Your exam guide
JEE Corner
Everything a Class 12 student needs to know about India’s top science & engineering entrance exams — what they are, who they’re for, and exactly when they happen. In plain language.
Latest Updates
Key announcements across all exams — newest first.
- 1 Jun 2026JEE Advanced 2026 result declared by IIT Roorkee; JoSAA counselling underway.
- 20 Jun 2026BITSAT 2026 Iteration 1 seat allotment is out.
- Late Jun 2026IISER IAT 2026 result expected this week (exam was held 7 June).
- 13 Sep 2026NDA II 2026 written exam (applications closed 11 June).
Know Your Exam
Pick an exam to see everything that matters — in plain language.
JEE Main
Joint Entrance Examination (Main) 2026
India’s largest engineering entrance — and the gateway to JEE Advanced.
Conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA)
JEE Main is a computer-based test held twice a year by NTA. It does two jobs at once: it admits students to the NITs, IIITs and other government-funded colleges, and it decides who qualifies to attempt JEE Advanced for the IITs. Whichever of your two session scores is higher is the one used for ranking.
Your better score of the two sessions is what counts for your rank.
- ▸Passed Class 12 in 2024 or 2025, or appearing in 2026
- ▸Subjects: Physics & Maths, plus one of Chemistry / Biology / Biotech / Vocational
- ▸For NIT/IIIT/GFTI admission: 75% in Class 12 (65% for SC/ST/PwD) or top-20 percentile of your board
- ▸No age limit; you may appear in both sessions, across two consecutive years
| Mode | Computer-based (Paper 2 has an offline drawing test) |
| Subjects | Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics |
| Questions | 75 — 25 per subject (20 MCQ + 5 numerical) |
| Total marks | 300 |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Marking | +4 correct, −1 wrong (numericals too) |
| Languages | 13, including Marathi |
Around 47,000 seats at NITs, IIITs and GFTIs are filled through JoSAA on your JEE Main rank (IIT seats come later, through JEE Advanced).
- 31 Oct–27 Nov 2025Registration
- 21–28 Jan 2026Exam (Paper 1)
- 16 Feb 2026Result
- 1–25 Feb 2026Registration
- 2–8 Apr 2026Exam (Paper 1)
- 20 Apr 2026Result + Advanced cutoff
- •Two shots a year — only your higher NTA score counts.
- •It’s a percentile, not a percentage: ‘99 percentile’ means you beat 99% of test-takers.
- •One exam, two doors: it feeds NIT/IIIT counselling and decides who sits JEE Advanced.
- •Skipping Session 2 after a ‘good enough’ Session 1.
- •Reading percentile as if it were a percentage of marks.
- •Neglecting Class 11 — it’s nearly half the paper.
Dates shown are the actual 2026 cycle, kept here so next year’s aspirants know the typical schedule. Always confirm current dates on the official website.
JEE Advanced
Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced) 2026
The single gateway to the 23 IITs — and India’s toughest engineering exam.
Conducted by IIT Roorkee (2026)
JEE Advanced is stage two of the IIT journey, open only to the top 2,50,000 rankers from JEE Main. Its questions reward deep, multi-step problem solving far beyond board or JEE Main level. Your All-India Rank here, through JoSAA counselling, decides your IIT and branch.
- ▸Must be among the top 2,50,000 rankers in JEE Main 2026
- ▸Maximum 2 attempts, in two consecutive years only
- ▸Born on or after 1 Oct 2001 (5-year relaxation for SC/ST/PwD)
- ▸First appeared in Class 12 in 2025 or 2026, with PCM
| Mode | Computer-based |
| Papers | Paper 1 + Paper 2 — both compulsory, same day |
| Subjects | Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics |
| Questions | ~48–54 per paper |
| Timing | Paper 1: 9 AM–12 · Paper 2: 2:30–5:30 PM |
| Marking | Mixed types; changes every year |
| Languages | English, Hindi |
About 17,800 seats across all IIT programmes, with extra female-supernumerary seats added on top.
- 23 Apr–5 May 2026Registration
- 11 May 2026Admit card
- 17 May 2026Exam day
- 1 Jun 2026Result (AIR)
- 13 Jun 2026JoSAA Round 1
- •No direct entry — you must clear JEE Main first.
- •Only 2 attempts, and they must be back-to-back years.
- •Both papers in one 6-hour day; skip either and you’re out.
- •There’s a per-subject minimum cutoff — you can’t pile all your marks into one subject.
- •Over-attempting multiple-correct questions and losing negative marks.
- •Practising only Paper-1-style questions.
- •Assuming the Advanced syllabus is just ‘Main + a bit more’.
Dates shown are the actual 2026 cycle, kept here so next year’s aspirants know the typical schedule. Always confirm current dates on the official website.
MHT-CET
Maharashtra Common Entrance Test 2026 (PCM)
Maharashtra’s gateway to engineering & pharmacy — now held twice a year.
Conducted by State CET Cell, Maharashtra
MHT-CET is Maharashtra’s state-level test for admission to engineering and pharmacy colleges across the state through CAP counselling. From 2026 it’s held twice a year and your best percentile counts. It follows the Maharashtra board syllabus and has no negative marking.
Maths alone is half your score.
- ▸Class 12 with Physics + Maths (and one of Chemistry / Biology / Vocational)
- ▸Minimum 45% in PCM (40% for reserved categories, Maharashtra)
- ▸Maharashtra candidates get state-quota seats; others compete for private / management seats
- ▸No attempt limit; two sessions offered each year
| Mode | Computer-based |
| Subjects | Physics (50), Chemistry (50), Mathematics (50) |
| Total marks | 200 — Maths carries 2 marks per question |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Marking | No negative marking |
| Syllabus | ~20% Class 11 + 80% Class 12 (Maharashtra board) |
About 1.24 lakh engineering seats are filled through CAP. Every seat is allotted by percentile rank — there are no direct college admissions.
- 10 Jan–24 Feb 2026Registration
- 11–20 Apr 2026Attempt 1 (PCM)
- 12–21 May 2026Attempt 2 (PCM)
- 15 & 19 Jun 2026Results
- Late Jun–Jul 2026CAP counselling
- •Maths is worth as much as Physics and Chemistry combined (half the marks).
- •No negative marking — it’s a pure scoring game, so attempt everything.
- •Two attempts; the better percentile is used and Session 2 is optional.
- •Scores are normalised to percentile across shifts, so a ‘tough’ slot won’t hurt you.
- •Leaving questions blank — that’s free marks lost.
- •Studying only NCERT when the Maharashtra board syllabus differs.
- •Under-preparing Maths, the highest-weight subject.
Dates shown are the actual 2026 cycle, kept here so next year’s aspirants know the typical schedule. Always confirm current dates on the official website.
IAT
IISER Aptitude Test 2026
Your route into the 7 IISERs for a research-first 5-year BS-MS.
Conducted by IISER Berhampur (2026)
The IAT is the single national test for admission to the seven IISERs — institutes built to blend teaching with research from year one. It leads mainly to the 5-year BS-MS dual degree. Unusually, it tests all four sciences — Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics — with equal weight.
- ▸Class 12 in 2024, 2025 or 2026 with a science stream
- ▸At least three of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Maths
- ▸Minimum 60% in Class 12 (50% for SC/ST/PwD)
| Mode | Computer-based, single shift (9 AM–12) |
| Subjects | Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Physics — 15 questions each |
| Questions | 60 MCQs · 240 marks |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Marking | +4 correct, −1 wrong |
| Syllabus | NCERT Class 11 + 12 · English only |
Around 2,100 BS-MS seats across the seven IISERs. The IAT score is also used by IISc, IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati, IACS Kolkata and IIEST Shibpur.
- 5 Mar–13 Apr 2026Registration
- 24 May 2026Admit card
- 7 Jun 2026Exam
- Late Jun 2026Result (expected)
- Jun–Jul 2026Counselling
- •It tests Biology too — pure PCM students must prepare it, since 15 questions ride on it.
- •The fifth year of BS-MS is full-time research; many student theses get published.
- •Since 2024 it’s the only way in — the old KVPY and JEE Advanced routes are closed.
- •PCM students ignoring Biology and losing easy marks.
- •Believing a JEE Advanced rank still gets you into IISERs — it doesn’t anymore.
- •Confusing IISER counselling with the separate IISc / IIT-Madras process.
Dates shown are the actual 2026 cycle, kept here so next year’s aspirants know the typical schedule. Always confirm current dates on the official website.
NDA
National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Exam 2026
Become an officer in the Army, Navy or Air Force — straight after Class 12.
Conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
NDA is UPSC’s gateway for school-leavers to join the armed forces as officer cadets. You clear a written exam, then a 5-day SSB interview; selected cadets train for three years, earn a degree, and are commissioned as officers. It’s now open to both men and women and runs twice a year.
900 marks
900 marks, 5 days
Total selection is out of 1,800 marks (written + SSB).
- ▸Unmarried, aged 16.5–19.5 years (no age relaxation)
- ▸Open to men and women
- ▸Class 12 (any stream for Army; Physics + Maths for Navy / Air Force)
- ▸Must meet physical & medical standards (vision, height, and more)
| Mode | Pen & paper (OMR) |
| Written | Mathematics (120 Q · 300) + General Ability Test (150 Q · 600) |
| Written total | 900 marks |
| SSB interview | 900 marks (5-day process) |
| Marking | Negative marking in the written exam |
| Grand total | 1,800 marks |
394 vacancies each cycle. You earn a degree during training and then a permanent officer’s commission.
- 10–30 Dec 2025Apply
- 12 Apr 2026Written exam
- 8 May 2026Result
- Jun–Aug 2026SSB
- 20 May–11 Jun 2026Apply
- 13 Sep 2026Written exam
- ~Oct 2026Result (expected)
- •Two stages: a written test, then a 5-day SSB that judges officer potential.
- •Open to women since 2021, with dedicated seats.
- •You’re paid from day one and earn a degree — no fees, no placement hunt.
- •Applying for Navy / Air Force without Physics + Maths.
- •Forgetting that the written exam does have negative marking.
- •Ignoring medical standards (eyesight, flat feet) until it’s too late.
Dates shown are the actual 2026 cycle, kept here so next year’s aspirants know the typical schedule. Always confirm current dates on the official website.
BITSAT
BITS Admission Test 2026
The only way into BITS Pilani, Goa & Hyderabad — and a true speed test.
Conducted by BITS Pilani
BITSAT is BITS Pilani’s own online entrance for its Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad campuses. It’s fast — 130 questions in three hours — and uniquely includes English and Logical Reasoning alongside science. Two sessions are held and your better score counts.
English & Logical Reasoning (30 questions) are unique to BITSAT — JEE has neither.
- ▸Class 12 in 2025 or 2026 with PCM (or PCB for B.Pharm)
- ▸Minimum 75% aggregate AND at least 60% in each of Physics, Chemistry and Maths/Biology
| Mode | Computer-based |
| Sections | Physics 30, Chemistry 30, Maths/Biology 40, English 10, Logical Reasoning 20 |
| Questions | 130 · 390 marks |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Marking | +3 correct, −1 wrong |
| Bonus | Finish early to unlock 12 extra questions (max 426) |
About 2,980 seats across the three Indian campuses. The Dubai campus admits through a separate process.
- 15 Dec 2025–16 Mar 2026Registration
- 15–16 Apr 2026Session 1
- 24–26 May 2026Session 2
- 5 Jun 2026Session 2 result
- 20 Jun 2026Seat allotment
- •It’s a speed test — about 83 seconds per question rewards fast, accurate work.
- •English + Logical Reasoning (30 questions) appear in no JEE exam and are often under-prepared.
- •Bonus 12 questions for fast finishers can swing your rank.
- •Two sessions; the better score is kept.
- •Skipping English and Logical Reasoning practice.
- •Forgetting the separate admission preference form after results.
- •Attempting bonus questions carelessly and taking −1 hits.
Dates shown are the actual 2026 cycle, kept here so next year’s aspirants know the typical schedule. Always confirm current dates on the official website.
More exams (WBJEE, COMEDK, VITEEE) can be added to this tab on request.
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