How Many Attempts for JEE Main 2026? Know Attempt Limit, Number of Sessions and Eligibility
Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main 2026 ( JEE Main )
Engineering aspirants who have a question, such as 'How many times can I appear for JEE Main?', must go through this article. NTA conducts the JEE Mains exam twice a year, giving students an extra chance to improve their scores. But did you know you can appear for JEE Mains a total of 6 times? Let’s understand the exact guidelines and conditions on the JEE Main attempt limit.
How Many Attempts for JEE Mains 2026? - The National Testing Agency has specified the number of attempts for JEE Main 2026. Although the JEE Main exam is conducted twice a year, a student can take the exam 6 times. This is possible within 3 years of passing class 12th. To say how many attempts for JEE Mains 2026, is 6 times only if you are appearing for class 12th in 2026.
In other words, the attempt limit criteria of JEE Main are twice in three consecutive years of qualifying class 12th. This provision gives flexibility and opportunity to every aspirant, including droppers. It should be noted by the students that there is no age criterion for attempting JEE Mains.
- Number of Attempts in JEE Main 2026
- JEE Main 2026 Attempt Limit Category-wise
- What is Considered an Attempt?
- Eligibility based on Class 12 passing year
- Benefits of Multiple Attempts in JEE Mains
- How NTA Calculates Percentile For Multiple Sessions
Number of Attempts in JEE Main 2026
The JEE Main 2026 exam will be held for two sessions. The session 1 exam will be held in January and the session 2 in April. Candidates can appear in one or both sessions. Each of these sessions becomes an attempt despite being for the same academic year. NTA allows students to appear for JEE Main in three consecutive years from the year of passing Class 12. So, a student who passes Class 12 in 2026 can appear in JEE Main 2026, 2027, and 2028. Twice each year, making the total attempts 6. Students who passed class 12th in 2024 can apply for the JEE Mains 2026 exam.
Commonly asked questions
There is no requirement of 75% marks in class 12 for appearing in JEE Mains 2026. The eligibility criteria of minimum 75% marks in class 12 is required at the time of admission in NITs, IIITs and GFTIs. You can apply and appear in JEE Mains 2026 irrespective of your class 12 marks. The detailed JEE Main eligibility criteria 2026 can be checked on the official website. You are further advised to carefully check the detailed eligibility criteria before filling the JEE Main application form 2026. All the best!
As per the JEE Main eligibility criteria, candidates must have Physics and Mathematics as compulsory subjects and any one subject from the optional list of Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, or Technical vocation course. If you have any of the sunject from optional list and both compulsory subjetc, you can apply for JEE Mains. For more details, candidates can visit the official JEE Main website.
Criteria | Decription |
|---|---|
Age limit | There is no age limit to appear in JEE Main. |
Year of passing qualifying exam | The candidates who have passed the class 12 / equivalent examination in 2024, 2025 or are appearing in 2026, irrespective of their age, can appear in JEE Mains 2026. |
Nationality | Candidates must be Indian citizens. Foreign Nationals, NRIs, PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin), and OCIs (Overseas Citizens of India) can also apply. |
JEE Main 2026 Attempt Limit Category-wise
Since there is relaxation for the JEE Mains 75% criteria for SC/ST/OBC, it is a valid doubt whether there is any relaxation to the JEE Main 2026 attempt limit for SC/ST/OBC category. However, students must note that the JEE Main attempt limit for the general category and reserved categories is the same. JEE Main attempt limit for OBC or other categories is also 6 times in total.
What is Considered an Attempt?
Students must understand what is considered an attempt since we have discussed about 6 attempts for JEE Mains. Each session of the JEE Mains exam is considered for attempt counting. If in a year, the candidate appears for both January and April sessions, then they have attempted the exam twice. There is no provision on skipping a session to save on the attempts. This is the case because the attempt limit has been calculated keeping in mind the year of passing. Even if a candidate skips a session, the eligibility will expire on the completion of three years from passing class 12th.
Commonly asked questions
When two candidates score same marks in JEE Main, the NTA resolves tie by giving weightage to candidates haveing the highest marks in Maths>Physics>Chemistry. In case ties still persist, the weightage will be given to candidates with less incorrect questions in subjects in the same order.
Both JEE Main ranks are used for admission to NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs. While allocating the seats the institute will take into consideration the category ranks first for the candidates who belong to any category.
No minimum percentage is required to appear in JEE Mains exam as per NTA. In some various institutes, there is a creiteria for class 12 minimum percentage for admission. For example, IITs and NITs need minimum 75% marks in class 12 for BTech courses.
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Eligibility based on Class 12 passing year
To appear in JEE Main 2026, an applicant must have passed class 12 or equivalent in 2024 or 2025, or should appear for the same in 2026. Anyone who passed before 2024 cannot apply for the JEE Mains exam this year.
Benefits of Multiple Attempts in JEE Mains
Multiple attempts in JEE Mains have the following benefits for students.
- Improve your performance without wasting a year.
- Become familiar with the exam environment that will help reduce stress.
- Target a better percentile and rank in the second session.
- In case you are unable to attempt the exam for any reason, you still get another shot at it, in the same academic year.
Commonly asked questions
The qualifying marks in JEE Main mean the minimum percentile needed to qualify for JEE Advanced exam. Check JEE Mains 2026 cutoff below:
Category | Cutoff 2026 |
|---|---|
Unreserved (UR) | 93.4123549 |
Gen-EWS | 82.4164528 |
OBC-NCL | 80.9232583 |
SC | 63.9172792 |
ST | 52.0174712 |
UR-PwD | 0.0023186 |
As per the JEE Main 2023 cutoff data released by the NTA, PwD category has the lowest cutoff of 0.0013527. The highest cutoff is for general category which is 90.7788642. The PwD candidates scoring above 0.0013527 NTA score are eligible to appear in JEE Advanced for admission to IITs. The PwD cutoff has been lowered in 2023 to 0.0013527 which was 0.0031029 in the year 2022.
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How NTA Calculates Percentile For Multiple Sessions
If a candidate appears in both sessions, the higher NTA score from either session is considered for the final merit list and JoSAA counselling. The JEE Mains result validity is one year only. So the best of the two attempts for a single year will be considered.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 3 days ago
Yes, you can gain admission at Vishwakarma Government Engineering College with a JEE Main rank of 4000 if you belong to the OBC category under the All India category.
The VGEC JEE Main cutoff 2025 ranged from 900523 to 905928, according to the first and last round closing ranks. B.E. in Computer Eng
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
There is no decided cutoff for JEE Main for admission in HKBK College of Engineering. The BTech admission in HKBK is based on JEE merit and available seats. However, for candidates who get a decent percentile, there is a benefit in their favor.
G
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Yes, you can get a seat at Vishwakarma Government Engineering College with a JEE Main rank of 20000 if you belong to the General AI category. For this category, the overall VGEC JEE Main cutoff 2025 ranged from 900116 to 903773. Hence, a rank of 20000 might get you admission to this college.
If you
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
| Scenario | Priority | Recommended Action |
| Want to stay in tech/coding | Branch | Take CSE/IT in a Tier-2/3 college over Civil in a Tier-1 college. |
| Aiming for non-tech roles | College | Take any branch in a Top-Tier college for the brand and network. |
| Confused about career | College | Go for the best possible brand; it gives you 4 years to explore. |
S
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 6 days ago
| Event | Date |
| Exam Dates | April 2 to April 8, 2026 |
| Provisional Answer Key Release | April 11, 2026 |
| Answer Key Challenge Window | April 11 to April 13, 2026 |
| Result Declaration (Tentative) | April 20, 2026 |
| JEE Advanced 2026 Exam | May 17, 2026 |
S
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 6 days ago
| Route | Best Colleges | Selection Criteria |
| University Exams | BITS, VIT, SRM, Manipal | Entrance Exam Rank |
| Merit-Based | LPU, CU, Amity, Thapar | 12th Board Marks (PCM %) |
| Management Quota | RVCE, MSRIT, MAIT, BPIT | 12th Marks + Admission Fee |
S
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 6 days ago
| Category | 2025 Closing Rank (HS) | Estimated Percentile (2026) | Target Marks (out of 300) |
| General (OPEN) | ~16,008 | 98.8 – 99.1% | 165 – 180 |
| OBC-NCL | ~5,44,590* | 82% + | 90 – 110 |
| EWS | ~1,905 | 83% + | 100 – 120 |
| SC | ~2,066 | 64.5% + | 65 – 85 |
| ST | ~688 | 51% + | 50 – 65 |
S
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 6 days ago
| Category | Quota | Round 1 Closing Rank | Last Round Closing Rank |
| General (OPEN) | Other State (OS) | 3,122 | 4,245 |
| General (OPEN) | Home State (HS) | 4,273 | 7,853 |
| OBC-NCL | Other State (OS) | 1,011 | 6,791 |
| EWS | Other State (OS) | 972 | 2,045 |
| SC | Other State (OS) | 407 | 26,996 |
| ST | Other State (OS) | 729 | - |
S
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a week ago
Yes, a JEE Main All India Rank (AIR) is required to qualify for the merit-based scholarships offered at Ajay Kumar Garg Engineering College (AKGEC) for B.Tech students.
The college provides tuition fee waivers based on specific rank brackets in the JEE Main examination. These scholarships are applica
S
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a week ago
A percentile of 90 in JEE Main would translate to approximately 1,00,000 to 1,55,000 rank in the exam. With this rank, you might get into Netaji Subhas University of Technology.
This university had the last round cutoff ranging between 55963 and 148808. Students can click here to know more.
N
Contributor-Level 10