- IIT Roorkee announced JEE Advanced 2026 exam date as May 17, 2026
- JEE Main 2026 will have two CBT sessions in January and April
- Top 2.5 lakh JEE Main candidates qualify to appear for JEE Advanced
IIT Roorkee has released the schedule for the JEE Advanced 2026. The exam is conducted for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and is scheduled for May 17, 2026. Candidates who qualify JEE Mains will be eligible to appear for JEE Advanced.
JEE Mains will be conducted in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode in two sessions in January and April. JEE Main session 1 is scheduled between January 21-30, 2026. The results for the exam will be released by February 12, 2026. JEE Main session 2 is scheduled for April 1-10, 2026. The results for session 2 will be announced by April 20, 2025.
JEE Main Paper 1 is conducted for admission to undergraduate engineering programmes (BE/BTech) at NITs, IIITs, other Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs), and institutions or universities funded or recognised by participating state governments. Paper 2 is conducted for admission to BArch and BPlanning courses across the country. JEE (Main) also serves as the eligibility test for JEE Advanced.
JEE Advanced, conducted by one of the IITs on a rotational basis, assesses candidates for all undergraduate programmes offered in the IITs. Only the top 2.5 lakh candidates from JEE Main can appear for it. Compared to JEE Main, JEE Advanced is more difficult and requires deeper conceptual understanding and strong problem-solving skills.
There are clear differences in attempt limits. Students can appear for JEE Main over three consecutive years, with two attempts each year. JEE Advanced, however, can be attempted only twice in two consecutive years. JEE Main consists of MCQs and numerical questions in one paper for BE/BTech, while JEE Advanced has two compulsory papers that include multiple-choice, numerical and integer-type questions.
