paper.
• Students can solve the past year papers of JEE Main and also appear for mock tests for enhancing their familiarity with the exam pattern.
• It is advised to the JEE Main aspirants to enhance their speed & accuracy of solving the questions so that they can minimise the chances of making errors in the actual exam.

The authorities prescribe some important guidelines for the candidates to follow on the JEE Main 2026 exam day in order to avoid any consequences. Some of the exam day guidelines are given below:

• Students must reach the allotted test centre at time which is 2 hours before the exam commencement. If the students reach the examination centres late, they may miss out on important instructions for which the authorities will not be responsible.
• Candidates must carry a valid photo ID and the printed / download admit card of JEE Main 2026 for verification purpose and to get entry inside the examination hall.
• As soon as the exam hall gets open, students are required to take their allotted seat as per the roll number. Taking a seat allotted to someone else may result in cancellation of the student’s candidature.
• Students can appear in only any 1 shift of the JEE Main 2026 examination. In case a student has appeared in more than a shift, his / her result will not be declared and the candidature will be cancelled by the authorities.
• In case of any discrepancies or queries, students must immediately inform the present invigilator in the examination hall.

Students are advised to solve the JEE Main previous years Question Papers as these follow the similar exam pattern and are based on more or less the same exam syllabus. Practising with the past year papers is one of the best strategies to achieve good results in the exam.

Solving the sample papers / past year papers of JEE Main have several benefits for the students; they can become more familiar with the exam format, enhance their accuracy & speed of solving the questions, boost the level of their exam preparation, and more.

The Mock tests are conducted by the authorities for the aspirants of JEE Main 2026. These tests are held to enhance the familiarity of the candidates with the actual exam pattern. Students need to visit the official website of the exam through which they can access the JEE Main Mock Test.

To appear for the mock test, students require their login ID and password which they need to enter on the official website. Mock tests will aid the students to identify their weaknesses in terms of the level of their exam preparation and make strategies for improvement to perform better in the actual examination.

Once the JEE Main exam will be conducted, the conducting body i.e., NTA will release an Answer Key which will include correct answers of all the questions which were included in the exam paper. The JEE Main Answer Key 2026 will be displayed on the official website that is “jeemain.nta.ac.in”.

Initially, a provisional answer key for challenge will be released by the exam conducting body; if any students will find discrepancies in the key, they will be allowed to raise objections against the same. To challenge the answer key, students will need to pay Rs.200/- per question. Afterwards, the authorities will analyse the raised objections (if any) and release the final answer key; any challenges against the final key will not be entertained.

*Challenges raised without any evidence or justifications against the provisional answer key will not be considered.

The authority is likely to announce the JEE Main Result 2026 of the Session 1 for Paper 1 (B.E / B.Tech) on 11th February 2026. For Session 2, the results are possibly going to be released on 17th April 2026. To check the results, the students who have appeared for the exam need to visit “jeemain.nta.ac.in” which is the official website. Students will be required to login on the website to access and download their score card. 

In the JEE Main score card, the overall percentile and the score obtained in every subject will be mentioned. Downloading the score card is important as it will be required for the further admission process of the student.

*If any student is found to be engaged in unfair practices, his / her result will not be announced. No requests will be entertained by the authorities from students’ end in this regard.

Check: JEE Main Result 2026

The cut-off marks describe the minimum percentile score students need to achieve in JEE Mains in order to appear later on for the JEE Advanced exam. The JEE Main 2026 cut-off will be determined and announced after the results by the exam authorities. 

The marks students get in JEE Main Results decides their All India Rank for admission into any of the IITs or other participating colleges. Candidates need not to score as per any cut-off to take admission after clearing JEE Mains. The cut-off declared by the authorities is only to decide whether the student is eligible for JEE Advanced or not. 

*Students must note that final admission will also be based on the released qualifying percentage, if any, by individual participating institutions. 

The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) / Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB) is responsible for counselling and seat allotment of students once the JEE Main results are announced. The All India Rank of students as per the exam result will be used for their admission through JoSAA in any of the IITs or other colleges. 

The JEE Main Counselling 2026 process will be done by JoSAA / CSAB; the students can visit the official website of the respective authorities for more information on Counselling, JEE Main Seat Allotment 2026, and the further selection / admission process after the announcement of exam result. 

As per the conducting body i.e., NTA, if multiple candidates obtain same scores in the JEE Main exam Paper 1 which is B.E / B.Tech, the tie between them will be resolved as per the following tie-breaking rules:

• The candidate who has achieved a higher score in Mathematics in the exam will be considered.
• If the tie does not get resolved with the Mathematics marks, the higher Physics marks achieved by the candidate will be taken into consideration.  
• If the tie continues, the student with higher marks achieved in Chemistry will be awarded with the higher rank. 
• In case the tie still persists, the lower ratio of the attempted incorrect answers and correct answers in the exam overall (in all subjects) by the candidate will be considered. 
• If the tie remains, the lower proportion of wrong answers and right answers attempted in Mathematics by the candidate will be taken into account.
• If the tie does not get resolved, the candidate with lower ratio of attempted wrong answers and correct answers in the Physics subject in the exam will be considered.
• In case the tie still persists, candidates with lower proportion of incorrect answers and right answers attempted in the Chemistry subject will be taken into consideration. 
• If the tie persists and is not resolved yet, the older student will be given a higher rank.

At last, if the tie has not been resolved, the application number in ascending order will be considered and the candidates will get awarded with ranks accordingly.

The Participating Institutes of JEE Main Exam 2026 include IITs, NITs, CFTIs - Centrally Funded Technical Institutions and other Universities / Institutes which are recognised or funded by the participating State Governments.

Below listed are some of the prominent Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), Indian Institute of Information & Technology (IIITs), National institute of Technology (NITs), and other institutes accepting JEE Main Scores.

Some of the Top IITs and IIITs:

• IIT Delhi
• IIT Madras
• IIT Bombay
• IIT Kharagpur
• IIIT Allahabad
• IIIT Lucknow
• IIITDM Kancheepuram
• IIITM Gwalior

Some of the Top NITs:

• National institute of Technology, Goa
• National institute of Technology, Delhi
• National institute of Technology, Trichy
• National institute of Technology, Calicut
• Malviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur
• Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal
• Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allhabad
• Dr. B. R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar

Some Other Top Central / State Government Funded Institutions:

• Assam University, Silchar
• Mizoram University, Aizawl
• Jamia Hamdard University, Delhi
• Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi
• University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad
• School of Planning & Architecture, Bhopal
• Indian Institute of Petroleum & Energy, Visakhapatnam
• Institute of Infrastructure, Technology, Research, and Management, Ahmedabad

Apart from the aforementioned institutes, there are many other top Institutions & Universities accepting JEE Main Scores for admissions in their UG programs under Engineering & Architecture & Planning field.

Check: Colleges Accepting JEE Main