Exam · Engineering · Live
JEE Main
Conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA), on behalf of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India (NTA has conducted JEE Main since 2019)
Admission to undergraduate engineering programmes (B.E./B.Tech) at NITs, IIITs, other Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs) and institutions/universities funded or recognised by participating State Governments, via JoSAA/CSAB counselling. Paper 2 is for B.Arch and B.Planning admission. JEE (Main) Paper 1 is also the qualifying test for JEE (Advanced), which governs IIT admission. Paper 1 results are additionally used for programmes such as Integrated M.Sc., Integrated M.Tech, Integrated B.Tech, MBA, B.Sc., B.Pharm and B.Des.
- Volume
- 15.4 lakh candidates a year
- Geography
- India
- Syllabus topics
- 139
- Bank
- 8,000+ solved PYQs
- Access
- Exam Pro · ₹99/mo · 3-day trial · includes Explore Pro
Four instruments, one subscription.
- Syllabus map
- Previous year questions, where the bank exists
- Mock tests and weak-area diagnostics
- Five explanations on every question
- Explore Pro included with Exam Pro
How the paper is built.
- Session 1 (typically January)
- Session 2 (typically April)
- JEE (Advanced) — separate downstream exam
Uniform across MCQs (Section A) and numerical value questions (Section B) in all papers: +4 for a correct or most appropriate answer, -1 for an incorrect answer (for MCQs, also for multiple answers marked in Paper 2A/2B), and 0 for unanswered or 'Marked for Review' without selecting an option or entering a value. Negative marking applies to BOTH Section A and Section B — this is the key change from the pre-2025 pattern, where the optional Section B questions were effectively choice-protected. The Drawing Test (Paper 2A, Part III) is the sole exception: 2 questions evaluated out of 100 marks with no negative marking. If a question is dropped or found incorrect, +4 is awarded to all candidates who appeared in that shift; if more than one option is correct, +4 goes to those who marked any correct option; if all options are correct, +4 goes to all who attempted.
A guess pays only if you are right more than one time in five, so on 4-option Section A questions a blind pick (25%) is slightly positive and one eliminated option makes it clearly positive — but Section B numerical-answer questions have no options to guess between, and now carry the same -1, so leave them blank unless you have actually worked out a value.
The calendar, and who can sit it.
- Qualification
- Must have passed the Class XII / equivalent examination in 2024 or 2025, or be appearing in it in 2026 (i.e. the current year plus the two immediately preceding years). Candidates who passed in 2023 or earlier were NOT eligible for the 2026 cycle. 'Passing year' means the year the result was first declared as pass; an attempt to improve marks does not reset it. Qualifying examinations accepted include the 10+2 of any recognised Central/State Board, two-year Pre-University/Intermediate, the NDA Joint Services Wing two-year course, NIOS Senior Secondary with a minimum of five subjects, AIU-recognised foreign equivalents, Higher Secondary Certificate Vocational, a 3-year AICTE/State-board-recognised diploma, GCE A-level, Cambridge HSC or IB Diploma, and BOSSE Sikkim.
- Attempts
- No age limit and no explicit cap on the number of attempts is stated in the Information Bulletin. Eligibility is bounded instead by the Class XII passing-year rule above (current year plus two preceding years), and a candidate may sit both sessions within a cycle.
- Nationality
- The Information Bulletin does not impose an explicit nationality bar on appearing for JEE (Main). It addresses OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) candidates in the State-code-of-eligibility rules — OCI candidates who passed Class XII in India are treated at par with Indian nationals — and covers Indian nationals who passed Class XII from Nepal/Bhutan (State code determined by permanent address in India). Detailed rules for foreign nationals are not enumerated in the bulletin and were not verified.