Vani Jha
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially released a detailed advisory for the JEE Main 2026 examinations. According to the notification, the first session of JEE Main is scheduled from 21–30 January 2026, while the second session will run from 1–10 April 2026. Registration for Session 1 will begin in October 2025, and for Session 2 in the last week of January.
These guidelines give aspirants clarity on key timelines and important procedural requirements crucial for one of the country’s most competitive undergraduate engineering entrance tests, which opens the door to institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and other Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs).
What the Advisory Covers
- NTA Timelines & Sessions
| Session | Dates |
| Session 1 | 21–30 January 2026 |
| Session 2 | 1–10 April 2026 |
| Registration for Session 1 | October 2025 |
| Registration for Session 2 | Late January 2026 |
These NTA advanced dates give hopeful candidates a clear window to prepare and plan. Be prepared with the dates and events.
- Aadhaar Authentication & Data Extraction
The advisory mentions that NTA will fetch Name, Date of Birth, Gender, Photograph and Address from the applicant’s Aadhaar via the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) database. Since details like Father’s/Mother’s/Guardian’s name are not stored in Aadhaar, candidates must manually fill them during online application.
- Name-Mismatch Provision
To accommodate situations where the Applicant’s name on Aadhaar doesn’t match the name on their 10th-grade certificate/mark sheet, the NTA will provide an option during the online application stage to correct or explain such discrepancies.
- Eligibility & Scope
The competitive exam, administered by NTA, is for admission into BE/BTech programmes at NITs, IIITs, other CFTIs and state-government-participating universities/institutions. Qualified candidates of Paper 1 will be eligible to appear for JEE Advanced for IIT admissions.
Why This Advisory Matters
For engineering aspirants, timelines and procedural clarity form the backbone of a solid application strategy. With the advisory out, a few benefits become clear:
- Early planning: Candidates now know their registration windows and exam dates well in advance, enabling course scheduling, revision planning and logistics.
- Document readiness: Knowing the need for Aadhaar-based data extraction and manual entry of missing fields means fewer surprises. For example, you should ensure your Aadhaar details match your class-10 certificate, and any mismatch flagged early can be addressed via the given “name-mismatch” option.
- Reduced confusion: Clarity on which programmes the exam covers helps candidates avoid misapplication or confusion about eligibility.
What You Should Do Next
- Keep visiting the official website of NTA for JEE Main (typically jeemain.nta.nic.in) to monitor updates.
- Ensure your Aadhaar details are up to date correct spelling of your name, date of birth, gender and address. If you anticipate a mismatch with your school certificate, begin the amendment process early via UIDAI.
- Start preparing your study schedule now: with Session 1 starting in late January, your time to revise, take mock tests and plan subject-wise coverage is limited.
- Gather all necessary documents early: your Aadhaar, class-10 certificates, photographs, parent/guardian names and address proof.
- Stay aware of any practice sessions, city choices, reserved-category instructions and policy changes that NTA may release closer to the application start date.
Final Word
The advisory from NTA is a welcome step towards greater transparency and predictability for the JEE Main 2026 aspirants. With clear timelines, assistance for name-mismatch issues and an emphasis on Aadhaar authentication, candidates now have a well-defined roadmap to follow. For detailed updates, keep checking authoritative platforms like CollegeChalo and the official NTA website and most importantly, stay disciplined in preparation. Good luck to all students gearing up for JEE Main 2026. Early planning and prepared systems will put you ahead of the curve.