JEE Mains 2026 LIVE: Session 1 final answer key soon at jeemain.nta.nic.in; calculate raw scores

More than 13 lakh candidates are awaiting the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 final answer key and results. The National Testing Agency (NTA) is likely to release the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 final answer key by next week on its official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in. Once announced, candidates will be able to check their JEE Main 2026 results by logging in with their application number and password.

Only 2.5 lakh JEE Main qualifiers will be eligible for JEE Advanced 2026 entrance exam for admission to BTech, BArch and BPlanning courses at IITs.

As per the data shared by NTA, a total of 13,00,368 candidates appeared for JEE Main 2026 session 1 across 10 shifts, out of 13,50,969 registered candidates.

Earlier, the NTA had published the provisional answer key on February 4 and opened the objection window till February 6, allowing candidates who appeared for the computer-based test to challenge any discrepancies by paying a non-refundable fee of Rs 200 per question.

As per the NTA schedule, the JEE Main 2026 session 1 results will be available by February 12, which will be used for admissions to BTech, BArch and BPlanning programmes at institutions across the country.

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JEE Main Answer Key 2026: How to download?

Candidates can follow the steps below to download the JEE Main final answer key 2026.

• Go to the official website jeemain.nta.nic.in.
• On the homepage, find and click the link for the JEE Main Session 1 final answer key.
• Open the link to view the final answer key PDF on the screen.
• Download and save the final answer key for reference.
• Compare it with your response sheet to estimate your score.

JEE Main 2026: Marking scheme, score evaluation

After matching the responses with the JEE Main final answer key 2026, candidates can estimate their probable scores using the official marking scheme. For every correct answer, candidates should add 4 marks, and deduct 1 mark for each incorrect MCQ, while unattempted questions carry no marks. The score can be calculated using the formula givenbelow:

Total Score = (Correct Answers × 4) − (Incorrect MCQs × 1).

The formula will give candidates a close estimate of their JEE Main 2026 raw marks before the final percentile-based results are announced.

The engineering (Paper 1) exams were conducted on January 21, 22, 23, 24 and 28, while the architecture and planning (Paper 2) exams were held on January 29.