JEE Main 2027 Session 1 Registration vs Session 2

This page is about the paperwork side: how you register for each session, not how to score better in either. If you want to decide which session suits your preparation, read our exam-strategy comparison, JEE Main 2027 Session 1 vs Session 2.

As of mid-October 2026, NTA has not opened Session 1 registration or released the Information Bulletin for 2027. Everything on registration mechanics below is based on the JEE (Main) 2026 Information Bulletin, FAQs and public notices, and may change for 2027. A tentative 2027 calendar has been reported with Session 1 in late January 2027 and Session 2 expected in early April 2027; treat it as unconfirmed and verify on jeemain.nta.nic.in. Our JEE Main 2027 exam dates page tracks what is known.

The 2026 documents answer this directly. Step 1 of the application procedure in the bulletin says the system-generated application number "will be used/referred for both Sessions of JEE (Main) - 2026". The Important Information section adds that a candidate can apply for Session 1 and pay the fee accordingly, will be given an opportunity to apply for Session 2 separately using the same application number along with the fee payment, and that if a candidate wishes to apply only for Session 2 they can register later, when the form for that session is active. NTA's FAQ (no. 4) puts it as: candidates have to apply separately for each session. The 1 February 2026 public notice then spelled out the Session 2 steps.

The word "combined" is therefore misleading. One application number covers the year, but each session has its own window, its own fee and its own admit card. Registering for Session 1 does not enrol you in Session 2. If NTA changes this for 2027, for example by offering a single combined form and fee, the Information Bulletin will say so; our Information Bulletin guide lists what to read first.

The most important rule is the one-application rule. The bulletin says that under no circumstances will a candidate be allowed to fill more than one application form, and that strict action will be taken even at a later stage, with such cases treated as Unfair Means. The 1 February 2026 notice repeated that any candidate with more than one application number will be treated as UFM. If you cannot log in for Session 2, recover your credentials instead of starting over; see login, forgot password and application number.

Each session had its own one-time correction window in the 2026 cycle: NTA's notice of 20 November 2025 for Session 1 (1 to 2 December 2025) and its notice of 21 February 2026 for Session 2 (27 to 28 February 2026). Both said that, once corrections are submitted, the form is frozen, and that no correction would be entertained afterwards under any circumstances. Fields that needed extra fee required payment first, and the notes said the fee would not be reimbursed in any case.

The Session 2 notice applied to everyone who applied for Session 2, whether as a fresh candidate or as a Session 1 applicant who also registered for Session 2. This matters because an error left uncorrected after Session 1 is still there in Session 2 unless the Session 2 window lets you change it, and the fields that stayed locked (mobile number, email, address, emergency contact and photograph) cannot be changed in either. Date of birth and signature were listed as editable in the Session 1 window and for new Session 2 candidates, but not in the Session 2 list for existing candidates, so fix them in the Session 1 window. The full picture is in our correction window guide.

Exam-city choices could be revisited for Session 2 (the notice let existing candidates choose cities again), which helps if you move for a drop year or a different centre is more convenient in April. NTA still did not bind itself to the choice made. Check the dates for both windows early with the registration last date page, read how to choose cities on the exam city choice page, and follow the step-by-step form guide for the screens themselves.

This is what NTA's 1 February 2026 public notice and Annexure 1 described for the second session. The two candidate types followed different paths.

Registration choices only make sense with the scoring rule in mind. The 2026 bulletin says a candidate need not appear in both sessions, and that a candidate who appears in more than one session has the best of the NTA scores considered for the merit list and ranking. For Paper 2A and 2B, it adds that the best of the two total NTA scores (not individual subject scores) is used. The bulletin also says the All India Rank is compiled and declared after Session 2.

Two practical points follow for registration. First, there is no official penalty for applying to both sessions, so the main cost is the second fee. Second, a missed exam is final: the bulletin says no re-test is provided to a candidate unable to appear on the scheduled date and shift, so the second session exists as a scheduled opportunity, not a make-up exam for a missed day. To use Session 2, you must complete its separate application and fee payment in its own window.