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 Yesterday
With a JEE Main rank of 291970, you can get into NIT Calicut if you belong to the SC Home State quota category.
For this category, the highest rank admissible was 543879 (as per the last round of NIT Calicut cutoff 2025). See the table below to know which courses you can opt for.
| Course | NIT Calicut JEE Main cutoff 2025 |
|---|---|
| B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering | 343880 |
| B.Tech. in Biotechnology | 386381 |
| B.Tech. in Civil Engineering | 405588 |
| B.Tech. in Production Engineering | 449781 |
| B.Tech. in Energy Engineering | 543879 |
To know the accepte
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Contributor-Level 10
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JEE (Main) cutoff for BTech in Computer Science and Engineering in Sagar Institute of Science Technology and Research, Bhopal in the closing round has ranged between 3,75,232 to 10,07,060 from 2021 to 2023.
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Contributor-Level 10
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Yes, students can get EIT Faridabad scholarship with 97.6 percentile in JEE Main. Applicants can get scholarship on the basis of scores in entrance exam. Check the table below to know eligiblity of scholarships offered on the basis of JEE Main scores:
| Eligibility Criteria | Scholarship (on tuition fee) |
|---|---|
| 95.01 percentile and above | 50% |
| 90.01 - 95 prcentile | 35% |
| 85.01 - 90 percentile | 25% |
| 80.01 - 85 percentile | 20% |
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Contributor-Level 10
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Yes, you can get admission in BTech in Sagar Institute of Science Technology and Research without JEE (Mains) rank through College Level Counselling based on merit if there are any seats left vacant after DTE Bhopal Counselling.
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Contributor-Level 10
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Guru Tegh Bahadur 4th Centenary Engineering College BTech admission is based on merit and entrance. Students are selected based on academic scores and JEE Main scores. However, JEE Main scores are not enough for admission. The final seat allotement for BTech is conducted through the centralised coun
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Contributor-Level 10
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Yes. The syllabus overlaps heavily, and JEE preparation often covers TS EAMCET topics. Just add state-specific mock tests for better speed and familiarity.
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Contributor-Level 8
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Any candidate who cleared Class 12th with an aggregate of less than 50% must appear for JEE Mains to qualify for Sagar Institute of Science Technology and Engineering (SISTec-E) - Sagar Group of Institutions Bhopal BTech admission. Howver, candidates who cleared Class 12th with a minimum aggregate o
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You might be able to get a seat at Manipal Institute of Technology with a rank of 50000 if you belong to the General AI category.
According to the Manipal Institute of Technology JEE Main cutoff 2026 for round 1, the cutoff ranged from 32577 to 102650 for the aforementioned category. Students can re
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Manipal Institute of Technology JEE Main Cutoff 2026 was released for admission to the BTech course and its various specialisations among the All India categories students.
For the General AI category, the round 1 cutoff ranged from 32577 to 102650, wherein BTech in Mathematics and Computing and B.T
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No, candidates are not required to appear in AUEE if they have secured a valid JEE Mains score. These candidates will be directly proceeded to Alliance Selection Process. Final admission is based on a combined score of last qualifying exam, entrance exam and Alliance Selection Process score.
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Contributor-Level 10