JEE Main 2026, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), followed its now-familiar two-session structure, with both sessions now complete for the year. Here’s a full breakdown of the JEE Main 2026 registration dates and how the timeline unfolded across both sessions.
Session 1: Registration and Exam Dates
JEE Main 2026 Session 1 registration began in the last week of October 2025, following NTA’s standard pattern of opening the January-session application window in autumn. Session 1 exams were conducted from January 21 to January 30, 2026, with Paper 1 (BE/BTech) held on January 21, 22, 23, 24, and 28, while Paper 2A (BArch) and Paper 2B (BPlanning) were both held on January 29, 2026.
Session 1 Correction Window
After Session 1 registration closed, NTA opened a correction window from December 1 to December 2, 2025, giving candidates a brief opportunity to fix errors in their submitted application details before the window closed and applications were finalized for exam city and admit card processing.
Session 2: Registration Opens
Registration for JEE Main 2026 Session 2 opened on February 1, 2026, and was originally scheduled to close on February 25, 2026, at 11:50 PM. This was a completely new registration process — even students who had applied for Session 1 needed to submit a fresh application and pay the application fee again for Session 2, though their previously submitted details could be fetched to speed up the process.
The Session 2 Portal Reopening
In a notable update, NTA reopened the Session 2 application portal for a brief 48-hour window from March 12 to March 13, 2026, giving a final opportunity to students who had missed the original February 25 deadline, reportedly due to factors like overlapping board examination schedules or technical issues faced during the initial window.
Session 2 Correction Facility
Following the February 25 deadline, NTA opened a correction window for Session 2 applications from February 27 to February 28, 2026 (up to 11:50 PM), allowing candidates to update personal, academic, or photo-related details before the application was finalized.
Session 2 Exam Dates
JEE Main 2026 Session 2 exams were conducted across April 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8, 2026, for Paper 1 (BE/BTech), with Paper 2 (BArch/BPlanning) held on April 7, 2026. Notably, NTA reduced the exam window by one day compared to the originally planned April 2–9 schedule, concluding Paper 1 testing on April 8 instead of April 9, without providing a specific public explanation for the change.
A Major Security Update: Facial Biometric Authentication
For the January 2026 session, NTA introduced facial biometric authentication as a major change to JEE Main’s exam security protocols, part of a broader effort to strengthen identity verification at exam centres.
Mandatory Aadhaar and APAAR ID
A notable procedural change introduced for the 2026 cycle was mandatory Aadhaar or DigiLocker verification at the identity-details stage of registration, along with a compulsory APAAR ID field. This change was aimed at reducing data-entry errors and speeding up subsequent verification for admit cards and results.
Admit Card Release Timeline
For Session 2, admit cards were released in stages — March 29, 2026, for exams scheduled on April 2 and 4, and April 1, 2026, for exams scheduled between April 5 and 8. City intimation slips, which inform candidates of their allotted exam city (but are not valid as an admit card themselves), were released separately, on January 8, 2026, for Session 1 and March 21, 2026, for Session 2.
Results and What Followed
The Session 2 final answer key was released on April 20, 2026, following the objection round, with results subsequently prepared based on this key. A total of 26 students achieved the 100th percentile in Session 2, including five female candidates, and 2,50,182 students overall qualified for JEE Advanced 2026 based on the combined session cutoffs.
Final Thoughts
JEE Main 2026 registration unfolded across two distinct sessions — Session 1 opening in late October 2025 for the January exam, and Session 2 running from February 1 to (with a brief reopening) March 13, 2026, for the April exam. With both sessions and the subsequent JoSAA counselling process now complete for the year, aspirants preparing for JEE Main 2027 can use this timeline as a reference for when to expect the next registration cycle to open.