The National Testing Agency (NTA) released details for the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) - 2026. This examination offers admissions to undergraduate engineering, architecture, and planning programs. JEE Main 2026 will be conducted in two sessions. Candidates receive two opportunities to improve scores. The best NTA score from all attempts will be used for merit ranking.
About the National Testing Agency (NTA)
The Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India (GoI), established the National Testing Agency. NTA is an independent, autonomous, self-sustained testing organization. It was set up under the Societies Registration Act (1860). NTA aims to improve education quality and equity. It does this by administering valid, reliable, efficient, transparent, fair, and international-level assessments. NTA has conducted the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) since 2019.
JEE Main 2026 Overview
JEE (Main) - 2026 includes two papers. Paper 1 is for admission to B.E./B.Tech programs. These include NITs, IIITs, other Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs), and state-recognized universities. Paper 1 also serves as an eligibility test for JEE (Advanced) for IIT admissions. Paper 2 is for admission to B. Arch and B. Planning courses nationwide.
Important Dates for JEE Main 2026
The examination will be held in two sessions: Session 1 (January 2026) and Session 2 (April 2026).
| Event | Session 1 (January 2026) | Session 2 (April 2026) |
| Online Submission of Application Form | 31 October 2025 to 27 November 2025 (Up to 09:00 P.M. ) | Last week of January 2026 Onwards |
| Last Date for Fee Transaction | 27 November 2025 (Up to 11:50 P.M. ) | Will be notified later |
| City Intimation Slip | First Week of January 2026 (Tentatively) | Second Week of March 2026 (Tentatively) |
| Admit Cards Download | 03-04 days before examination | 03-04 days before examination |
| Dates of Examination | Between 21 January 2026 to 30 January 2026 | Between 02 April 2026 to 09 April 2026 |
| Declaration of Result | By 12 February 2026 | By 20 April 2026 |
The duration for Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech), Paper 2A (B. Arch), or Paper 2B (B. Planning) is 03 Hours . For candidates appearing for both B. Arch and B. Planning, the duration is 03 Hours 30 Minutes . Examinations will be held in two shifts. The first shift is from 09:00 A.M. to 12:00 Noon (IST) for 03-hour papers. It is from 09:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. (IST) for 03-hour 30-minute papers. The second shift is from 03:00 P.M. to 06:00 P.M. (IST) for 03-hour papers. It is from 03:00 P.M. to 06:30 P.M. (IST) for 03-hour 30-minute papers.
Examination Fee Structure
Fees for JEE (Main) – 2026 are payable online. Processing charges and Goods & Service Taxes (GST) apply.
| Type of Candidate | Centres in India (₹) | Centres Outside India (₹) |
| Paper 1 OR Paper 2A OR Paper 2B (Single Paper) | ||
| General Male | 1000 | 5000 |
| General Female | 800 | 4000 |
| Gen-EWS/OBC (NCL) Male | 900 | 4500 |
| Gen-EWS/OBC (NCL) Female | 800 | 4000 |
| SC/ST/PwD/PwBD Male | 500 | 2500 |
| SC/ST/PwD/PwBD Female | 500 | 2500 |
| Third Gender | 500 | 3000 |
| Multiple Papers (e.g., Paper 1 & 2A) | ||
| General/Gen-EWS/OBC (NCL) Male | 2000 | 10000 |
| General/Gen-EWS/OBC (NCL) Female | 1600 | 8000 |
| SC/ST/PwD/PwBD Male | 1000 | 5000 |
| SC/ST/PwD/PwBD Female | 1000 | 5000 |
| Third Gender | 1000 | 5000 |
Application Procedure
Candidates must follow three steps to apply online.
Step 1: Registration Form
Candidates register online. A system-generated Application Number is provided. Candidates must create a password. They also choose a security question and provide an answer. This Application Number is for both sessions.
Step 2: Application Form
Candidates log in using their Application Number and password. They fill personal details. They select the paper, choose examination cities, and provide educational qualifications. Candidates must upload a live photograph. Scanned images of a photograph (JPG/JPEG, 10 kb to 200 kb ) and signature (JPG/JPEG, 10 kb to 100 kb ) are required. A scanned Class 10 Certificate/Marks-sheet (PDF, 50 kb to 300 kb ) and Disability/UDID certificate (PDF, 50 kb to 300 kb ) are also needed. The photograph must be in color with 80% face visible against a white background. NTA verifies all details.
Step 3: Fee Payment
Candidates pay the examination fees online. Payment methods include Net Banking, Credit Card, Debit Card, or UPI. After successful payment, a Confirmation Page is generated. If the Confirmation Page is not generated, the transaction is cancelled. Candidates must then make another payment.
The password must be 8 to 13 characters long. It must include at least one uppercase alphabet, one lowercase alphabet, one numeric value, and one special character (!@#$%^&*-).
Examination Scheme
JEE (Main) - 2026 uses different modes for papers.
Mode of Examination
Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) is a Computer Based Test (CBT). Paper 2A (B. Arch) has Mathematics (Part-I) and Aptitude Test (Part-II) in CBT mode. Drawing Test (Part-III) is offline, on an A4 size drawing sheet. Paper 2B (B. Planning) is entirely a CBT. It includes Mathematics (Part-I), Aptitude Test (Part-II), and Planning-Based Questions (Part-III).
Medium of Question Papers
The exam is conducted in thirteen languages. These are English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. English is available at all centers. English and Hindi are available in all Indian centers. Other languages are specific to certain regions. The language choice cannot be changed later. English version will prevail in case of any discrepancy.
Pattern of Examination: Paper 1 (B.E./B. Tech.)
This paper covers Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. Each subject has 20 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and 05 Numerical Value Questions . The total is 75 questions for 300 marks . For MCQs, four marks (+4) are given for a correct answer, and minus one mark (-1) for an incorrect answer. Numerical answers are rounded to the nearest integer. NTA scores from all sessions are merged for overall merit. Tie-breaking rules consider NTA scores in Mathematics, then Physics, then Chemistry. Then, a lower proportion of incorrect answers in all subjects, then individually for Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry is considered.
Pattern of Examination: Paper 2A (B. Arch)
This paper consists of Mathematics, Aptitude Test, and Drawing Test. Mathematics (Part-I) has 20 MCQs and 05 Numerical Value Questions , totaling 100 marks . Aptitude Test (Part-II) has 50 MCQs , totaling 200 marks . Drawing Test (Part-III) has 02 questions , totaling 100 marks . The total paper has 77 questions for 400 marks . Negative marking applies to Mathematics and Aptitude Test sections. Numerical answers are rounded to the nearest integer. Tie-breaking rules consider NTA score in Aptitude Test, then Mathematics, then Drawing Test.
Pattern of Examination: Paper 2B (B. Planning)
This paper includes Mathematics, Aptitude Test, and Planning-Based Questions. Mathematics (Part-I) has 20 MCQs and 05 Numerical Value Questions , totaling 100 marks . Aptitude Test (Part-II) has 50 questions , totaling 200 marks . Planning-Based Questions (Part-III) has 25 questions , totaling 100 marks . The total paper has 100 questions for 400 marks . Negative marking applies to MCQs and Numerical Value Questions. Numerical answers are rounded to the nearest integer. Tie-breaking rules consider NTA score in Aptitude Test, then Mathematics, then Planning-Based Questions.
