Top 3 Engineering Exams You Should Take in 2026
Top 3 Engineering Entrance Exams You Should Take in 2026: The admission session is around the corner, and students who want to pursue engineering, can check list of three most popular engineering entrance exams that one must apply this year. Read below for more.
Top 3 engineering exams to be taken in 2026: We all know what importance does engineering stream hold for students in India. But, real maths lies in taking the right engineering exam, as they are the road to getting into top engineering colleges in India.
👉Fact: Do you know that every year, around 15 lakh applicants appear for various national and state-level engineering exams?
Yes, every year, there are around 30 engineering entrance exams that are conducted to offer admissions to BTech courses in India. And the interesting part, students can select more than one BTech entrance exam to secure a seat.
Rise of Engineering Entrance Exams in India
The popularity of engineering exams in India for BTech admissions is mainly due to the introduction of newer specialisations, digital learning tools, and demand in artificial intelligence and data science. Let’s get to know which are most trending BTech entrance exams that must be taken in 2026.
Top 3 Engineering Exams to be taken in year 2025-26
Candidates can check list below of top three hottest engineering entrance exams that aspirants must consider this year -
| Top Engineering Exams in India |
Brief overview |
Exam Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| JEE Mains |
Conducted by National Testing Agency, entrance test offers admissions to NITs, IIITs, etc. |
It is mainly conducted in two sessions. JEE Mains exam dates have been announced (session 1 - Jan 21 to 30) and (session 2- April 2 to 9) |
| JEE Advanced |
Conducted by IITs on rotational basis, offer admissions into IITs |
May 2026 |
| BITSAT |
Conducted by Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, to offer admission to BTech programmes to its campuses- Pilani, Goa, and Hyderabad |
Exam is conducted annually in two sessions. Session 1 (May third week) and Session 2 (June third week) |
Top 3 Engineering Exams to be taken in year 2025-26: Difficulty Level Comparision Analysis
| Engineering Entrance Exams in India |
Difficulty level |
Syllabus |
|---|---|---|
| JEE Main |
Moderately High |
CBSE class 11th and 12th |
| JEE Advanced |
Very High |
JEE Mains + Advanced topics |
| BITSAT |
Moderate |
CBSE topics |
Top BTech entrance exams in India to be taken in 2025-26: Admission Timeline
JEE Mains: It is one of the top entrance exams in India for engineering. The conducting body, NTA conducts JEE Main in two sessions- January and April. The exam dates have been announced for both sessions.
- Registrations - October/November (NTA JEE Mains 2026 registrations open now)
- Exam dates - session 1 (January third week) and session 2 (May third week)
JEE Advanced: It is a sub-part of JEE Main and is conducted once a year by seven IITs on a rotational basis with guidance from Joint Admission Board (JAB). It has to be noted JEE Main is the qualifying exam to participate in JEE Advanced, and only 2.5 lakh rank holders are eligible to appear in the JEE Advanced exam 2026.
- Registrations- April, after the announcement of JEE Mains session 2 result
- Exam dates- May 2026
BITSAT: Is a computer-based engineering exam conducted by the Birla Institute of Technology and Science. BITSAT is conducted in two sessions to offer admission to UG and PG programmes in their Pilani, Goa, and Hyderabad campuses.
- Registrations - January third week
- Exam dates - May and June 2026
The time period required to complete the JEE Main preparation depends mainly on the students. Every student has their own pace of study. Ideally, 6-month time is good enough to complete the JEE Main preparation. Students who have started preparing from class 11 or 12 can easily prepare for JEE Main in 6 months considering the topics of JEE syllabus have already been studied in classes 11 and 12.
JEE Main preparation is most effective with classes 11 and 12 as almost 90-95 percent of topics are similar in both exams. This way students can easily complete the entire JEE Main syllabus as well as the syllabus of classes 11 and 12. After the board exams, students get 1-2 months' time where they can focus entirely on JEE Main. Students who have started late for the JEE Main exam can make a 6-month plan where in the first three months they have to focus on revising the syllabus studied in classes 11 and 12. In the next two months focus on solving questions of JEE Main and analyzing the mistakes being made, if any. The last month should be focused on solving mock tests and JEE Main previous year question papers.
During BITSAT preparation, students should have a good study timetable. All syllabus should be covered before exam in study plan. Mock test and revision should be included in daily study plan.
How to prepare for Top Engineering Entrance Exams in India
It is important to have a smart preparation plan for cracking top engineering entrance exams, mainly because competition is high. Here are some tips that engineering aspirants can follow to prepare for the best entrance exam for engineering after 12th -
- Understand the exam pattern - No matter which entrance exam you are taking, aspirant must be clear with format of the BTech entrance test. Due to increasing demands, authorities tend to make changes in engineering entrance test. Therefore, once information brochure is released, candidates must thoroughly check exam pattern.
- Check on syllabus - After understanding exam pattern, the next important thing is syllabus. We all know BTech entrance exam question paper is derived from Class 11 and 12 syllabus, hence it is a vast syllabus to cover. In such case, candidates must check what’s new in syllabus to plan their preparation accordingly.
- Get through the fundamentals -Once you are aware of syllabus and exam format, it’s time to start you preparation. Exams like JEE Mains and Advanced mainly focuses on concepts and practical approach. Students must get their fundamentals right from the start of their academics, if their only goal is to get into top IITs for BTech admission.
- Use of Mock Tests and Question Paper - From experts to toppers, the only advice you get to hear from them, is to attempt as many mock tests you can. With that, solving old question papers is a bonus. Doing this, will not only improve accuracy but also build time management skills.
- Give yourself quality time after preparation - Not always studying, can get you the top rank, with revision and studying, give yourself a break. Take out time for activities like reading, meditation, sports, etc.
So, if you are planning to take admission to top BTech colleges this year, then it’s the right time to start your preparation and clear with your goals.
Explore more B.Tech exams with upcoming dates
6 Jan '26
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10 Jan '26
14 Oct '25 - 15 Jan '26
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Upasana Pradhan is an Mtech graduate in Electronics and Communication Engineering from DTU who specialises in curating postgraduate and undergraduate engineering entrance exam content, such as GATE, TS PGECET, KCET,
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