The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially announced the schedule for the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) – 2026, which will be held in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode in two sessions — January 2026 and April 2026. The announcement provides key timelines for engineering aspirants planning to appear for one of India’s largest undergraduate engineering entrance exams.

According to the NTA advisory, the online application form for Session-I will go live in October 2025 on the official JEE Main portal at jeemain.nta.nic.in.

JEE Main 2026 — Official Schedule

Admit card release dates, city intimation slips, recorded responses, and answer key timelines will be published by NTA closer to the exam dates on the official site.

Exam Mode and Accessibility

The JEE Main 2026 exam will be conducted in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode for all eligible candidates. NTA is also expanding the number of exam cities nationwide to facilitate greater accessibility for aspirants from remote regions.

To ease the application process and reduce manual errors, the agency will retrieve key candidate details — including name, date of birth, gender, photograph, and address — directly from the Aadhaar database via UIDAI authentication. However, details such as guardian’s name must still be filled manually in the application form.

In cases where a candidate’s Aadhaar name does not match with the details on their Class 10 mark sheet or other documents, NTA will provide options to address this issue during online application submission.

What Aspiring Engineers Should Know

• Registration: The first session registration window begins in October 2025. Session-II applications will open in the last week of January 2026. 

• Exam Dates: Session 1 from 21–30 January 2026 and Session 2 from 1–10 April 2026. 

• Mode of Exam: Computer-Based Test across multiple centres nationwide. 

• PwD/PwBD Support: Special provisions will be in place to ensure accessibility for candidates with disabilities. 

• Accuracy Reminder: Candidates are advised to verify their Aadhaar details and academic certificates before applying to avoid mismatch errors during the registration process. 

JEE Main serves as the first step towards admission to engineering programmes such as B.Tech, B.E., B.Arch, and B.Planning at NITs, IIITs, CFTIs, and is also the qualifying exam required to appear for JEE Advanced for admission to IITs

Official Website

For updates, application forms, notifications, and admit cards, candidates should visit: 
http://jeemain.nta.nic.in (Official JEE Main portal)

http://nta.ac.in (National Testing Agency)