The National Testing Agency (NTA) will hold the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2026 Session 1 exams from January 21 to January 30, 2026 . This exam is for students who wish to study engineering (BE/BTech) and architecture (BArch/BPlan) in top colleges across India. While the exam period has been announced, NTA will soon release the exact exam dates, shift timings, and other important details on its official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in .
Students who have applied for JEE Main 2026 Session 1 should regularly check the NTA website for the latest updates. It is important to know that the exam will not be held every day between January 21 and 30.
JEE Main 2026 Session 1: Important Dates and Details
Here are the key dates and expected releases for JEE Main 2026 Session 1:
| Event | Expected Date / Deadline |
| JEE Main Session 1 Exam Period | January 21 to 30, 2026 |
| Exact Exam Dates, Shifts, Timings | To be announced soon |
| City Intimation Slip Release | First week of January 2026 |
| Photo Verification Certificate Upload Last Date | January 7, 2026 |
Understanding the JEE Main 2026 Exam Schedule
The NTA has clarified that JEE Main Session 1 will not run continuously for all ten days. Instead, the exam is expected to be conducted over a total of 5 days . There will be two shifts each day, making a total of 10 shifts for the BE/BTech papers.
One full day will be set aside for the JEE Main Session 1 BArch paper. There will be no JEE Main exam held on January 26, 2026 , because of Republic Day. Also, the chances of exams happening on January 25 and January 27 are very low.
City Intimation Slip for JEE Main 2026
NTA will likely release the JEE Main Session 1 city intimation slip in the first week of January 2026 . This slip is a pre-admit card document. It tells students the name of the exam city and their exam date. It does not act as the admit card itself.
To download the city intimation slip, students must visit the official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in . They will need to use their login details, which include their application number and password. Downloading this slip helps students plan their travel to the exam city well in advance.
Photo Verification Certificate Upload Deadline
Some candidates need to upload a photo verification certificate. This applies to students who used certain ID cards like a PAN Card, Indian Passport, or Non-Indian Passport when filling out their JEE Main application form. These students must upload the certificate by January 7, 2026 .
Students can upload their photo verification certificate by logging in to the official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in , using their application number and password. It is important to complete this step by the deadline to avoid any issues with their application.
Students are advised to keep checking the official NTA JEE Main website for all announcements and to make sure they complete all necessary steps before the deadlines.
