JEE Main 2027
Joint Entrance Examination (Main)
JEE Main is the national engineering and architecture entrance conducted by NTA twice a year. Its rank decides admission to NITs, IIITs and other centrally funded institutes through JoSAA/CSAB, and its top scorers qualify for JEE Advanced.
- Conducted by
- National Testing Agency (NTA)
- Mode
- Computer Based Test (CBT); the Drawing Test of Paper 2A is on paper
- Frequency
- Twice a year (Session 1 in January, Session 2 in April); the better NTA score counts
- Duration
- 3 hours (3 hours 30 minutes if both B.Arch and B.Planning are taken)
JEE Main 2027 Exam Pattern
Updated on 18 October 2026 · Compiled from official National Testing Agency notices
The pattern below is from the 2026 Information Bulletin. It has been stable in recent cycles but NTA fixes it afresh in each bulletin.
Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) structure
Paper 1 is CBT-only. Each subject has Section A with 20 multiple choice questions and Section B with 5 numerical value questions, all compulsory. In Section B you enter an integer with the on-screen keypad and the answer is rounded to the nearest integer.
| Subject | Section A (MCQ) | Section B (numerical) | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 20 | 5 | 25 | 100 |
| Physics | 20 | 5 | 25 | 100 |
| Chemistry | 20 | 5 | 25 | 100 |
| Total | 60 | 15 | 75 | 300 |
Marking scheme
- If a question has more than one correct option, +4 goes only to those who marked a correct option.
- If all options are correct, +4 goes to all who attempted it.
- If a question is dropped, full marks go to all candidates of that shift.
| Response | MCQ | Numerical value |
|---|---|---|
| Correct | +4 | +4 |
| Incorrect | -1 | -1 |
| Unanswered / marked for review | 0 | 0 |
The 2026 bulletin states there is negative marking in both Section A and Section B. Some coaching sites reported otherwise; the bulletin is the authority.
Paper 2A (B.Arch) and Paper 2B (B.Planning)
| Paper | Part | Questions | Marks | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2A B.Arch | Part I Mathematics | 20 MCQ + 5 numerical | 100 | CBT |
| 2A B.Arch | Part II Aptitude Test | 50 MCQ | 200 | CBT |
| 2A B.Arch | Part III Drawing Test | 2 questions | 100 | A4 sheet, pen and paper |
| 2B B.Planning | Part I Mathematics | 20 MCQ + 5 numerical | 100 | CBT |
| 2B B.Planning | Part II Aptitude Test | 50 MCQ | 200 | CBT |
| 2B B.Planning | Part III Planning-based | 25 MCQ | 100 | CBT |
Paper 2A totals 77 questions and 400 marks; Paper 2B totals 100 questions and 400 marks. Negative marking applies except in the Drawing Test.
Duration, language and rules
- Duration: 3 hours for Paper 1, 2A or 2B; 3 hours 30 minutes if both 2A and 2B are taken. Scribe-eligible PwD/PwBD candidates get 4 hours (4 hours 10 minutes for the combined paper).
- Language: English plus one of Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu or Urdu, depending on your centre. The choice made in the form cannot be changed later, and the English version prevails in a dispute.
- No calculators are permitted at the centre. Rough work is done only on sheets provided and returned.
- For Drawing Test, carry pencils, your own geometry box, erasers and colour pencils or crayons as per the syllabus note.
Time plan
With 75 questions in 180 minutes you have about 2.4 minutes per question. Numerical questions carry the same -1 penalty as MCQs, so attempt them only when your method is sure.
More JEE Main exam pattern guides
- JEE Main 2027 Exam Pattern (Expected) – Based on 2026 StructureJEE Main 2027 has not been notified yet. Here is the exam pattern you should expect, based on the stable JEE Main 2026 structure — Paper 1, 2A, 2B, marking scheme and...Read guide
- JEE Main 2027 Exam Pattern – Expected Changes (or None)Is the JEE Main 2027 exam pattern changing? What's confirmed to stay the same as 2026 — question format, marking scheme, syllabus stability — and what to watch for.Read guide
- JEE Main 2027 Normalization Process ExplainedHow NTA's percentile-based normalization is expected to work for JEE Main 2027, based on the stable methodology used across recent sessions and shifts.Read guide
- JEE Main 2026 Exam Pattern – Paper 1 & Paper 2 DetailsJEE Main 2026 exam pattern record: Paper 1 had 75 questions, 300 marks, 3 hours; 20 MCQs + 5 numericals per subject. See the JEE Main 2027 pattern page.Read guide
- JEE Main 2026 Normalization ProcessUnderstand the JEE Main 2026 normalization process. Learn how NTA uses percentile-based normalization to equalize scores across different sessions and shifts.Read guide
- JEE Main Normalisation Process Explained – Percentile vs MarksHow NTA's percentile normalization works in JEE Main across multiple shifts and sessions — why percentile is not the same as raw marks, explained simply.Read guide
- How Many Subjects Are in JEE Main?JEE Main Paper 1 has 3 subjects: Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. 30 questions each = 90 total. Paper 2A (BArch) has Maths, Aptitude, and Drawing.Read guide
- What is the Marking Scheme of JEE Main?JEE Main marking scheme: MCQ +4 correct, -1 wrong. Numerical +4 correct, 0 wrong (no negative). Total 75 questions to attempt out of 90 = 300 marks maximum.Read guide
Frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking for numerical questions?
Yes. The 2026 bulletin (paras 2.4 and 2.4.2) gives -1 for an incorrect answer in Section B as well as Section A. Re-read the 2027 bulletin to confirm this stays unchanged.
Are all numerical questions compulsory?
In the 2026 pattern there are 5 numerical questions per subject and the bulletin has no choice among them.