The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially released the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Answer Key Released (Final) on its website for BE/BTech Paper 1, marking a crucial step before result and cutoff announcements. With this, candidates can verify their responses, estimate scores, and plan their next steps towards JEE Main 2026 counselling and admissions to tier 1 colleges in India.
Final Answer Key: Date, Where & How to Download
The JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Final Answer Key was released on 16 February 2026 at jeemain.nta.nic.in for all shifts of Paper 1 (B.E/B.Tech). The final PDF is available without login and replaces the provisional key after expert review of all challenges raised by candidates.
Steps to download:
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Visit jeemain.nta.nic.in.
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Click “Final Answer Keys of JEE(Main)-2026 Session-I Paper-I (B.E/B.Tech)”.
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Download the PDF for your date and shift and match question IDs with your response sheet.
The final key mentions revised answers, dropped questions, and questions with multiple correct options, which directly impact your final raw score.
Result Date for JEE Main 2026 Session 1
With the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Answer Key Released, the Session 1 result is scheduled around mid-February 2026. As per official and coaching updates, NTA is declaring the Session 1 results by 16 February 2026 on jeemain.nta.nic.in, where candidates can log in to download their scorecards.
Key timeline for Session 1:
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Session 1 Exam Dates: 21, 22, 23, 24, 28 January 2026 (Paper 1); 29 January 2026 (Paper 2).
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Provisional Answer Key: 4 February 2026; Challenge window till 6 February 2026.
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Final Answer Key: 16 February 2026.
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Result Declaration: By 16 February 2026 (percentile-based scorecards).
How to Calculate Your Score from the Final Answer Key?
Using the final key, you can calculate your raw score before the percentile and rank are released.
Marking scheme for JEE Main 2026 Paper 1:
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+4 marks for each correct answer.
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–1 mark for each incorrect MCQ.
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0 marks for unattempted questions; for dropped questions, full marks are awarded to all as per NTA rules.
Raw Score formula:
Raw Score=4×(Correct)−1×(Wrong)
However, the scorecard shows NTA Percentile Score, not raw marks, because the exam is conducted in multiple shifts with varying difficulty. NTA uses a normalization process to convert your raw marks into percentile within your shift, then combines percentiles across all shifts to prepare the final rank.
Key points on normalization:
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Topper in each shift gets 100 percentile.
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Percentile reflects percentage of candidates scoring equal to or less than you in that shift.
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Final All India Rank is based on your overall percentile across sessions.
Expected Cutoff for JEE Main 2026 (Session 1 Trend)
While official qualifying cutoff for JEE Advanced 2026 and NIT+ admissions is released only after Session 2, early analyses give a tentative range.
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Expected General (UR) cutoff percentile: around 93–94 percentile.
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Reserved category cutoffs (EWS/OBC/SC/ST) are likely lower, as in previous cycles, but will be confirmed with the final overall result.
Remember:
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Session 1 alone does not show category-wise official cutoff; that comes after both sessions.
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Many private engineering universities in India use raw marks/ranks for their own merit lists, even if you don’t qualify for JEE Advanced.
What the Final Answer Key Means for Your Next Steps?
Once the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Answer Key Released is out and your approximate score is clear, you should:
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Decide whether to re-appear in JEE Main 2026 Session 2 to improve your percentile.
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Shortlist top private university in India options where your score is competitive.
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Start collecting documents for counselling and applications.
Candidates targeting tier 1 colleges in India (IITs, NITs, top private institutes) typically aim for 97+ percentile for popular CSE and ECE branches.
Admissions to Top Private Engineering Universities in India
Even if your score isn’t enough for NITs or IITs, strong JEE Main 2026 performance can secure you a seat in reputed private engineering universities in India.
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Top private university in India lists often include institutions with NAAC accreditation, strong industry tie-ups, and high placement records.
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Many of these universities consider JEE Main rank/percentile along with Class 12 marks for BTech admissions 2026–27.
IIMT University stands as a growing choice among private engineering institutions, offering BTech in CSE, AI, Mechanical, Civil and more with JEE-based or merit-based admission, along with modern labs and industry-focused curriculum. For aspirants looking beyond government colleges, this is a solid pathway aligned with their JEE performance.
How JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Impacts Tier 1 College Aspirants?
For students targeting tier 1 colleges in India (top NITs, IIITs, and leading private campuses), Session 1 is a performance benchmark.
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If your percentile already crosses your target cutoffs, Session 2 can be optional.
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If you’re short by a few percentiles, use the answer key analysis to strengthen weak areas before Session 2.
Leading coaching analyses suggest that students improving accuracy by even 10–15 marks between sessions can climb multiple percentile points due to competition density near the cutoffs.
FAQs
1. When was the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Final Answer Key released?
NTA released the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Final Answer Key on 16 February 2026 at jeemain.nta.nic.in.
2. Where can I download the official final answer key PDF?
You can download it from the “Final Answer Keys of JEE(Main)-2026 Session-I Paper-I (B.E/B.Tech)” link on jeemain.nta.nic.in without login.
3. When will the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 result be announced?
The Session 1 result is scheduled by 16 February 2026, with scorecards available on the official NTA portal.
4. How is my JEE Main 2026 score calculated from the final answer key?
Use +4 for correct and –1 for wrong answers to get your raw score, which NTA then converts to percentile using its normalization process.
5. What is the expected cutoff for JEE Main 2026 General category?
Early expectations place the General (UR) cutoff around 93–94 percentile, but the official cutoff will be released only after both sessions.
6. Can I still get good colleges if my percentile is below NIT/IIT cutoffs?
Yes, many private engineering universities in India and several top private university in India options accept JEE Main scores for BTech admissions 2026–27 with more flexible cutoffs.
7. Does the final answer key allow further challenges?
No, once the final key is released after reviewing objections to the provisional key, it is binding and cannot be challenged further.
