
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially uploaded the JEE Main 2026 28 January Shift 1 & Shift 2 Official Answer Key on February 4, 2026. Candidates who appeared for the exam on January 28 can now access their response sheets and the provisional answer keys at jeemain.nta.nic.in. This release allows over 13 lakh aspirants to cross-verify their answers and estimate their raw scores out of 300. The objection window is currently active, providing a transparent way for students to challenge any potential errors in the official database.
The JEE Main 2026 Session 1 was conducted across multiple days, with January 28 being a significant date for Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) aspirants. The NTA released the provisional answer keys for both morning and evening shifts simultaneously to maintain the schedule for the final result declaration. Candidates must use their application number and date of birth to log in and retrieve the documents. This stage is vital for students to decide their preparation intensity for the upcoming Session 2 in April.
The following table summarizes the key dates and quantitative data for the January 28 JEE Main exam cycle:
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JEE Main 2026 28 January Shift 1 & Shift 2 Official Answer Key Overview |
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|---|---|
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Event |
Details / Dates |
|
Exam Date |
January 28, 2026 |
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Official Website |
jeemain.nta.nic.in |
|
Answer Key Release Date |
February 4, 2026 |
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Challenge Window |
February 4 to February 6, 2026 (11:50 PM) |
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Objection Fee |
₹200 per question (Non-refundable) |
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Result Declaration |
By February 12, 2026 |
The Shift 1 exam, held from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, was described by students as moderate to difficult, with a particularly challenging Mathematics section. The official answer key PDF for this shift contains the correct Option IDs for Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Students should carefully match the Question IDs from their response sheets with the official key to ensure accurate score calculation. This shift emphasized topics like 3D Geometry and Electrostatics, which were key areas in the NTA's official solution set.
The Shift 2 exam took place from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM and featured a balanced difficulty level across all subjects. The NTA has provided the Shift 2 Official Answer Key PDF, enabling evening session candidates to verify their performance. According to initial reports, Chemistry was largely NCERT-based, making the official answer key highly reliable for score estimation. Candidates should download this specific PDF to cross-check their numerical-value questions, which carry negative marking this year.
To download your shift-specific answer key and response sheet, follow these official steps:
Visit the official NTA JEE website: jeemain.nta.nic.in.
Click on the link for "JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Answer Key/Response Sheet".
Select your login method: Application Number and Password or Date of Birth.
Enter your credentials and the security pin displayed on the page.
Once logged in, click on "View/Challenge Answer Key".
Download and save the PDF of the provisional answer key and your JEE Main Response Sheet.
If a candidate finds a discrepancy in the [JEE Main 2026 28 January Shift 1 & Shift 2 Official Answer Key by NTA (PDF)], they can challenge it before February 6, 2026.
Fee: A non-refundable fee of ₹200 per question must be paid online.
Proof: Candidates must upload a single PDF file containing supporting evidence (like NCERT references) for their claim.
Process: After logging in, select the Question ID, choose the claimed correct option, and submit the fee.
Review: NTA subject experts will review all challenges; if an objection is found valid, the key will be revised for all students.
Following the objection window, the NTA will process all valid challenges to prepare the Final Answer Key. This final key is expected to be released by February 12, 2026, along with the JEE Main Session 1 results. The final results and percentile scores are calculated based strictly on the final answer key, and no further communication regarding objections is entertained by the agency.