JEE Main 2026: Final Answer Key Out; 9 Questions Dropped

New Delhi | February 16, 2026: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially released the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Final Answer Key today. Candidates who appeared for the January session of the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) can now download the final key PDF from the official website, jeemain.nta.ac.in.

In a significant update that could impact the percentiles of thousands of students, the NTA has dropped 9 questions from the examination across various shifts. With the final answer key now public, the declaration of the JEE Main 2026 Results and Scorecards is expected momentarily.

Highlights of JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Final Answer Key

The final answer key was prepared after a panel of subject experts reviewed the challenges submitted by students during the provisional window (February 4–6).

• Total Dropped Questions: 9
• Result Status: Highly anticipated; likely to be released by late evening today.
• Official Website: jeemain.nta.ac.in and nta.ac.in

How Dropped Questions Affect Your Score

According to the NTA’s official policy, when a question is “dropped,” it is removed from the final evaluation. However, the marking benefit depends on the type of question:

1. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs): If a question is dropped, all candidates who appeared in that specific shift are awarded +4 marks, regardless of whether they attempted the question.
2. Numerical Value Questions: Usually, marks are awarded only to those who attempted the question, though NTA’s final PDF specifically clarifies the policy for each session.

For many aspirants, these “bonus” marks can be the difference between qualifying for JEE Advanced or missing the cutoff.

Shift-Wise Analysis of Dropped Questions

Preliminary reports from the final key indicate that questions were dropped across several shifts between January 21 and January 29. Physics and Chemistry saw the highest number of discrepancies, with topics like Nuclear Physics, Electrochemistry, and Thermodynamics being the primary areas of contention.

Steps to Download JEE Main 2026 Final Answer Key

Candidates do not need login credentials to view the final answer key as it is released as a public PDF document.

1. Visit the official NTA JEE portal: jeemain.nta.ac.in.
2. Click on the link titled “Final Answer Keys of JEE (Main) – 2026 Session 1”.
3. The PDF will open in a new tab showing the Question ID and the Correct Option ID for each shift.
4. Download and save the PDF to calculate your raw score.

What’s Next? Result and Session 2 Registration

With the final answer key out, the NTA typically takes a few hours to process the results. The JEE Main 2026 Scorecard will feature the candidate’s NTA percentile score—a normalized score across multi-session papers—rather than raw marks.

Meanwhile, the registration for JEE Main Session 2 (April Exam) is currently LIVE. Candidates who wish to improve their performance or those who missed the January session can apply until early March.