JEE Main 2026 Exam: Eligibility, Syllabus, Pattern and Guide

JEE Main is NTA’s entrance examination for undergraduate engineering, architecture and planning programs at participating institutions. For IIT admission, eligible JEE Main candidates must also qualify JEE Advanced.

The 2026 JEE Main cycle had 2 sessions:

• January
• April

For Paper 1 candidates who appeared in both 2026 sessions, the best total NTA score was used for ranking, rather than mixing the best subject scores from different sessions. You can confirm the applicable rules through the National Testing Agency.

JEE Main 2026 Syllabus & Exam Pattern

Exam Fact	2026 Rule
Exam	JEE Main 2026
Paper 1	B.E./B.Tech: 75 questions, 300 marks
Paper 2A	B.Arch: 77 questions, 400 marks
Paper 2B	B.Planning: 100 questions, 400 marks
Standard duration	3 hours; Paper 2A and 2B taken together: 3 hours 30 minutes
Conducting authority	National Testing Agency
Admission route	Participating NITs, IIITs and other institutions; eligibility stage for JEE Advanced
Mode	Computer-based, except Paper 2A drawing on paper
Official portal	jeemain.nta.nic.in

JEE Main 2026 applicants should select the paper that matches their intended course. The 2026 bulletin identifies these paper options:

• Paper 1: B.E./B.Tech.
• Paper 2A: B.Arch.
• Paper 2B: B.Planning.

The January and April 2026 examination sessions have finished. Their registration windows are closed. If you are preparing for a later cycle, use the new JEE Main notification for its dates instead of carrying the 2026 calendar forward.

Required Class 12 subjects depend on your course. B.E./B.Tech admission requires Physics and Mathematics with an allowed additional subject; B.Arch and B.Planning have their own combinations, listed below.

For JEE Main 2026, candidates who passed Class 12 or its equivalent in 2024 or 2025, or appeared in 2026, could apply. The applicable passing-year window comes from that cycle’s bulletin. Admission eligibility is a separate check.

The difficulty level of the JEE Main exam lies between moderate to tough. If we just take the previous year question papers into consideration, then the Chemistry section is usually the easiest while physics being the moderate level and math can be considered to be the toughest.

But in comparison to the JEE Advanced, JEE main questions can be found as straightforward and NCERT syllabus based with a few tricky questions to test individuals’ understanding of the concept and their analytical skills.

JEE Main 2026 Important dates

2026 Cycle	January Session	April Session
Current status	Completed	Completed
Application and payment windows	Closed	Closed
Examination month	January 2026	April 2026
Scorecards	Available through the official portal	Available through the official portal
For a later cycle	Use its new NTA notification	Use its new NTA notification

What is JEE Main, and why should you take it?

JEE Main is a standardized online exam that is conducted across the different states in India. This is conducted for students who want to pursue undergraduate courses in some of the best engineering colleges in India, such as IITs, NITs, etc.

The reasons to take this exam are:

• JEE Main is an admission route to participating NITs, IIITs and other technical institutions. Other engineering admission routes have their own examinations or criteria.
• JEE main is the first step for an IIT aspirant in order to get admitted into IITs and other top colleges in India through JEE advanced.

JEE Main 2026 Registration

NTA announces the application window separately for each session. The 2026 windows have closed. You should register only through the official portal when the applicable session opens and retain your application number and confirmation page.

Aspiring candidates can register for the exam online by visiting JEE Main official website. Submit the registration fee, and it’s strongly suggested to check your personal and academic details thoroughly before submitting the application.

How to fill up JEE Main 2026 Application form?

There are a few things candidates should keep in mind before filling the application form.

• Any application form other than the online mode will be rejected immediately.
• Only one application can be submitted by a Candidate, and multiple submissions will be rejected.

Follow the steps given below to submit Applications form:

Step 1: Visit JEE Main’s official website (jeemain.nta.nic.in)

Step 2: Register for the online application form.

Note down the application number as it’s required later to generate a password and for future purposes.

Step 3: Fill out all the details that are required in the Form.

Step 4: Upload a photograph and scanned copy of your documents with signature.

Step 5: Pay online registration fees

The 2026 bulletin permits online payment by:

• Credit card or debit card.
• Net banking.
• UPI.

Step 6: Take a printout of the acknowledgment.

Keep these things Ready before you fill the Form.

• A working email address and mobile number you can continue to access.
• Your qualification details and the documents requested in the application form.
• A recent color photograph in JPG/JPEG format, 10-200 KB, plus the live photograph required by the 2026 application.
• A scanned signature in JPG/JPEG format, 10-100 KB.
• Class 10 certificate/marksheet as a legible PDF, 50-300 KB; identity and disability documents where applicable.
• A saved confirmation page after successful submission and payment.

NTA announces a correction window with a defined list of editable fields. You should check that notice rather than assume every detail can be changed; additional payment may apply when a permitted correction increases the fee.

Paper 1 is computer-based. The drawing component of Paper 2A is completed on paper. A correction window does not provide a general choice to switch the exam between online and pen-and-paper modes.

JEE Main Exam Application Fee

These are the 2026 examination fees for one paper in one session at a center in India. Multiple-paper combinations and overseas centers have different fees, and applicable processing charges or taxes are additional. For a later cycle, check the new information bulletin before paying.

Category	Candidate	2026 Fee in India
General	Male	₹1,000
General	Female	₹800
Gen-EWS/OBC-NCL	Male	₹900
Gen-EWS/OBC-NCL	Female	₹800
SC/ST/PwD/PwBD	Any candidate	₹500
Third gender	Any candidate	₹500

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria

Age Limit

There is no age limit to take JEE Main exam, but candidates must note that IITs set specific age criteria for admissions.

Qualifying exams

A candidate should qualify their class 12 or any equivalent exam such as a 2-year pre-university exam, senior secondary school examination, or higher secondary certificate Vocational examination.

Eligibility Criteria for admissions in IITs and NITs

For admission to the NIT+ system in 2026, candidates needed at least 75% aggregate in the required Class 12 subjects, or their category-wise board top-20-percentile threshold. The marks alternative is 65% for SC, ST and PwD candidates. These are alternatives, not simultaneous requirements. IIT admission has separate JEE Advanced and JoSAA rules.

Qualifying Marks

There is no minimum pass percentage, so any applicant who has passed 12th board exams or other equivalent exams can appear for JEE Main exam.

Subject combinations required

Paper	Required Class 12 Subjects for the 2026 NIT+ System
Paper 1	Physics, Mathematics, a language, one of Chemistry/Biotechnology/Biology/Technical Vocational subject, and one other subject.
Paper 2A	Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, plus two other subjects.
Paper 2B	Mathematics and four other subjects.

These subject combinations describe the NIT+ admission route in the 2026 bulletin. Other institutions can apply different program-specific criteria, so you should check their admission notice as well.

JEE Main 2026 exam pattern

Knowing exam patterns is very important for the smooth preparation of JEE as it helps students to get a clear idea of marking Scheme, question distribution, marks allotted to each section, and the exam duration.

The paper options are Paper 1, Paper 2A and Paper 2B. You should use the pattern for your selected course:

• Paper 1: B.E./B.Tech admission at participating institutions.
• Paper 2A: B.Arch admission.
• Paper 2B: B.Planning admission.

Students are generally advised to get a complete overview of the paper pattern to make a suitable study plan and strategy.

• Paper 1: Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.
• Paper 2A: Mathematics, Aptitude and Drawing.
• Paper 2B: Mathematics, Aptitude and Planning.

For Paper 1 in 2026, all 75 questions are compulsory: each subject has 20 MCQs and 5 numerical-value questions. The total is 300 marks. Paper 2A and Paper 2B have different question counts and totals, so you should not apply the engineering pattern to them.

All papers except paper two drawing sections are entirely computer-based, whereas the drawing section is conducted offline in pen and paper-based mode.

JEE Main Paper 1 marking Scheme

• Paper 1 has 75 questions for 300 marks.
• Each subject has 20 MCQs and 5 compulsory numerical-value questions.
• Both sections award +4 for a correct answer, -1 for an incorrect answer and 0 for an unanswered question.

JEE Main Paper 2 marking Scheme

• Paper 2A has 25 Mathematics questions, 50 Aptitude questions and 2 Drawing questions, for 400 marks.
• Paper 2B has 25 Mathematics questions, 50 Aptitude questions and 25 Planning questions, for 400 marks.
• MCQs and numerical-value questions use +4 for correct, -1 for incorrect and 0 for unanswered responses.
• The 2 Drawing questions in Paper 2A carry 100 marks together and are evaluated separately.

JEE Main Marks v/s Ranks

Measure	How to Interpret It
Raw marks	Your score on the paper; Paper 1 has a maximum of 300.
NTA score	A normalized percentile score, not a percentage of marks.
All India Rank	Depends on the applicable ranking rules and results across sessions.
College prospects	Compare closing ranks for your category, quota, course and counselling round.

How to check JEE Main results online?

• Open the official JEE Main portal and select the relevant scorecard notice.
• Use the application number and other credentials requested on the scorecard login screen.
• Download and retain the scorecard for counselling and admission checks.

As soon as you enter submit, the results will be displayed on the screen. Download the copy of your scoreboard for counseling and admissions.