JEE Mains 2026 Session 2 Answer Key Highlights: Response sheet out at jeemain.nta.nic.in

Candidates can adhere to these steps in order to challenge the JEE Main 2026 Session 2 answer key:

Step 1: Visit the official JEE Main website jeemain.nta.nic.in.

Step 2: Click ‘Challenge (s) regarding Answer Key’.

Step 3: Login with your Application Number and Password, enter the Captcha Code as displayed and Submit.

Step 4: Tick the option ID that you wish to challenge for the question.

Step 5: Next, upload supporting documents for which you can select ‘Choose File and Upload’ (all documents need to be put in a single PDF file)

Step 6: Click on ‘Save your claim’

Step 7: Then you will see a display of all the Option IDs you have challenged.

Step 8: Click on ‘Save your claim and Pay Fee finally’.

Step 9: Select the mode of payment and pay Rs 200 per question using your desired mode of payment.

NTA released the JEE Main Session 2 exam 1 provisional answer key late night on April 11, 2026. Additionally, the recorded response sheets of candidates were also released.

The National Testing Agency had informed in a press release, that around 11.23 lakh candidates had appeared for the exam at 566 centres located in 304 cities across India and 14 cities abroad. As many as 11.06 lakh domestic and 4,229 international candidates had registered for JEE Main Paper 1 (BE/BTech.), with a 93 per cent attendance rate and 97 per cent Aadhaar authentication. For Paper 2 (BArch./BPlanning), about 54,953 domestic and 270 international candidates had registered, at a 73 per cent attendance rate and 97 per cent Aadhaar authentication.

For every correct answer, 4 marks are awarded. For every incorrect answer 1 mark is deducted. No marks are added or reduced for unanswered questions or those marked for review.

According to rules laid down by NTA, only paid challenges made during the given time window through the key challenge link will be considered. Challenges made without any justification, evidence or proof, and those filed through any medium other than the prescribed link will not considered. The experts will then examine the challenges submitted by the candidates against the JEE Main 2026 answer key, verify them and then release the final answer key.

The tentative answer key for the JEE Main 2025 exam was announced on April 11. Candidates had until April 13 to submit their objections. The final answer key was published on April 17 but it was taken down and reposted again on April 19 after some corrections.

Correct answer: +4

Incorrect answer: -1

Unanswered or marked for review: 0

The JEE Main Paper 1 or the BE/BTech paper in session 2 was registered by about 11.06 lakh candidates from India and 4,229 candidates from abroad. The attendance for JEE Main session 2 paper 1 stood at approximately 93 per cent, while Aadhaar authentication was recorded at nearly 97 per cent.

No, the NTA has not announced any JEE Main answer key release time. However, NTA had earlier said that JEE Main provisional answer key will be released on April 11.

For the BE/BTech (paper-I), about 11.06 lakh candidates had registered from India and 4,229 from abroad.

The Ramgarh district administration in Jharkhand ordered a probe into alleged tampering of computer sets, which were to be used for the JEE Main scheduled on April 2, an official said ahead of the exams.

In addition to meeting the JEE Main cut-off, candidates aspiring to appear for JEE Advanced must also satisfy the eligibility criteria in their Class 12 board examinations. Typically, this requires candidates from the General and OBC categories to secure a minimum aggregate of 75 per cent, while those belonging to SC, ST, and PwD categories are required to obtain at least 65 per cent.

The JEE Main 2026 application process for Session 2 was carried out between February 1 and 25. Following requests from candidates, the application window was reopened on March 12 and 13, 2026.

In the Paper 1 or the BE/BTech paper about 11.06 lakh candidates registered from India and 4,229 from abroad. The attendance stood at approximately 93 per cent, while Aadhaar authentication was recorded at nearly 97 per cent. In Paper 2 or the BArch/ BPlanning paper around 54,953 candidates registered domestically and 270 internationally. The attendance for this paper was about 73 per cent, with Aadhaar authentication also close to 97 per cent.

Correct Answer: +4

Incorrect Answer: -1

Unanswered or marked for review (without filling any numerical value): 0

After a prolonged lull, Rajasthan’s Kota - widely regarded as India’s leading coaching hub for IIT-JEE and NEET preparation—is showing signs of revival, with admissions for the 2026–27 academic session picking up pace.

Initial trends suggest a 20–30 per cent increase in student enrolments across coaching institutes in the city, marking a turnaround after a significant dip in recent years.

From 2023 to 2025, enrolment numbers had fallen by nearly 30–40 per cent. The student base dropped from around 2.5 lakh aspirants—contributing an annual revenue of Rs 6,500–7,000 crore—to about 85,000–1 lakh students, with revenues declining to nearly Rs 3,500 crore.

Now, however, the trend appears to be reversing.

With new batches commencing on March 25, the city saw a steady flow of students and parents arriving from across the country, indicating a recovery after nearly three years of slowdown. The admission process remained open until April 2.

Among the three subjects, mathematics was the most difficult in the morning session, Ajay Sharma, national academic director, engineering at Aakash Educational Services Limited, said. The paper, according to him, was moderate to difficult, with easy to moderate physics, moderate to difficult chemistry due to its calculation-intensive nature and most difficult mathematics. Both mathematics and chemistry were time-consuming, making it challenging to complete the paper within the given time. Overall, the paper was well-balanced in terms of question distribution and chapter coverage.

The evening shift, as per Sharma, was of moderate difficulty. Physics was relatively easy, chemistry was of moderate level, and mathematics ranged from moderate to difficult. Both mathematics and chemistry were time-intensive, which made completing the paper within the allotted time challenging and overall, the paper maintained a balanced distribution of questions across chapters, Sharma added.

The second shift reflects a more balanced, yet slightly more demanding paper compared to the morning session, Singh said while analysing the afternoon shift of April 2 JEE Main exam.

Ajay Sharma, the national academic director, Engineering branch at Aakash Educational Services Limited, noted that the exam held on April 5 was easy. He shared that the Physics section was easy, with questions focused on higher-weightage topics from Mechanics.

NTA has launched its official Instagram and Facebook handles to provide real-time updates to students on major entrance exams such as JEE Main, NEET, and CUET. The move aims to make communication faster and more accessible by sharing alerts on admit cards, exam dates, results, and other key announcements.

In addition to meeting the JEE Main cut-off, candidates aspiring to appear for JEE Advanced must also satisfy the eligibility criteria in their Class 12 board examinations. Typically, this requires candidates from the General and OBC categories to secure a minimum aggregate of 75 per cent, while those belonging to SC, ST, and PwD categories are required to obtain at least 65 per cent.

Citing the moderate overall difficulty of the physics and chemistry sections, Dr Saurabh Kumar, founder and CEO of Shiksha Nation, said the JEE Main 2026 cut-off is expected to remain broadly in line with recent trends.

Category: Expected JEE Main 2026 cut-off percentile

General: 93.1–94.2

OBC-NCL: 79–80

EWS: 80–82

SC: 60–62

ST: 47–49

PwD: 0.001–0.010

Correct Answer: +4

Incorrect Answer: -1

Unanswered or marked for review (without filling any numerical value): 0

Paper 1 (BE/BTech) question paper was divided subject-wise into Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry, with each subject carrying a total of 100 marks.

In Mathematics, there were 20 questions in Section A and 5 questions in Section B. Similarly, Physics included 20 questions in Section A and 5 questions in Section B, while Chemistry also had 20 questions in Section A and 5 questions in Section B. Overall, the paper consisted of 75 questions carrying a total of 300 marks.

Each subject had two sections. Section A comprised Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), whereas Section B included questions that required numerical answers. Negative marking was applicable for incorrect answers in both Section A and Section B.

For Section B, candidates were required to enter the correct integer value of the answer using the mouse and the on-screen virtual numeric keypad in the designated answer field. The answers in Section B had to be rounded off to the nearest integer.

The JEE Main 2026 application process for Session 2 was carried out between February 1 and 25. Following requests from candidates, the application window was reopened on March 12 and 13, 2026.

In the Paper 1 or the BE/BTech paper about 11.06 lakh candidates registered from India and 4,229 from abroad. The attendance stood at approximately 93 per cent, while Aadhaar authentication was recorded at nearly 97 per cent. In Paper 2 or the BArch/ BPlanning paper around 54,953 candidates registered domestically and 270 internationally. The attendance for this paper was about 73 per cent, with Aadhaar authentication also close to 97 per cent.