The JEE Apex Board (JAB) has been reconstituted for the smooth conduct of the upcoming JEE Main and JEE Advanced exams in the years 2026 and 2027, by the Ministry of Education (MoE). The move has been taken after the successful completion of the previous JAB term 2024 and 2025. The JAB was reinforced after the IIT council meeting was held on August 25, 2025, after 2 years.
Even though no decision has been taken in this meeting, the discussion factors included increasing the number of attempts in JEE advanced to three, and reducing the 75% criteria in JEE Main 2026 exam and ahead. If any changes are finalised in terms of eligibility and exam structure, then the decision will be made public and shall be announced in future on the official NTA website.
Composition of the New JAB for JEE Exams
The reconstituted board will be chaired by Professor S.K. Jain, Former Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), as the Honorary Chairperson. The members include:
- Directors of IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Roorkee, NIT Rourkela, IIEST Shibpur, IIIT Hyderabad, IIIT Una, and IIITDM Kanchipuram.
- Representatives from the state governments of Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh.
- A representative from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT).
- The Chairman of CBSE, Director Generals of NIC and C-DAC, and senior officials from the Ministry of Education.
- The Director General of NTA will serve as the Member Secretary.
- The JAB may also invite nominees from the Council of Architecture or Directors of Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPAs) as special invitees.
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Functions of the Reconstituted JAB
The new JAB has been entrusted with several key functions to ensure the smooth conduct of JEE Main and JEE Advanced.
- NTA as Secretariat: The National Testing Agency (NTA) will act as the permanent secretariat, handling administration, finance, RTI cases, and coordination.
- Support for JEE Main: NTA will manage logistics, IT systems, online applications, and exam conduct, with possible support from NIC and C-DAC.
- JEE Interface Group: A support group comprising members from NTA, IITs, and the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) will assist JAB.
- JEE Advanced Oversight: The IIT system’s JAB (JAB-IIT) will continue to oversee JEE Advanced.
- Transparency Measures: Both JEE Main and JEE Advanced will continue following IIT system’s established transparency processes.
Implications for JEE 2026 & 2027
The JAB reconstitution ensures continuity in the governance of India’s most competitive engineering entrance exams, which act as gateways to IITs, NITs, IIITs, and other Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs). With representation from top IITs, NITs, IIITs, state governments, and national agencies, the board is expected to maintain a transparent, fair, and efficient exam process for lakhs of aspirants in 2026 and 2027.
