Clarification on Use of Virtual Calculator in JEE Main 2026
Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main 2026 ( JEE Main )
Registration - 1 Feb '26 - 25 Feb '26
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.
NTA has announced the JEE Main 2026 exam date for Session 2. JEE Main 2026 Session 2 exam will be held from 2nd April 2026 to 9th April 2026. The JEE Main Application Form 2026 for Session 2 will be available on the website jeemain.nta.nic.in.
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The the toughest shift of the JEE Main 2026 session 1 exam was January 23, shift 2. Also, some candidates found the JEE Main 22 Jan shift 2 exam the hardest one. The JEE Main 2026 session 1 exam was held in 10 shifts. To overcome the difficulty level differences, NTA will normalise the score of the candidates.
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.
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NTA has conducted the JEE Main 2026 January session exam for BE/BTech candidates successfully across multiple cities in India and abroad. The exam was held on January 21, 22, 23, 24 and 28 and on each day, there were 2 shifts. A total of 10 shifts were held for Paper 1. As per the official NTA data, across the 10 shifts, 13,00,368 candidates have appeared out of the 13,50,969 candidates scheduled to appear.
As per many experts, JEE Main 2026 exam held in session 1 was the toughest in recent history.
Chemistry was the easiest subject and NCERT based. It was lengthy and tricky this year.
Maths was the toughest, and physics was also moderate to tough. Overall paper was lengthy, and candidates found it difficult to manage time and complete paper on time.
Candidates can check the JEE Main 2026 exam date allotted to them on their city intimation slip and JEE Main admit card. Candidates have to download the city intimation slip and admit card from the official website as per the schedule
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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 17 hours ago
The COMEDK 2026 syllabus is largely the same as the JEE Mains syllabus. Both the exam topics are out of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. However, candidates must refer to the official COMEDK UGET syllabus to prepare for the exam.
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Candidates can check the detailed JEE Mains application form on the official website - jeemain.nta.nic.in.
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