JEE Main 2026: Key Exam Pattern Changes Introduced and What to Expect

NTA will probably come out with the JEE Mains 2026 exam notification in the first week of November 2025. The JEE Main 2026 notification will include information on the JEE Mains paper pattern, syllabus, scope, eligibility and so on. The exam pattern was drastically changed by the authorities last year. Here's what students can expect this year.

JEE Main 2026

The National Testing Agency (NTA) organizes the JEE Mains exam in two attempts, in January and April. The authority will also issue a comprehensive notification on this line on the website, jeemain.nta.nic.in. Although the official notification is yet to come, those who are preparing for the exam should keep in mind the changes made last year that will most probably continue this year as well.

Major Changes Introduced in JEE Mains Question Paper

In 2025, the format of the JEE Main question paper was revised by NTA. The JEE Main examination paper had been reduced from 90 questions to 75 questions, equally divided among three subjects. According to the current JEE exam pattern, there are 25 questions in total per subject, and each subject is divided into two parts. Section A consists of 20 MCQs, and Section B consists of 5 numerical questions.

*Section B no longer has optional choices, making the entire paper compulsory*

This action doesn't affect the marking scheme. But it reduces students' choice to fewer options. A candidate will be given (+4) marks for each correct response and (-1) mark for wrong answers for both MCQs as well as numerical questions. The total time for the exam remains 3 hours, held as a computer-based test (CBT).

Although the overall level of difficulty is likely to be the same, candidates will see slight variations in question allocation between topics based on the syllabus finalised. Candidates should prepare based on the JEE Mains 2026 pattern of exam since NTA has not suggested any fundamental structural changes for 2026 to date.

Key Highlights to Remember for JEE Main 2026

Students can check the key highlights of JEE Main 2026 listed below in the table:

Since the exam itself is a key portal to NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs, and also the qualifier for JEE Advanced exam for IIT admissions, candidates need to start systematic preparation in advance in order to get used to the changed format.