# Joint Entrance Examination
The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is India's national entrance examination for admission to undergraduate engineering programs, held in two parts: JEE (Main), which admits students to [National Institutes of Technology](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-institutes-of-technology) (NITs), [Indian Institutes of Information Technology](https://www.edgepedia.org/indian-institutes-of-information-technology) (IIITs), and other centrally funded technical institutions, and JEE (Advanced), which serves as the sole basis for admission to the [Indian Institutes of Technology](https://www.edgepedia.org/indian-institutes-of-technology) (IITs)[1](https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3f8e59f4b2fe7c5705bf878bbd494ccdf/uploads/2025/11/202511021649722475.pdf) • [2](https://jeeadv.ac.in/documents/IBEnglish_2026.pdf). The two-part structure was introduced in 2013, replacing the earlier AIEEE and IIT-JEE examinations[3](https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/document-reports/AR_2012-13.pdf).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Structure | Two parts: JEE (Main) for NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs; JEE (Advanced) for IIT admission[1](https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3f8e59f4b2fe7c5705bf878bbd494ccdf/uploads/2025/11/202511021649722475.pdf) |
| Scale (2025) | JEE (Main) 2025: 1,539,848 unique candidates registered, 1,475,103 appeared across both sessions[4](https://www.nta.ac.in/Download/Notice/Notice_20250419125449.pdf) |
| Advanced funnel | Top 250,000 successful JEE (Main) candidates, shortlisted category-wise, qualify to sit JEE (Advanced)[5](https://jeeadv.ac.in/eligibility.html?src=android) |
| Advanced 2025 outcome | 180,422 candidates appeared in both papers; 54,378 qualified[6](https://jeeadv.ac.in/documents/Result2025PressRelease.pdf) |
| Main Paper 1 format | 75 questions, 300 marks: 20 multiple-choice plus 5 numerical-value questions per subject (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry)[1](https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3f8e59f4b2fe7c5705bf878bbd494ccdf/uploads/2025/11/202511021649722475.pdf) |
| Seat allocation | JoSAA 2026 counseling covers 138 institutes: IITs, IISc, NITs, IIEST, IIITs, and Other-GFTIs[7](https://josaa.admissions.nic.in/applicant/seatmatrix/instituteview.aspx) |
| Languages | JEE (Main) is offered in 13 languages, including English, Hindi, and eleven regional languages[1](https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3f8e59f4b2fe7c5705bf878bbd494ccdf/uploads/2025/11/202511021649722475.pdf) |
## History
The two-part JEE was created by a 2012 decision of the Ministry of Human Resource Development following discussions among stakeholders, with the first examination held in 2013 for admission to undergraduate engineering programs[3](https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/document-reports/AR_2012-13.pdf) • [8](https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s371e09b16e21f7b6919bbfc43f6a5b2f0/uploads/2023/04/2023041923-2.pdf). The former AIEEE examination for centrally funded institutions was converted into JEE (Main), while the IIT entrance examination became JEE (Advanced)[9](https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/upload_document/Annexure-II.pdf). In the original 2013 design, the top 150,000 candidates of JEE (Main), category-wise, were eligible for JEE (Advanced), and IIT admission required a category-wise [All India Rank](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-india-rank) in JEE (Advanced) plus placement in the top 20 percentile of the candidate's school board[10](https://www.cbse.gov.in/cbsenew/rti/disclosures/22-01-2013.pdf). Administration of JEE (Main) later moved from CBSE to the [National Testing Agency](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-testing-agency) (NTA), an autonomous organization under the Department of Higher Education[1](https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3f8e59f4b2fe7c5705bf878bbd494ccdf/uploads/2025/11/202511021649722475.pdf).
## JEE (Main)
JEE (Main) comprises two papers. Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech.) is conducted for admission to undergraduate engineering programs at NITs, IIITs, other Centrally Funded Technical Institutions, and institutions funded or recognized by participating state governments; it also serves as the eligibility test for JEE (Advanced)[1](https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3f8e59f4b2fe7c5705bf878bbd494ccdf/uploads/2025/11/202511021649722475.pdf). Paper 2A (B.Arch) and Paper 2B (B.Planning) serve architecture and planning admissions[1](https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3f8e59f4b2fe7c5705bf878bbd494ccdf/uploads/2025/11/202511021649722475.pdf).
**Two sessions per year.** Since 2021 the Main examination has been held twice a year, in January and April, so that a candidate who misses one session or performs poorly can attempt the other without losing a year; candidates who appear in both sessions are ranked on the better of their two NTA scores[1](https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3f8e59f4b2fe7c5705bf878bbd494ccdf/uploads/2025/11/202511021649722475.pdf). In 2026, Session 1 ran between 21 and 30 January and Session 2 between 2 and 9 April[1](https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3f8e59f4b2fe7c5705bf878bbd494ccdf/uploads/2025/11/202511021649722475.pdf). Paper 1 is a three-hour computer-based test with equal weightage to [Mathematics](https://www.edgepedia.org/mathematics), Physics, and Chemistry, negative marking in both the multiple-choice and numerical sections, and results reported as normalized percentile scores across shifts[1](https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3f8e59f4b2fe7c5705bf878bbd494ccdf/uploads/2025/11/202511021649722475.pdf).
## JEE (Advanced)
JEE (Advanced) is the sole examination for admission to the bachelor's, integrated master's, and dual degree programs at the IITs[2](https://jeeadv.ac.in/documents/IBEnglish_2026.pdf). For 2026, eligibility requires being among the top 250,000 successful candidates in the B.E./B.Tech. paper of JEE (Main), shortlisted category-wise: 10% GEN-EWS, 27% OBC-NCL, 15% SC, 7.5% ST, and 40.5% open, with 5% horizontal reservation for persons with disabilities within each category[5](https://jeeadv.ac.in/eligibility.html?src=android). Other criteria include an age limit (born on or after October 1, 2001, with a five-year relaxation for SC, ST, and PwD candidates), a maximum of two attempts in two consecutive years, and a first appearance in the Class XII examination in 2025 or 2026 with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as compulsory subjects[5](https://jeeadv.ac.in/eligibility.html?src=android).
**Format.** The Advanced examination consists of two papers of three hours each, and appearing in both is compulsory; a candidate absent from one paper receives no result[2](https://jeeadv.ac.in/documents/IBEnglish_2026.pdf) • [11](https://jeeadv.ac.in/faq.html). Each paper has three sections, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, testing comprehension, reasoning, and analytical ability, with negative marking for some questions[2](https://jeeadv.ac.in/documents/IBEnglish_2026.pdf). Rank lists are prepared from aggregate marks, with tie-breaks applied first on higher positive marks, then on Mathematics marks, then Physics marks[2](https://jeeadv.ac.in/documents/IBEnglish_2026.pdf). Admission to IITs additionally requires satisfying a Class XII performance criterion: either at least 75% aggregate marks (65% for SC, ST, and PwD candidates) or placement within the category-wise top 20 percentile of successful candidates in the respective board examination[12](https://jeeadv.ac.in/admission_criteria.html).
## Scale and outcomes
The examination funnel narrows sharply. In JEE (Main) 2025, 1,539,848 unique candidates registered across the two sessions and 1,475,103 appeared[4](https://www.nta.ac.in/Download/Notice/Notice_20250419125449.pdf). In JEE (Advanced) 2025, held on 18 May 2025, 180,422 candidates appeared in both papers and 54,378 qualified, of whom 9,404 were female; the top ranker, Rajit Gupta of the [IIT Delhi](https://www.edgepedia.org/iit-delhi) zone, scored 332 out of 360[6](https://jeeadv.ac.in/documents/Result2025PressRelease.pdf). The 2025 Advanced examination was conducted entirely in computer-based test mode at 709 centers across 230 Indian cities, with additional centers in the UAE and Nepal[13](https://jeeadv.ac.in/reports/2025.pdf).
## Seat allocation
Qualified candidates are allocated seats through the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA), which runs joint online counseling for the IITs, NITs, IIEST, IIITs, and Other-GFTIs[14](https://ecounselling.nic.in/counselling-admissions/). For the 2026-27 academic year, JoSAA covers 138 participating institutes and publishes a category-wise seat matrix with reservation categories including Open, GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, and ST, each with PwD sub-categories[7](https://josaa.admissions.nic.in/applicant/seatmatrix/instituteview.aspx) • [15](https://josaa.nic.in/document-category/seat-matrix/). Qualifying in JEE (Advanced) and participating in seat allocation does not guarantee admission, which depends on merit and seat availability across rounds[2](https://jeeadv.ac.in/documents/IBEnglish_2026.pdf).
## Coaching and access
Preparation for the JEE has generated a large private coaching industry, described in sociological research as "shadow education". Shalini Punjabi, a sociologist studying middle-class credentialing strategies in Delhi, describes the JEE as the arbiter of merit for IIT seats, with private coaching operating as a key training site and reinforcing educational stratification through a segregation policy that incentivizes a few candidates to secure top ranks[16](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00380229221081978). A related study of IIT-JEE coaching in Delhi found that coaching institutes' pedagogical practices shape aspirants' and families' perceptions of school education[17](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0973184919885485). Kota in [Rajasthan](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajasthan) is known for its coaching institutes for the IIT-JEE, and these institutes now face competition from online coaching companies operating freemium models[18](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9446652/). The exam's difficulty and the cost of preparation have also drawn reform proposals, including arguments for additional attempts and for school-based preparation to reduce dependence on paid coaching[19](https://cse.iitk.ac.in/users/dheeraj/jee/alumni-review.pdf).
## References
1. [JEE (Main) 2026 Information Bulletin, National Testing Agency](https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3f8e59f4b2fe7c5705bf878bbd494ccdf/uploads/2025/11/202511021649722475.pdf)
2. [JEE (Advanced) 2026 Information Brochure](https://jeeadv.ac.in/documents/IBEnglish_2026.pdf)
3. [Annual Report 2012-13, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education](https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/document-reports/AR_2012-13.pdf)
4. [NTA press release: JEE (Main) 2025 Session 2 results, 19 April 2025](https://www.nta.ac.in/Download/Notice/Notice_20250419125449.pdf)
5. [JEE (Advanced) 2026 Eligibility Criteria](https://jeeadv.ac.in/eligibility.html?src=android)
6. [JEE (Advanced) 2025 Results press release](https://jeeadv.ac.in/documents/Result2025PressRelease.pdf)
7. [JoSAA 2026 institute list and seat information](https://josaa.admissions.nic.in/applicant/seatmatrix/instituteview.aspx)
8. [12 5:04 pm fax](https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s371e09b16e21f7b6919bbfc43f6a5b2f0/uploads/2023/04/2023041923-2.pdf)
9. [Report of the committee of JAB](https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/upload_document/Annexure-II.pdf)
10. [CBSE RTI disclosure on JEE 2013](https://www.cbse.gov.in/cbsenew/rti/disclosures/22-01-2013.pdf)
11. [JEE (Advanced) 2026 FAQ](https://jeeadv.ac.in/faq.html)
12. [JEE (Advanced) 2026 Admission Criteria](https://jeeadv.ac.in/admission_criteria.html)
13. [Joint Implementation Committee Report, JEE (Advanced) 2025](https://jeeadv.ac.in/reports/2025.pdf)
14. [Counselling & Admissions, e-counselling portal](https://ecounselling.nic.in/counselling-admissions/)
15. [JoSAA Seat Matrix documents](https://josaa.nic.in/document-category/seat-matrix/)
16. [Shalini Punjabi (2022). Chasing Elite Higher Education: Shadow Education and Middle-Class Strategies of Credentialism Around the IIT-JEE. Sociological Bulletin.](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00380229221081978)
17. [Shalini Punjabi (2020). Is Shadow Education Becoming the 'New' Formal?](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0973184919885485)
18. [Modelling and analysis for higher education shadow institutions in Indian context: an ISM approach](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9446652/)
19. [Necessity of Joint Entrance Examination for IITs, alumni review](https://cse.iitk.ac.in/users/dheeraj/jee/alumni-review.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Physical world and mathematics › Physics › Physics methods, practice, and community › Physics education and community › Teaching and curricula › Curricula and standards › Physics examinations and assessment structures*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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