JEE Main Answer Key 2026 Updates: NTA to Release Session 1 Provisional Keys on February 4

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will release the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 provisional answer key by February 4. Students can download the answer key and question paper from the official website at jeemain.nta.nic.in. The objection window will remain open from February 4 to 5. NTA will announce the Session 1 results on February 12.

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The JEE Main BTech and BE papers were held from January 21 to January 28. The overall difficulty level was moderate, though it varied across shifts and subjects. Compared to last year, most shifts were easy to moderately difficult. However, many students found the Mathematics section tough in several shifts.

NTA will release the official JEE Main cut-off along with the final results after Session 2 ends in April. Last year, the Session 1 exam took place from January 22 to 30. In the final answer keys, NTA dropped 12 questions, with most of them from Physics.

JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Important Dates

How to Download JEE Main 2026 Response Sheet PDF

The JEE Main 2026 response sheet and question paper PDF will be available under your login. Follow these steps to download:

1. Go to the official website – jeemain.nta.nic.in
2. Click on the link that says "JEE Main Candidate Response Sheet 2026 – Session 1"
3. A login window will appear. Enter the following details:
   • JEE Main application number
   • Password
   • CAPTCHA
4. Your dashboard will open. Find and click the response sheet link.
5. The response sheet will appear in the next window.
6. Click "Print" to download the PDF.

How to Calculate Your JEE Main 2026 Score Using Answer Key & Response Sheet

You'll need both the answer key and response sheet to calculate your estimated score. Without either document, you can't determine your marks.

Follow these steps to calculate your score:

1. Download your JEE Main response sheet and the provisional answer key
2. Compare your marked answers with NTA's official answers
3. Award +4 marks for every correct answer
4. Deduct -1 mark for every wrong answer
5. Add all correct answer marks and subtract the total negative marks
6. The final number is your estimated raw score

Difference Between JEE Main Answer Key and Response Sheet

Many students get confused between these two documents. Here's a simple comparison:

JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Result Date

NTA will announce the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 result by February 12. This means scorecards may be available on or before this date.

Students can check their results on the official website using their application number and password.

The scorecard will include:

• Percentile score in Mathematics
• Percentile score in Physics
• Percentile score in Chemistry
• Total percentile marks

NTA will also announce the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 toppers along with the results.

Expected Category-Wise Cut-Off for JEE Main 2026

According to Sandeep Mehta, IIT alumnus and co-founder of Vidyamandir Classes, the JEE Main 2026 cut-off will depend on the exam's difficulty, the number of aspirants, and overall performance.

Here's what experts predict:

• General Category: 93.5 to 95 percentile (around 140+ marks out of 300)
• OBC-NCL and EWS: 79.5 to 81.5 percentile (around 90+ marks)
• SC Category: 61 to 63 percentile (around 60+ marks)
• ST Category: 48 to 51 percentile (around 45+ marks)
• EWS Category: 81 to 83 percentile

JEE Main 2026 Tie-Breaking Rules

When two or more candidates have the same NTA score, the tie is resolved in this order:

1. Higher NTA score in Mathematics
2. Higher NTA score in Physics
3. Higher NTA score in Chemistry
4. Fewer incorrect attempts across all subjects
5. Fewer incorrect attempts in Mathematics
6. Fewer incorrect attempts in Physics
7. Fewer incorrect attempts in Chemistry
8. If the tie still exists, both candidates get the same rank

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JEE Main Session 1 Memory-Based Paper 2026

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