JEE Main guide
The engineering entrance, from NTA’s 2026 information bulletin — who can sit it, the three papers, how the NTA score works and what the rank leads to. Every fact links the page it was read from.
- Conducted by
- NTA
- Sessions (2026)
- Two — January and April
- Mode
- Computer-based (Paper 2A’s Drawing Test on paper)
- Paper 1
- 75 questions, 300 marks, 3 hours
- Age limit
- None
- 75% rule
- For admission, not to appear
What is JEE Main?
JEE Main is the engineering entrance NTA conducts. Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech.) admits to NITs, IIITs and other centrally funded institutions and is the eligibility test for JEE Advanced; Papers 2A and 2B admit to B.Arch. and B.Planning.
NTA’s 2026 bulletin held it in two sessions, January and April. A candidate need not sit both; for one who does, the better total NTA score counts.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
Who can sit JEE Main?
For 2026, anyone who passed Class 12 or an equivalent examination in 2024 or 2025, or was appearing in 2026, whatever their age. NTA sets no Class 12 marks threshold to appear.
The 75% (or top 20 percentile) rule in the table is an admission rule of CSAB and JoSAA, which the bulletin reprints — not a condition for sitting the paper.
| Age limit | None — though admitting institutes may apply their own age rules |
|---|---|
| Class 12 year | Passed in 2024 or 2025, or appearing in 2026. Passed in 2023 or earlier: not eligible |
| Passing year | The year the result first declared a pass; an improvement examination does not change it |
| Qualifying examination | Class 12 of a recognised Central or State board, or an equivalent the bulletin lists — among them NIOS (five subjects), a three-year AICTE or state-board diploma, GCE A level and the IB Diploma |
| State code of eligibility | The state where Class 12 was passed — not native place or residence |
| Subjects for Paper 1 admission | Physics, Mathematics, a language, one of Chemistry, Biotechnology, Biology or a technical vocational subject, and one other subject |
| For NIT, IIIT and CFTI admission | At least 75% aggregate in five Class 12 subjects (65% for SC, ST and PwD), or the category-wise top 20 percentile of the board |
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
What is the JEE Main exam pattern?
Paper 1 is a three-hour computer-based test of 75 questions for 300 marks: 25 each in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, 20 multiple-choice and 5 numerical. Every correct answer earns 4 marks; every incorrect one loses 1.
Paper 2A (B.Arch.) and Paper 2B (B.Planning) are 400-mark papers; their tables follow.
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 20 in A + 5 in B | 100 |
| Physics | 20 in A + 5 in B | 100 |
| Chemistry | 20 in A + 5 in B | 100 |
| Total | 75 | 300 |
Section A: multiple-choice questions. Section B: numerical-value questions, answered as an integer (rounded to the nearest one) on an on-screen keypad. Negative marking applies to both sections.
Mode: computer-based test. Duration: 3 hours; 4 hours for PwD/PwBD candidates eligible for a scribe.
Languages: 13. English at every centre in India and abroad; English and Hindi, or English and Urdu, at every centre in India; English and Punjabi based on present and permanent address in Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi/New Delhi (including Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Noida/Greater Noida); English with another regional language at centres in its states. The choice is made in the application form and cannot be changed.
| Response | Marks |
|---|---|
| Correct | +4 |
| Incorrect | −1 |
| Unanswered or marked for review | 0 |
The same scheme applies to multiple-choice and numerical-value questions in Papers 1, 2A and 2B. A dropped question gives 4 marks to every candidate in that shift.
| Part | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 20 in A + 5 in B | 100 |
| Aptitude Test | 50 | 200 |
| Drawing Test | 2 | 100 |
| Total | 77 | 400 |
Mathematics and the Aptitude Test are computer-based; the Drawing Test is on paper, on an A4 drawing sheet. Duration: 3 hours.
| Part | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 20 in A + 5 in B | 100 |
| Aptitude Test | 50 | 200 |
| Planning | 25 | 100 |
| Total | 100 | 400 |
All three parts are computer-based. Duration: 3 hours; 3 hours 30 minutes for a candidate sitting both Paper 2A and Paper 2B.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
What is the JEE Main syllabus?
NTA publishes it as a separate document on jeemain.nta.nic.in: 14 units of Mathematics, 20 of Physics and 20 of Chemistry for Paper 1, and Mathematics, Aptitude, Drawing and Planning syllabi for Papers 2A and 2B.
The bulletin gives Paper 1 “equal weightage to Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry” — 100 marks each. NTA publishes no chapter-wise weightage, so this guide gives none.
- Mathematics — 14 units, from sets and functions to trigonometry
- Physics — 20 units, from units and measurements to experimental skills
- Chemistry — 20 units across physical, inorganic and organic chemistry
- Paper 2A — Mathematics, Aptitude Test, Drawing Test
- Paper 2B — Mathematics, Aptitude Test, Planning
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
What does JEE Main lead to?
Its All India Rank is used for NIT, IIIT and CFTI seats through JoSAA and CSAB, and the top 250,000 Paper 1 candidates become eligible for JEE Advanced, the entrance for the IITs.
- JEE Main Paper 1NTA
The B.E./B.Tech. paper. Its All India Rank is the only rank CSAB and JoSAA use for NIT, IIIT and CFTI seats, and the top 250,000 successful candidates, all categories included, become eligible for JEE Advanced.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
- JEE AdvancedZonal Coordinating IITs
Conducted by the seven Zonal Coordinating IITs under the Joint Admission Board. Its result is the basis for admission to the IITs’ Bachelors, Integrated Masters and Dual Degree programmes; only candidates who sit both papers are ranked.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeeadv.ac.in (official document)
- JoSAAJoint Seat Allocation Authority
One online process allocates seats across IITs, NITs, IIITs and other Government Funded Technical Institutes. A JEE Advanced rank makes a candidate eligible for an IIT seat; candidates fill in their preferred courses and institutes.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeeadv.ac.in (official document)
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
When is JEE Main?
NTA held JEE Main 2026 in two sessions, January and April 2026, with Paper 1 on several days in each and Paper 2 on one day. NTA had not announced 2027 dates when this guide was last reviewed.
Each row below links NTA’s notice for that paper and session.
Every date listed here has passed. The next cycle’s dates appear once the conducting body announces them.
| Exam | Date | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| JEE Main — Session 1, Paper 1 | 21, 22, 23, 24 and 28 January 2026 | Held | NTA |
| JEE Main — Session 1, Paper 2 | 29 January 2026 | Held | NTA |
| JEE Main — Session 2, Paper 1 | 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 April 2026 | Held | NTA |
| JEE Main — Session 2, Paper 2 | 7 April 2026 | Held | NTA |
Checked against the official sources on 14 September 2026. Confirm on the conducting body's site before you rely on a date.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
How should a student use the official material?
Work from NTA’s syllabus document, and practise on a computer with no calculator: the bulletin bars calculators, numerical answers go in through an on-screen keypad, and every wrong answer loses a mark.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
Coaching for JEE Main at Zigyan
Zigyan prepares students for JEE Main in the Class XI, Class XII and dropper programmes: small batches, weekly testing on the real CBT interface, and an AI report after every paper.
Our JEE Main results page lists every year with ranks and percentiles.
JEE Main, answered
Is the NTA score a percentage of marks?
No. It is a percentile: the percentage of candidates in the same shift who scored equal to or below the candidate, calculated to seven decimal places. Every shift’s topper gets 100.
NTA normalises across shifts this way, and the total’s percentile is not an average of the subject percentiles.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
What NTA score did JEE Advanced 2026 require?
NTA’s 2026 result notice gave these cut-offs for candidates to become eligible for JEE (Advanced) 2026: 93.4123549 (UR), 82.4164528 (EWS), 80.9232583 (OBC), 63.9172792 (SC), 52.0174712 (ST) and 0.0023186 (UR-PwBD).
They are the lowest NTA scores in each category’s band that year. They change every year and are not a forecast for 2027.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
Is 75% in Class 12 required to appear in JEE Main?
No. NTA sets no marks threshold to appear. The 75% aggregate — 65% for SC, ST and PwD — or a category-wise top-20-percentile board result is a CSAB and JoSAA rule for admission to NITs, IIITs and CFTIs.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
Is a calculator allowed in JEE Main?
No. NTA’s bulletin lists calculators among the items not allowed in the examination centre. All calculations are done on the rough sheets provided there.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
Does a candidate have to sit both sessions?
No. NTA says a candidate need not appear in both sessions. For one who does, the better of the two total NTA scores is used for the merit list and ranking.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
How many attempts are allowed in JEE Main?
NTA’s bulletin sets no attempt count; it sets the Class 12 years instead. For 2026, candidates who passed Class 12 in 2024 or 2025, or were appearing in 2026, could sit either session or both.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
Is there an age limit for JEE Main?
No. The 2026 bulletin sets none: candidates who passed Class 12 in 2024 or 2025, or were appearing in 2026, could sit it whatever their age. Institutes may apply their own age rules at admission.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
Is there negative marking in JEE Main?
Yes, in both sections. A correct answer earns 4 marks, an incorrect one loses 1, and a question left unanswered or only marked for review scores 0.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in (official document)
Where can I get JEE Main coaching Faridabad students actually attend?
Zigyan Eduvision runs JEE Main preparation from SCO 107, Second Floor, Sector 16, Faridabad, in the Class XI, Class XII and dropper programmes.
Small batches, weekly testing on the real CBT interface, and an AI report after every paper.
Official sources
Every fact in this guide was read from the conducting bodies’ own pages and documents. Confirm on them before you rely on a date or rule — they change from cycle to cycle.
Prepare smarter for JEE Main
Small batches, weekly testing on the real CBT interface, and an AI report after every paper.