The National Testing Agency (NTA) is all set to conduct the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Mains 2026 Session 1) in January 2026. NTA has released a key notification yesterday, i.e. on 29th of September, regarding the application process and examination dates.
As per notice, the forms for JEE Mains 2026 Session 1 will open in October 2025 on the official website. Aspirants planning to appear for the exam must ensure the updating of relevant documents well before applying. This advisory aims to minimize discrepancies and rejections during the application process for JEE Mains.
Also read: Top 10 Tips by IIT-JEE Toppers for Success in JEE!
Who can apply?
The eligibility criteria for JEE Mains 2026 is not out yet. However, it can be expected to be same as previous years:
- There is no age limit for the candidates.
- Candidates who have passed the class XII/ equivalent examination in 2024, 2025 or appearing in 2026 can appear in the examination, irrelevant of their age.
- Candidates who passed the Class XII / equivalent examination in 2023 or before may not be eligible to appear in the exam.
Educational Qualifications
List of qualifying examinations as eligibility criteria:
- The final examination of the 10+2 system is conducted by any recognized Central/ State Board, such as the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi; Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi etc.
- An intermediate or two-year pre-university examination is conducted by a recognized board/ university.
- Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defense Academy
- Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling with a minimum of five subjects.
- Any Public School/ Board/ University examination in India or any foreign country is recognized as equivalent to the 10+2 system by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
- Higher Secondary Certificate Vocational Examination.
- A Diploma recognized by AICTE or a State board of technical education of at least 3 years duration.
- General Certificate Education (GCE) examination (London/Cambridge/Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level.
- High School Certificate Examination of the Cambridge University or International Baccalaureate Diploma of the International Baccalaureate Office, Geneva.
- Candidates who have completed the Class XII (or equivalent) examination outside India or from a Board not specified above should produce a certificate from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) to the effect that the examination they have passed is equivalent to the Class XII Examination.
- In case the Class XII Examination is not a public examination, the candidate must have passed at least one public (Board or Pre-University) examination earlier
Other Eligibility Conditions
Candidates seeking admission to NITs, IIITs, and other CFTIs based on ranks in JEE Mains 2026 Session 1 must meet one of the following criteria:
- They must have secured at least 75% marks in the Class XII examination or
- They should be in the top 20 percentile of their Class XII examination as conducted by their respective boards.
- For SC/ ST candidates, the minimum qualifying marks in the Class XII examination is 65%.
Document Requirements
- A recent passport-size photograph
- Signature (clearly legible)
- A scanned copy of Class X or Equivalent Certificate/ Marks-sheet should be named as ‘Class-X Certificate’
- A scanned copy of the PwD/ PwBD certificate should be named as ‘Disability Certificate’
- Aadhaar Card – It must be updated with the correct name, date of birth as per Class 10th certificate, latest photograph, address, and father’s name.
- UDID Card for Persons with Disabilities: It should be valid, updated, and renewed as necessary.
- Category Certificate for EWS/ SC/ ST/ OBC-NCL candidates: It must be valid and updated.
Exam Pattern
The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Mains 2026 Session 1) will be conducted in January 2026. It will be conducted in the following modes:
- Paper 1 (BE/ B.Tech): Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode.
- Paper 2A (B. Arch):
- Mathematics (Part-I) – CBT mode
- Aptitude Test (Part-II) – CBT mode
- Drawing Test (Part-III) – Pen and paper (offline) mode, to be attempted on drawing sheet of A4 size
- Paper 2B (B.Planning): Mathematics (Part-I), Aptitude Test (Part-II), and Planning-Based Questions (Part-III) in CBT mode.
| Paper | Duration | First Shift | Second Shift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 or Paper 2A or Paper 2B | 3 Hours | 9 AM – 12 PM | 3 PM – 6 PM |
| B. Arch & B. Planning (Both) | 3 Hours & 30 Mins | 9 AM – 12:30 PM | 3 PM – 6:30 PM |
Medium of Paper
Candidates who are going to appear for the JEE Mains will have the provision of choosing the language of examination. They can opt to write their examination in any of the 13 languages, i.e. English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
Steps to Apply
- Visit the official website in October 2025 after the release of notification for JEE Mains 2026 Session 1.
- Click on the button given for new registrations
- Read the mentioned instructions carefully and proceed
- Then enter your details to get registered
- Once you get the application number and password, log in to fill out the application form
- Fill out the application form with the essential details and upload the documents
- Lastly, pay the application fees and submit the form
- Don’t forget to download the application form and the payment receipt for future reference.
Key Dates & Links
| Application Form Availability for JEE Main Session 1 – 2026 | October 2025 |
| JEE Mains 2026 Session 1 Exam | January 2026 |
| JEE Mains 2026 Session 2 Exam | April 2026 |
| Official website | Click here |
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