JEE Main Exam Timing 2026: The National Testing has announced the JEE Main 2026 exam timing on the official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in. As per the notice, the JEE Main shift timing in the morning is 9 AM to 12 AM, while JEE Main shift timing is 3 PM to 6 PM for the second shift. Note that the JEE Main 2026 exam is being conducted in two shifts only. The JEE Main entrance exam is being held from January 21 to 29, 2026, while the session 2 exam will be held from April 2 to 9, 2026. Candidates can find complete details about the JEE Main exam timings 2026 in this article.
A score of 120 in JEE Main is usually seen as an average or decent score, not a bad one, and may place a candidate in the 93–97 percentile range, roughly around a 33,000 to 55,000 rank.
The NTA announced the JEE Main 2026 dates on the official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in. Candidates can check the JEE Main exam schedule and timings 2026 in the table below. The JEE Main shift timing is the same for all exam days.
| Events | Dates |
|---|---|
Session 1 (January 2026): JEE (Main) - 2026 | |
Online Submission of Application Form | October 31, 2025 |
Last date for successful transaction of prescribed Application Fee | November 27, 2025 |
Correction in Particulars of the online Application Form | December 1 to 2, 2026 |
JEE Main 2026 Exam City Intimation Slip | January 8, 2026 |
Downloading Admit Cards from the NTA website | January 2026 |
Dates of Examination | January 21 to 29, 2026 |
Display of Question Paper attempted by the Candidate and Answer Keys for inviting challenges | January 2026 |
Declaration of Result | February 2026 |
Session 2 (April 2026): JEE (Main) - 2026 | |
Online Submission of Application Form | Last week of January 2026 |
Last date for successful transaction of prescribed Application Fee | February 2026 |
City Intimation Slip | January 2026 |
Downloading Admit Cards from the NTA website | January 2026 |
Dates of Examination | April 2 to 9, 2026 |
Display of Question Paper attempted by the Candidate and Answer Keys for inviting challenges | April 2026 |
Declaration of Result | April 2026 |
| Particulars | JEE Main Shift Timings | ||
|---|---|---|---|
JEE Main shift timing | JEE Main Exam Duration | First Shift | Second Shif |
3 Hours (Paper 1, 2A, 2B) | 09.00 A.M. to 12.00 Noon (IST) | 03.00 P.M. to 06.00 P.M. (IST) | |
3 Hours 30 Minutes (Paper 2A & 2B) | 09.00 A.M. to 12.30 P.M. (IST) | 03.00 P.M. to 06.30 P.M. (IST) | |
Entry in the Examination Centre/ Hall/ Room, frisking, biometric registration/ record of manual attendance by Invigilator, document verification/ crosschecking of Admit Card, signature, and photo match to be completed by Invigilator, etc. | 07.00 A.M. to 08.30 A.M. | 01.00 P.M. to 02.30 P.M. | |
Instructions by the Invigilator(s) | 08.30 A.M. to 08.50 A.M. | 02.30 P.M. to 02.50 P.M. | |
Candidates log in to read instructions | 08.50 A.M. | 02.50 P.M. | |
Test Commences | 09.00 A.M. | 03.00 P.M. | |
Note – Compensatory time for PwD/PwBD Candidates of 20 minutes for a one-hour examination will be given to those who are eligible for Scribe.
| Events | JEE Morning Shift Timings | JEE Main Evening Shift Timings |
|---|---|---|
JEE Main shift timing B.E/B.Tech | 9:00 am to 12:00 pm | 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm |
JEE Main shift timing B.Arch | 9:00 am to 12:00 pm | 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm |
JEE Main Time for B.Plan | 09:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. (IST) | 03:00 P.M. to 06:00 P.M. (IST) |
Timing of JEE Mains for both B.Arch and B.Plan | 09:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. (IST) | 03:00 P.M. to 06:30 P.M. (IST) |
JEE Main Exam Start Time | 9.00 am | 3.00 pm |
JEE Mains Paper Timing (Ending) | 12.00 pm | 6.00 pm |
JEE Main Exam Duration | 3 hours | 3 hours |
| Timing of Examination for each session | ||
|---|---|---|
Duration of Examination | JEE Main Shift 1 Timing | JEE Main Shift 2 Timing |
For 03 Hours Paper | 09:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. (IST) | 03:00 P.M. to 06:00 P.M. (IST) |
For 03 Hours 30 Minutes Paper | 09:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. (IST) | 03:00 P.M. to 06:30 P.M. (IST) |
| Shift Wise | Paper 1(B.E/B.Tech) | Paper 2A (B.Arch) | Paper 2B (B.Planning) | B.Arch & B. Planning) Both |
|---|---|---|---|---|
JEE Main Morning Shift Timing | 09:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. (IST) | 09:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. (IST) | 09:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. (IST) | 09:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. (IST) |
JEE Main Afternoon Shift Timing | 03:00 P.M. to 06:00 P.M. (IST) | 03:00 P.M. to 06:00 P.M. (IST) | 03:00 P.M. to 06:00 P.M. (IST) | 03:00 P.M. to 06:30 P.M. (IST) |
Shift Wise | Paper 1 (B. E/ B. Tech.) | Paper 2A (B. Arch.) | Paper 2B (B. Planning) | B. Arch & B. Planning (Both) |
JEE Main Afternoon Shift Timing | 03:00 P.M. to 06:00 P.M. (IST) | 03:00 P.M. to 06:00 P.M. (IST) | 03:00 P.M. to 06:00 P.M. (IST) | 03:00 P.M. to 06:30 P.M. (IST) |
| Paper Wise | First Shift | Second Shift |
|---|---|---|
Paper 1 (B. E/ B. Tech.) | 09:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. (IST) | 09:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. (IST) |
Paper 2A (B. Arch.) | 09:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. (IST) | 09:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. (IST) |
Paper 2B (B. Planning) | 09:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. (IST) | 09:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. (IST) |
B. Arch & B. Planning (Both) | 09:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. (IST) | 03:00 P.M. to 06:30 P.M. (IST) |
The total time duration for Paper 1 (B.E. / B. Tech.) is given in the table below:
| Paper | Subjects | Total Time Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
For Non-PwD/PwBD Candidates | *For PwD /PwBD Candidates (who are eligible for scribe) | ||
Paper 1 (B.E. / B. Tech.) | Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics | 03 hours | 04 hours |
Total time duration for Paper 2A (B. Arch), Paper 2B (B. Planning) and Paper 2A (B. Arch) & Paper 2B (B. Planning) both are given in the table below:
| Paper | Subjects | Total Time Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
For Non-PwD/PwBD Candidates | *For PwD /PwBD Candidates (who are eligible for scribe) | ||
Paper 2A (B. Arch) | Mathematics, Aptitude Test, and Drawing Test | 03 hours | 04 hours |
Paper 2B (B. Planning) | Mathematics, Aptitude Test, and Planning Based Questions | 03 hours | 04 hours |
Paper 2A (B. Arch) and Paper 2B (B. Planning) | Mathematics, Aptitude Test, Drawing Test, and Planning Based Questions | 03 hours 30 minutes | 04 hours 10 minutes |
Note – Compensatory time for PwD/PwBD Candidates of 20 minutes for a one-hour examination will be given to those who are eligible for Scribe.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The timing for the JEE Main morning shift is as follows: The candidates are supposed to be inside the examination hall between 8.15 am and 8.30 am. The invigilator will check the admit cards from 8:30 am to 8:45 am. Instructions from the invigilator will be given between 8:45 am and 8:55 am. The exam for B.E/B.Tech candidates begin on 9:00 am.
The total time for JEE Main is 3 hours for the Paper 1 of B.Tech/B.E. course and 4 hours for PwD candidates in the JEE Main examination. The duration is 3 hours and 30 minutes for Paper 2A (B.Arch.) and Paper 2B (B.Planning). The exam is conducted online and consists of two sections: Section A- Multiple choice questions and Section B – Number based questions.
The National Testing Agency conducts the JEE Mains exam in two shifts. The JEE Main exam duration is same for papers 1 and 2. But half hour extra for Paper 2a and 2b combined.
The JEE Main shift timing is 9 AM to 12 PM, for shift 1 while shift 2 timings are 3 PM to 6 PM.
On Question asked by student community
A score of 110 in JEE Mains is expected to be equal to 94 to 95th percentile. This score may not secure your admission in top NIT institutes for the general category, but candidates from OBC, SC, ST, and EWS categories have a good chance of getting into NITs and
Here are the best engineering colleges for 35,000-50,000 rank in JEE Main 2026 examination -
No, JEE Main Answer Key for 2026 session 1 is not out yet. NTA will release the JEE answer key 2026 on February 4.
With 100 marks in JEE Main exam, you can apply for several IIITs depending upon the branch of the course. Candidates with 100 marks in JEE Main are likely to secure seat in IIITs like IIIT Manipur , IIIT Nagpur, IIIT Dharwad, IIIT Sri City , IIIT Trichy and other
With 77 marks in JEE Main, you can expect engineering colleges like NIT Mizoram, NIT Meghalaya , and NIT Arunachal Pradesh. Consider private colleges like GITAM, Lovely Professional University, SRM Institute of Science and Technology , Chandigarh University, and Amity University for better branch options.
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