JEE Main
Gateway to B.E./B.Tech and B.Arch/B.Planning seats in the 31 NITs, 26 IIITs and other centrally funded institutes via JoSAA, and the sole qualifier for JEE Advanced (IIT admission). Scores are also accepted by many state and private universities.
Eligibility
Candidates must have passed Class 12 with Physics and Mathematics plus one of Chemistry/Biology/Biotechnology/a technical vocational subject; for the 2027 cycle, those who passed in 2025 or 2026 or are appearing in 2027 are eligible. There is no age limit and no cap on the number of yearly attempts, but a candidate gets only three consecutive years after Class 12. Admission to NITs/IIITs/GFTIs additionally requires 75% aggregate in Class 12 (65% for SC/ST) or a top-20 percentile in the board.
Age limit: No age limit
Exam pattern
Computer-based test of 3 hours per paper. Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) has 75 compulsory questions worth 300 marks — Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics each with 20 multiple-choice questions (Section A) and 5 numerical-value questions (Section B). Marking is +4 for a correct answer and -1 for a wrong one, including Section B (the earlier optional-question choice was removed from 2025). Paper 2A (B.Arch) and Paper 2B (B.Planning) are separate papers with Mathematics, Aptitude and Drawing/Planning sections. The exam is held in 13 languages across multiple shifts, with scores normalised as NTA percentiles.
Syllabus at a glance
Class 11 and 12 Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics based on the rationalised NCERT syllabus notified by NTA (some topics such as states of matter and a few mechanics/maths items were pruned in 2024). Physics includes a compulsory experimental-skills unit; Chemistry spans physical, organic and inorganic branches; Mathematics runs from algebra and calculus to coordinate geometry, vectors and statistics.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| JEE Main 2027 notification and Session 1 registration | Late Oct-Nov 2026 | expected |
| Session 1 exam | Last week of Jan 2027 | expected |
| Session 1 result | Feb 2027 | expected |
| Session 2 registration | Feb 2027 | expected |
| Session 2 exam | First half of Apr 2027 | expected |
| Session 2 result and All India Ranks | Apr 2027 | expected |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- NCERT Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (Class 11 & 12)
- Concepts of Physics Vol 1 & 2 — H. C. Verma
- Understanding Physics series — D. C. Pandey (Arihant)
- Physical Chemistry — O. P. Tandon
- Mathematics for JEE (Main & Advanced) series — G. Tewani (Cengage)
- 41+ Years JEE Main Chapterwise Solved Papers — Arihant/Disha
How toppers play it
- Since 2025 all five numerical questions in Section B are compulsory and carry -1 negative marking — treat them with the same caution as MCQs and stop 'guessing numericals freely'.
- Chemistry is the most NCERT-literal section; finishing NCERT line-by-line (especially inorganic) is the fastest way to lift your percentile.
- Attempt both January and April sessions — only the better NTA percentile counts, so use Session 1 as a low-risk benchmark and fix weak chapters before April.
- Percentiles are shift-normalised, so ignore raw-score comparisons with friends in other shifts; track accuracy (aim above 85%) rather than attempts.
- Solve the official previous-year papers on the NTA portal in timed 3-hour blocks; roughly 60-70% of the paper repeats standard PYQ patterns.