For the 2026 cycle, JEE Main will be held in two sessions. For Session 1, the application form will be available from October 2025, and the exam is scheduled between 21 and 30 January 2026. Session 2 applications will open in the last week of January 2026, with the examination set to take place between 1 and 10 April 2026.
What’s The Difference Between JEE Main And JEE Advanced? Know Key Points Here
Understand how JEE Main and JEE Advanced differ in purpose, eligibility, attempts and exam pattern for the 2026 admission cycle.
Varnika Srivastava14 Nov, 2025
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The Joint Entrance Examination is held in two levels—JEE Main and JEE Advanced—and each stage has a distinct purpose in the engineering admissions process. JEE Main is used for entry to undergraduate programmes in NITs, IIITs and other Centrally Funded Technical Institutions. It also serves as the qualifying exam for JEE Advanced, which is required for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology.
Papers and courses
JEE Main has two papers. Paper 1 is meant for BE/BTech admissions, while Paper 2 is conducted for BArch and BPlanning. Many institutions also accept Paper 1 scores for integrated courses such as Integrated MSc, Integrated MTech, Integrated BTech–MBA, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Design and other specialised programmes.
Two-session structure
For the 2026 admission cycle, JEE Main will be held in two separate sessions. This format allows candidates to improve their performance. The first attempt helps them understand the exam pattern, difficulty level and marking system, reducing errors in the second attempt. Appearing in both sessions is optional; if a candidate takes both, the higher of the two NTA scores is used for ranking.
About JEE Advanced
JEE Advanced is organised each year by one of the IITs in rotation for admission to all IIT undergraduate programmes. Only the top 2.5 lakh candidates from JEE Main are eligible. The exam is tougher than JEE Main and demands strong conceptual clarity and problem-solving ability.
Attempt limits and exam pattern
JEE Main can be taken over three consecutive years, with two attempts allowed each year. JEE Advanced permits only two attempts in two successive years. JEE Main includes MCQs and numerical questions in a single paper for BE/BTech, while JEE Advanced has two mandatory papers containing multiple-choice, numerical and integer-type questions.
JEE Main Sample Paper 2025 : FAQs
How many stages does the JEE have?
The exam has two stages—JEE Main and JEE Advanced
How many times can I attempt JEE Main?
You can attempt it over three consecutive years with two attempts each year.
Is it necessary to appear in both JEE Main sessions?
No, it is optional. If you take both, the higher NTA score is considered.
Who can appear for JEE Advanced?
Only the top 2.5 lakh candidates from JEE Main are eligible.
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