The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially revised the schedule for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2026 Session 1. In a significant update for engineering aspirants across India, the agency has released the exam city slip and announced a slight change in the examination dates.
Revised JEE Main 2026 Session 1 & 2 Dates
As per the updated timetable released by the NTA, JEE Main 2026 Session 1 will now be conducted from January 21 to January 29, 2026. This marks a change from the earlier advisory issued on October 19, which had stated the first session would be held from January 21 to 30.
For Session 2, the dates have been set for April 2 to April 9, 2026. The earlier notice had indicated the second session would run from April 1 to 10. The exam will be held for two papers: Paper 1 for BE/BTech courses and Paper 2 for BArch/BPharm programs.
City Slip Released: How to Check and Next Steps
The NTA has made the city intimation slip for JEE Main 2026 Session 1 available on its official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in. Candidates can access their slip by logging in with their application number, password, date of birth, and the security pin displayed on the screen.
This slip informs candidates about the city assigned to them for the examination. The actual admit card or hall ticket, containing the exact exam centre details, shift, and other crucial instructions, is expected to be released by the second week of January 2026.
Process to Download Admit Card and Exam Pattern
To download the JEE Main 2026 admit card once it is released, candidates will need to:
- Visit the official NTA JEE website.
- Click on the link for 'JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Admit Card'.
- Enter the required login credentials (application number and password/date of birth).
- Submit the details to view the admit card on the screen.
Candidates are strongly advised to download the document and keep multiple printed copies for future reference. The January 2026 session will be conducted across multiple shifts and centres in India and abroad.
The examination pattern for JEE Main 2026 will remain consistent with previous years, featuring two sessions. The first session is scheduled for January 21-29, 2026, and the second session for April 2-9, 2026.
