JEE Main Admit Card 2026: Session 1 and Session 2

JEE Main 2026 admit card did not come out on one single date for each session. NTA released it in smaller batches, tied to specific exam dates within Session 1 and Session 2. Session 1 ran from 21 to 29 January 2026, and Session 2 from 2 to 8 April 2026. Candidates preparing for JEE Main admission to NITs and IIITs logged in at jeemain.nta.nic.in with their application number and password, or date of birth, to get their hall ticket. This page covers how the staggered release worked, the download steps, the documents needed, and the correction process NTA offered.

JEE Main 2026 Admit Card Highlights

JEE Main 2026 ran across two entire sessions, so the table below lists what applied broadly, while the exact release dates get their own detailed table further down.

JEE Main 2026 Admit Card Release Was Staggered by Exam Date, Not by Session

A candidate expecting one fixed release date for their entire session would have been checking the portal too early or too late, since NTA split the release across smaller groups of exam dates.

A candidate scheduled for 23 January had a working admit card from 17 January, while one scheduled for 29 January had to wait a further week, even though both sat Session 1 of the same exam.

How to Download JEE Main 2026 Admit Card

JEE Main 2026's login accepted two different combinations, giving candidates a backup if one detail was forgotten.

• Go to the official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in.
• Click the Download Admit Card link on the homepage.
• Log in with the application number and password, or the application number and date of birth.
• View the admit card on screen, along with the Self Declaration Undertaking.
• Check the name, photograph, exam date, shift, and centre address.
• Download both documents and print an A4 copy, colour preferred.

Documents to Carry with JEE Main 2026 Admit Card

JEE Main 2026 asked candidates to carry a sanitiser bottle among its listed items, a detail that has stuck around in NTA's instructions well after it first appeared.

Found an Error on Your JEE Main 2026 Admit Card?

JEE Main 2026 gave candidates a direct national helpline for admit card errors, separate from any city or centre specific contact.

• A wrong detail in name, date of birth, exam centre, or category needed to be reported to NTA as soon as it was noticed.
• Candidates could call 011-40759000 between 10 AM and 5 PM, Monday to Friday, or write to jeemain@nta.ac.in.
• A forgotten application number could be recovered using name, father's name, mother's name, date of birth, and state of eligibility, sent to the registered email and mobile number.
• Password recovery relied on the security question chosen during registration, rather than an email link alone.

JEE Main 2026 Exam Day Guidelines

JEE Main 2026 allowed no flexibility once the exam began, with entry and exit both firmly restricted.

• Reach the exam centre well before the gate closing time to avoid last minute security checks.
• No entry was permitted once the exam had begun, and no early exit was allowed either.
• Calculators, mobile phones, and other electronic devices were not allowed inside the centre.
• Diabetic candidates were permitted to carry specific eatables, excluding any packed food, subject to the centre's own verification.

What to Do If JEE Main 2026 Admit Card Was Not Downloading

A candidate unable to see their JEE Main 2026 admit card most often had a login detail slightly wrong, especially close to a staggered release date.

• Recheck which exam date group the admit card applied to, since an early check before that specific group's release date would show nothing.
• Recheck the application number and password, or the application number and date of birth, entered at login.
• Use the Forgot Password or Forgot Application Number options if either detail was lost.
• Contact the NTA helpline at 011-40759000 or jeemain@nta.ac.in if the admit card still did not appear after the relevant release date.

JEE Main 2026 Important Points

A couple of JEE Main 2026 admit card facts matter beyond the download process itself, especially for candidates planning to sit both sessions.

• A candidate who registered for both Session 1 and Session 2 received two separate admit cards, one for each session, not a combined document.
• NTA considered the better percentile of the two sessions for final ranking, so appearing in both did not carry any disadvantage for a candidate's final result.

About NTA and JEE Main 2026's Role Ahead of JEE Advanced

Clearing JEE Main is not only about a seat at an NIT or IIIT. For a large group of candidates, it is also the only route into JEE Advanced.

National Testing Agency conducts JEE Main twice a year specifically so candidates have more than one chance to reach a strong enough percentile, whether for direct NIT and IIIT admission or to qualify for JEE Advanced itself. Only the top 2.5 lakh candidates across all categories, based on the better of their two session percentiles, become eligible to register for JEE Advanced, which is then conducted separately by a different, rotating IIT rather than by NTA. JEE Main results also feed into admissions at more than 40 GFTIs, alongside the NITs and IIITs, widening its reach well beyond the seats these two categories offer directly.

JEE Main 2026 by the Numbers: Two Sessions Compared

Session 1 and Session 2 of JEE Main 2026 drew very different numbers of candidates, even though both counted equally toward the final result.

Session 2 still drew over 11 lakh candidates despite being an optional improvement attempt for many, showing how much weight candidates placed on a second chance at a better percentile.

JEE Main 2026 Admit Card and the Link to Result and JoSAA Counselling

Application number and login credentials tied to the JEE Main 2026 admit card carried through the result and straight into JoSAA counselling afterward.

NTA declared the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 result around 12 February 2026, and the Session 2 result on 20 April 2026, each as a percentile based scorecard. Once both sessions were complete, NTA computed a final All India Rank using the better percentile from either session. JoSAA counselling registration and choice filling began in June 2026, moving through mock allotments, several seat allotment rounds, and document verification, with candidates needing to pay a seat acceptance fee and choose freeze, float, or slide at each round before final reporting to their allotted institute.

JEE Main 2026 Admit Card FAQs

Ques: Does the JEE Main 2026 admit card mention a candidate's JEE Advanced eligibility status?

Ques: Can a candidate appearing only in Session 2 still qualify for JEE Advanced 2026?

Ques: Is the Self Declaration Undertaking a separate document from the JEE Main 2026 admit card?

Ques: Were JEE Main 2026 candidates abroad given a different admit card process?

Ques: Does the JEE Main 2026 admit card mention a candidate's home state quota eligibility for NITs?