NTA confirms that no on-screen or physical calculator will be allowed in JEE Main 2026. The agency has corrected a typographical error in its information bulletin. Know all that happened, and what's the latest update on the matter here.
An important clarification for all JEE Main 2026 aspirants was released by the National Testing Agency. The original JEE Main 2026 notification had a complete section for the on-screen calculator that would be available during the exam. Just 2 days later, NTA announced that this was a typographical error. The notification released by the authorities made it clear that no calculator, virtual or physical, will be allowed in JEE Main 2026. The updated bulletin has been uploaded at jeemain.nta.nic.in.
- Virtual Calculator in JEE Main 2026: All That Has Happened
- Clarification on JEE Main 2026 Calculator
- Why This Matters for JEE Aspirants
- JEE Main 2026 Exam Pattern
Virtual Calculator in JEE Main 2026: All That Has Happened
The first version of the JEE Main 2026 bulletin, Appendix VIII, had mentioned an "onscreen calculator" that would be available in the CBT. The news shocked many students and coaching institutes since it affects their way of preparation and performance in this test. The press release on November 2, 2025, clarified that it was a typographical error to have mentioned the calculator in that manner.
Commonly asked questions
NTA conducted the JEE Main 2026 session 2 exam between April 2 and 8.
JEE Main exam is held for 3 hours continuously without any break. Candidates are allowed to leave exam hall only after 3 hours of the test are over.
National Testing Agency generally conducts the JEE Main exam two times in a year. The first attempt is conducted in January and the second attempt in April. JEE Main 2026 exam dates have been announced by the NTA for both sessions. The first attempt of JEE Main 2026 will be conducted from January 21 to 30 while the second attempt will be conducted from April 2 to 9. Only in the year 2022, NTA conducted JEE Mains in four sessions due to COVID-19. The number of sessions and date for any year is announced by the NTA at the time of release of application form.
Clarification on JEE Main 2026 Calculator
NTA specified that the calculator feature belongs to its generic test-platform template and is not related to JEE Main. The notice reads, “Use of calculators in any form is not allowed in this examination.” NTA has re-uploaded a revised version of the information bulletin on its website. Moreover, the notice also reads “NTA regrets the typographic error in the information bulletin of JEE Main 2026 and for the inconvenience caused to the candidates.”
Why This Matters for JEE Aspirants
Now, candidates have to do each calculation like addition, multiplication, square root or percentage manually. It is very tough to maintain the speed, accuracy and mental maths during the examination. Authorities can measure the conceptual understanding, problem-solving ability, and speed of calculation accurately without a calculator. If students were preparing assuming there is virtual calculator then they should change their strategy now. Focus must be on mental maths and more time has to be allocated to solve numerical problems.
Commonly asked questions
JEE Main exam is conducted in online mode as a computer based test. This is conducted in 3 different courses. The exam for B.Tech and B. Plan is completely online while the exam for B.Arch is partially online and drawing part is conducted offline.
Yes, you must carry your original PwD certificate (or UDID card) to the JEE Main exam centre to avail of relaxation or scribe services.
National Testing Agency conducts JEE Main exam in a total of 13 languages. The languages in which paper is conducted are Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu in addition to Hindi English and Gujarati. Students can select the language of their choice from the available options while filling the application form. The language of JEE Main question paper during the exam will be available in 3 languages- English Hindi and the language selected by the candidates. The language of paper can be switched among these 3 languages during the exam.
Students are not allowed to carry calculators inside the exam centre in JEE Main exam. Students can use the virtual calculator available on the screen during the exam. Virtual calculators will be available on the computer screen of students during the JEE Main exam.
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JEE Main 2026 Exam Pattern
Candidates can check here the complete details of JEE Main 2026 exam pattern. The table below covers all the important components of the JEE Main Pattern for Paper-1 (BTech).
| Particulars |
Details |
|---|---|
| Exam mode |
CBT mode |
| Number of sections and subjects |
3 (Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics) |
| Duration of exam |
3 hours (180 minutes) 4 hours for PwD candidates |
| Type of questions |
MCQs: 4 options with only 1 correct option Numerical Value Questions: Questions whose answers are to be filled in as a numerical value |
| Section A (MCQ) |
Mathematics: 20 |
| Section B (Numerical Value) |
Mathematics: 5 In Section B, candidates have to attempt all five questions from each section. |
| How many questions are in JEE Mains |
75 |
| JEE Mains Total Marks |
300 marks |
| Language of paper |
Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu in addition to Hindi, English, and Gujarati |
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 19 hours ago
Yes, you have a great chance of getting admission to MBM University, Jaipur with a 92 percentile as a general female candidate from Rajasthan, especially if you have secured SKIT Jaipur in the mock allotment.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 19 hours ago
Yes, you have a great chance of getting admission to MBM University in certain branches with a 92 percentile in JEE Main, though getting top branches like CSE may be difficult for the general category.
As you have mentioned that you got SKIT in the mock allotment, which means your rank currently alig
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 22 hours ago
Yes, Galgotias University accepts JEE Main and CUET scores for B.Tech admissions. Students with JEE Main/JEE Advanced/CUET/SAT scores are given preference in the merit list, subject to meeting the Class 12 eligibility requirements. For B.Tech CSE, the current requirement is at least 60% in the speci
S
Beginner-Level 5
Answered Yesterday
No, candidates who fulfill Babu Banarasi Das University, Lucknow BTech eligibility criteria do not need to appear in JEE Main to qualify for admission.
However, JEE Main ranks are used to offer scholarships at BBDU, Lucknow. Thus, candidates can choose to appear in this exam for maximizing their cha
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Because you have passed 12th from NIOS in year 2024. So your three consecutive years for appearing in JEE Mains are 2024, 2025 & 2026. So can't appear in year 2027 as per the eligibility criteria.
Scholar-Level 18
Answered 2 days ago
Invertis University JEE Main cutoff 2025, for all the offered BTech specialisations held the same closing rank of 145410 for round 1 under the General Home State category.
The cutoff data displayed above has been sourced from third-party channels. While we strive to ensure accuracy, cutoffs are subj
R
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 days ago
With 98.3% in Class 12, you can easily meet the academic board criteria for IITs (65% required for ST). Since clearing JEE Advanced is mandatory for IIT admission, on the basis of JEE Main score of 56.77 percentile, you likely did not cross the ST category qualifying cutoff to appear for JEE Advance
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
For admission in B.Planning at College of Engineering, you need to pass class 12 with Physics and Maths with at least 50% aggregate marks (45% for reserved categories and OBC candidates) from Maharashtra. Along with this, candidate is also required to qualify in either MHT CET or JEE Main and lastly
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
NTA will release JEE Mains 2027 session 1 application form in October 2026.
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, candidates can get scholarship based on performance in JEE (Main) for BTech at NIMS University, Jaipur. Details are given below:
| Scholarship Percentage | JEE Rank |
|---|---|
| 60% Waiver in First Year Tuition Fee | AIR upto 1 Lacs in JEE Mains |
| 50% Waiver in First Year Tuition Fee | AIR between 1 Lacs and 2.25 Lacs in JEE Mains |
| 75% Waiver in First-Year Tuition Fee | Qualified JEE Advance |
S
Contributor-Level 10