JEE Main 2026 Exam Sees High Turnout on Day 2
The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2026 for Session 1 continued smoothly on January 22, 2026. More than 2 lakh students took the exam across two shifts on the second day. The National Testing Agency (NTA) is conducting JEE Main Session 1 from January 21 to January 29, 2026. The overall difficulty level of the January 22 exam was reported as moderate by students and experts.
On the first day, January 21, approximately 2.6 lakh candidates appeared for the exam, with an attendance rate of about 96%. The NTA has stated its commitment to fairness and accuracy in the examination process.
JEE Main Paper 1 exams are held in two shifts daily: from 9 am to 12 noon and from 3 pm to 6 pm. Paper 2, meant for B.Arch and B.Planning courses, will be conducted on January 29, 2026, in a single shift from 9 am to 12:30 pm.
Exam Difficulty Levels
Based on the performance of students on January 21 and 22, the difficulty level for the upcoming shifts is expected to be as follows:
| JEE Main January 23 Difficulty for Shift 1 | JEE Main January 23 Expected Difficulty for Shift 2 |
| Overall difficulty is expected to be moderate . | Expected to be moderate to slightly easier than Shift 1 . |
Day 2 (January 22) Shift Analysis
Students shared their feedback on the difficulty of the exam sections on January 22:
| Sections | JEE Main Day 2 Shift 2 Difficulty Level | JEE Main Shift 1 Difficulty Level |
| Physics | Easy to Moderate | Moderate to Hard |
| Chemistry | Moderate | Easy |
| Mathematics | Lengthy | Easy |
The JEE Main 2026 Session 2 exams are scheduled to take place from April 2 to April 9, 2026. Registration for Session 2 is expected to begin in the last week of January 2026 on the official JEE Main website,jeemain.nta.nic.in.
The exam city intimation slip for Session 1 was released on January 8, 2026. This slip helps students know their exam city in advance so they can plan their travel.
