JEE Main 2026 Final Answer Key Released: Session 1 B.E./B.Tech Answer Key PDF, Dropped Questions, Bonus Marks, Result Updat

NTA has officially released the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Final Answer Key on February 16, 2026. The final answer key PDF for the B.E./B.Tech paper is now available at jeemain.nta.nic.in & our website. This key covers all 10 shifts conducted across six exam dates — January 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, and 29, 2026. The JEE Main 2026 Session 1 result and scorecards are also expected to follow shortly.

A total of 13,00,368 candidates appeared for the JEE Main 2026 Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) across these shifts. NTA received a record-breaking 14.5 lakh registrations for Session 1 this year. The final answer key includes corrected answers, dropped questions, and questions with multiple correct options. Candidates do not need login credentials to download the final answer key PDF from the NTA website.

JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Final Answer Key: Key Highlights

Detail	Information
Exam Name	JEE (Main) 2026 Session 1 — B.E./B.Tech
Conducting Body	National Testing Agency (NTA)
Exam Dates	January 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 2026
Total Shifts	10 (2 shifts per day, except Jan 29 which had 2 shifts on Jan 28)
Total Candidates Appeared	13,00,368
Total Registrations	~14.5 lakh (Highest ever for Session 1)
Provisional Answer Key Released	February 4, 2026
Challenge Window	February 4 to February 6, 2026 (11:50 PM)
Challenge Fee	₹200 per question
Final Answer Key Released	February 16, 2026
Final Answer Key PDF	Available at jeemain.nta.nic.in (no login required)
Result Status	Expected on February 16, 2026
Official Website	jeemain.nta.nic.in

JEE Main 2026 Final Answer Key PDF — Embedded View

Candidates can view the complete JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Final Answer Key for B.E./B.Tech directly below. This PDF includes all shifts from January 21 to January 28, 2026.

JEE Main 2026 Answer Key PDF

Note: If the embedded PDF does not load, visit jeemain.nta.nic.in and download the final answer key PDF directly from the homepage.

JEE Main 2026 Final Answer Key: Dropped Questions — Complete Shift-Wise List

One of the most critical updates in the JEE Main 2026 final answer key is the list of dropped questions. NTA dropped a total of 9 questions across various shifts. Against each dropped question, the answer key PDF shows “Drop” instead of a correct answer option. All candidates who appeared in the respective shift receive +4 bonus marks for each dropped question, regardless of whether they attempted it or not.

Here is the complete shift-wise list of dropped questions as per the official JEE Main 2026 Final Answer Key PDF dated February 16, 2026:

Exam Date	Shift	Subject	Question ID (Domestic)	Status	Bonus Marks
January 22, 2026	Shift I	Physics	444792191	Dropped	+4 for all candidates
January 22, 2026	Shift II	Mathematics	860654995	Dropped	+4 for all candidates
January 22, 2026	Shift II	Physics	8606541010	Dropped	+4 for all candidates
January 22, 2026	Shift II	Physics	8606541017	Dropped	+4 for all candidates
January 23, 2026	Shift I	Physics	8606541395	Dropped	+4 for all candidates
January 23, 2026	Shift II	Physics	444792476	Dropped	+4 for all candidates
January 23, 2026	Shift II	Physics	444792479	Dropped	+4 for all candidates
January 24, 2026	Shift II	Physics	444792647	Dropped	+4 for all candidates
January 28, 2026	Shift I	Mathematics	444792698	Dropped	+4 for all candidates

Out of the 9 dropped questions, 7 were from Physics and 2 from Mathematics. No Chemistry questions were dropped in the final answer key. Physics continues to be the subject with the most dropped questions, consistent with trends from JEE Main 2025 where 8 out of 12 dropped questions in Session 1 were from Physics.

January 22 Shift II had the maximum impact with 3 dropped questions. Candidates from this shift will receive +12 bonus marks added to their raw score. January 23 Shift II candidates will get +8 bonus marks from 2 dropped questions.

Questions With Multiple Correct Answers in JEE Main 2026 Final Answer Key

Besides dropped questions, the final answer key also lists questions where NTA accepted more than one correct option. Candidates who marked any of the accepted correct options will receive +4 marks. Here is the complete list:

Exam Date	Shift	Subject	Question ID (Domestic)	Correct Answers Accepted
January 23, 2026	Shift I	Chemistry	8606541425	3, 6
January 23, 2026	Shift II	Physics	444792493	1, 3, 4
January 24, 2026	Shift I	Chemistry	444792585	1, 4
January 24, 2026	Shift II	Mathematics	444792614	1, 2, 3, 4

The question ID 444792614 from January 24 Shift II (Mathematics) is particularly notable. NTA has accepted all four options as correct answers. This means every candidate who attempted this question in that shift will receive +4 marks. This is effectively equivalent to a dropped question for this shift.

Subject-Wise Summary of Dropped and Multi-Correct Questions

Subject	Dropped Questions	Multi-Correct Questions	Total Affected Questions
Physics	7	1	8
Mathematics	2	1	3
Chemistry	0	2	2
Total	9	4	13

Shift-Wise Bonus Marks Impact on JEE Main 2026 Candidates

The dropped questions and multi-correct answers will directly affect the raw scores of candidates. Below is the maximum bonus marks a candidate could receive based on their shift:

Exam Date	Shift	Dropped Questions	Multi-Correct Questions	Max Bonus Marks
January 21	Shift I	0	0	0
January 21	Shift II	0	0	0
January 22	Shift I	1	0	+4
January 22	Shift II	3	0	+12
January 23	Shift I	1	1	+4 to +8
January 23	Shift II	2	1	+8 to +12
January 24	Shift I	0	1	0 to +4
January 24	Shift II	1	1	+4 to +8
January 28	Shift I	1	0	+4
January 28	Shift II	0	0	0

Candidates who appeared in January 22 Shift II will benefit the most with guaranteed +12 bonus marks from dropped questions alone. However, NTA’s percentile-based normalization ensures that the impact of bonus marks is balanced across shifts when calculating the final NTA percentile score.

How to Download JEE Main 2026 Final Answer Key PDF

The JEE Main 2026 final answer key is available as a public PDF. No login credentials are required. Follow these steps to download:

1. Visit the official website — jeemain.nta.nic.in.
2. Look for the link “JEE (Main) 2026 Session 1 Final Answer Key” on the homepage.
3. Click on the PDF link for B.E./B.Tech Paper 1.
4. The PDF will open in a new tab. Save it to your device.
5. The PDF contains day-wise, shift-wise, and subject-wise Question IDs with their correct Answer IDs.

The final answer key PDF is 10 pages long. It covers all 10 shifts with Question IDs for both domestic and international exam centres. Dropped questions are marked with “Drop” in the correct answer column.

How to Calculate JEE Main 2026 Raw Score Using the Final Answer Key

Candidates can calculate their exact raw score using the final answer key and their response sheet. Here is the marking scheme:

Response Type	Marks (MCQ)	Marks (Numerical)
Correct Answer	+4	+4
Incorrect Answer	-1	0
Unanswered	0	0
Dropped Question	+4 (bonus to all)	+4 (bonus to all)
Multiple Correct Options	+4 (if any correct option marked)	N/A

Use this formula: Raw Score = (Correct × 4) – (Incorrect MCQs × 1) + (Bonus Marks from Dropped Questions)

The raw score is then converted into NTA percentile score using normalization. The percentile score reflects a candidate’s relative standing among all candidates in their shift. NTA calculates percentile up to 7 decimal places to minimize ties.

JEE Main 2026 Expected Marks vs Percentile

Based on analysis of difficulty level across shifts and previous year trends, here is the expected marks vs percentile range for JEE Main 2026 Session 1:

Raw Marks (Out of 300)	Expected Percentile (Moderate Shift)	Expected Percentile (Tough Shift)
280–300	99.99–100	99.99–100
250–279	99.90–99.99	99.95–99.99
200–249	99.50–99.90	99.70–99.95
150–199	97.00–99.50	98.00–99.70
100–149	92.00–97.00	94.00–98.00
70–99	87.50–92.00	90.00–94.00
50–69	80.00–87.50	84.00–90.00
Below 50	Below 80.00	Below 84.00

These are estimated ranges. Actual percentiles will depend on the number of candidates, difficulty normalization, and bonus marks distribution. January 23 Shift II was widely considered the toughest shift, where a 99 percentile could be achieved at approximately 153–158 marks.

JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Result: What to Expect

NTA is expected to release the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 scorecards on February 16, 2026, shortly after the final answer key publication. Here are the key details about the result:

Detail	Information
Result Date	February 16, 2026
Result Format	Scorecard (PDF format)
Scorecard Contains	Subject-wise percentile, overall percentile, candidate details
All India Rank (AIR)	Released after Session 2 results (expected April 2026)
Login Required	Yes — Application Number + Date of Birth/Password
JEE Advanced Cutoff	Announced after Session 2 (expected 93–95 percentile for General)
Website	jeemain.nta.nic.in

The Session 1 scorecard will not include the All India Rank. The AIR is only calculated after the Session 2 results are declared. NTA will consider the best NTA score from both sessions for the final ranking. Candidates with 95+ percentile in Session 1 are likely to qualify for JEE Advanced 2026.

JEE Main 2026 Expected Cutoff Percentile for JEE Advanced

The qualifying cutoff for JEE Advanced is announced after both sessions are complete. Based on previous years and expert analysis, here are the expected cutoff percentiles:

Category	Expected Cutoff Percentile (JEE Advanced 2026)
General (Unreserved)	93.0–95.0
EWS	80.0–82.0
OBC-NCL	79.0–81.0
SC	60.0–63.0
ST	47.0–50.0
PwD	0.001–1.0

The top 2,50,000 candidates across all categories will qualify for JEE Advanced 2026. IIT Roorkee is the organizing institute for JEE Advanced 2026. Registration for JEE Advanced is expected to begin on April 23, 2026.

JEE Main 2026 Session 2: Registration and Exam Dates

Candidates who are not satisfied with their Session 1 performance can appear for JEE Main 2026 Session 2. NTA will consider the higher of the two NTA scores for the final rank.

Detail	Session 2 Schedule
Registration Open	February 1, 2026
Registration Deadline	February 25, 2026
Exam Dates	April 2 to April 9, 2026
Result Expected	By April 20, 2026
Final AIR Declaration	After Session 2 results
Website	jeemain.nta.nic.in

Candidates who already registered for Session 1 only need to log in and pay the exam fee for Session 2. Fresh registrations are also accepted. Many students improve their percentile by 10–15 points in Session 2 with focused preparation.

JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Toppers (Provisional)

Based on provisional answer key analysis by coaching institutes, two candidates have reportedly scored a perfect 300 out of 300 in JEE Main 2026 Session 1. The official toppers list will be released by NTA along with the result.

Candidate Name	Reported Score	Status
Arnav Gautam	300/300	As per provisional key analysis
Pasala Mohith	300/300	As per provisional key analysis

In JEE Main 2025, 24 students achieved 100 percentile in Session 1. In 2024, 56 candidates scored a perfect 100 percentile. With 14.5 lakh registrations in 2026, experts predict 25–30 students may achieve 100 percentile this year.

What Happens After the Final Answer Key Is Released?

The final answer key is the binding document for result preparation. No further challenges or objections are accepted after its release. NTA uses the final answer key to calculate raw scores for all 13 lakh+ candidates. These raw scores are then converted into NTA percentile scores through the normalization process.

The normalization formula is: Percentile = 100 × (Number of candidates with raw score ≤ your score) ÷ (Total candidates in your shift)

The percentile score is calculated separately for each shift and subject. The total NTA score is based on the aggregate of subject-wise raw scores. The score is calculated up to 7 decimal places to reduce ties among candidates.

JEE Main 2026 Tie-Breaking Rules

If two or more candidates secure the same NTA percentile, the following tie-breaking criteria are applied in order:

1. Candidate with fewer incorrect answers and more correct answers overall gets the higher rank.
2. Candidate with fewer incorrect answers and more correct answers in Mathematics.
3. Candidate with fewer incorrect answers and more correct answers in Physics.
4. Candidate with fewer incorrect answers and more correct answers in Chemistry.
5. If the tie still persists, both candidates are assigned the same rank.

Important Links for JEE Main 2026

Resource	Link
JEE Main Official Website	jeemain.nta.nic.in
NTA Official Website	nta.ac.in
Session 1 Result Login	jeemain.nta.nic.in (Application No. + DOB)
Session 2 Registration	jeemain.nta.nic.in (open till Feb 25)
JEE Advanced 2026	jeeadv.ac.in (IIT Roorkee)
NTA Helpdesk Email	jeemain@nta.ac.in

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When was the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 final answer key released?

NTA released the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 final answer key on February 16, 2026. The PDF is available on jeemain.nta.nic.in. The key was released along with the result declaration. Candidates can download the PDF without any login credentials directly from the NTA website homepage.

How many questions were dropped in the JEE Main 2026 final answer key?

A total of 9 questions were dropped across different shifts. Out of these, 7 questions were from Physics and 2 from Mathematics. No Chemistry questions were dropped. January 22 Shift II had the highest number of dropped questions at 3. All candidates from the affected shifts receive +4 bonus marks per dropped question.

Do I get bonus marks if I did not attempt the dropped question?

Yes. When NTA drops a question, all candidates who appeared in that particular shift receive +4 marks. It does not matter whether you attempted the question or not. You only need to have appeared in the same shift from which the question was dropped. This is a common concern among students on Reddit, where many initially worry about missing bonus marks for unanswered questions.

Can I challenge the JEE Main 2026 final answer key?

No. The final answer key is non-challengeable. NTA only accepts objections during the provisional answer key window, which was open from February 4 to February 6, 2026. The final answer key is prepared after reviewing all challenges submitted by candidates during this window. Many students on Quora have asked about this, and the answer remains that no further grievances are entertained after the final key is published.

What does it mean when a question has multiple correct answers in the final key?

For questions where NTA has accepted more than one correct option, candidates who marked any of the accepted options will receive +4 marks. For example, Question ID 444792614 from January 24 Shift II has all four options accepted as correct. This effectively gives every candidate who attempted it the full marks. On Reddit, students have discussed how multi-correct acceptances can sometimes indicate that the original question was flawed.

When will the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 result be declared?

NTA confirmed that the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 result will be declared by February 16, 2026. The result was initially scheduled for February 12 but was postponed due to the extended review of answer key challenges. Historically, NTA activates the result link in the evening or late-night hours. Many aspirants on Reddit have expressed frustration over the lack of a specific release time from NTA.

Will the All India Rank be available with Session 1 result?

No. The Session 1 scorecard will only show subject-wise and overall NTA percentile scores. The All India Rank (AIR) will be calculated and released only after the Session 2 results in April 2026. NTA considers the best NTA score from both sessions for the final AIR calculation.

How is the NTA percentile score calculated?

NTA uses a normalization formula to ensure fairness across shifts with varying difficulty levels. The percentile indicates the percentage of candidates who scored equal to or below your raw score in your specific shift. The score is calculated up to 7 decimal places. This is different from a percentage — a 99 percentile means you scored better than 99% of candidates in your shift, not that you scored 99% marks.

What percentile is needed to qualify for JEE Advanced 2026?

The exact cutoff will be announced after Session 2 results. Based on previous trends, a percentile between 93 and 95 is expected for General category. For OBC-NCL it may be around 79–81, for SC around 60–63, and for ST around 47–50. The top 2,50,000 candidates across categories will qualify. Students on Quora often confuse Session 1 percentile with the final cutoff — the official cutoff applies to the best of both sessions.

Should I register for JEE Main 2026 Session 2?

If you are not satisfied with your Session 1 score, you should register for Session 2. Registration is open until February 25, 2026. NTA will consider the better score from the two sessions for the final ranking. Many students on Reddit have shared their experience of improving by 10–15 percentile points in Session 2 with dedicated preparation. The Session 2 exam is scheduled for April 2 to 9, 2026.

Why was the JEE Main 2026 result delayed from February 12 to February 16?

NTA delayed the result due to the extensive review of objections raised against the provisional answer key. A large number of challenges were submitted, particularly for Physics questions across multiple shifts. The review process by subject experts took additional time. Some education forums on Reddit speculated that the delay was caused by the high number of potentially dropped questions that needed verification before the final key could be published.