The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has announced the complete schedule for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2026, which will be conducted on May 17, 2026. The examination will take place in two sessions on the same day, and candidates are required to appear for both papers to be considered for the final merit list.
According to the official schedule, Paper 1 of JEE Advanced 2026 will be held from 9 AM to Noon, while Paper 2 will take place from 2.30 PM to 5.30 PM. The exam authorities have clarified that participation in both sessions is compulsory. Candidates who fail to appear for either of the papers will not be included in the merit ranking process.
The registration process for Indian candidates will begin on April 23 and continue until May 2, 2026. Meanwhile, foreign nationals will be able to start submitting their applications earlier, from April 6. All applications must be completed online through the official JEE Advanced website, jeeadv.ac.in.
IIT Roorkee will release the admit cards for the examination on May 11, and candidates will be able to download them until May 17, the day of the examination. Candidates must carry a printed copy of the admit card along with a valid photo identification document to the examination centre. Authorities have specified that digital or soft copies of the admit card will not be accepted for entry into the exam hall.
Eligibility for JEE Advanced 2026 is limited to candidates who rank among the top 2,50,000 in JEE Main 2026 Paper 1 for BE or BTech programmes, regardless of category. In addition, candidates are allowed to attempt JEE Advanced only twice in two consecutive years. Applicants must also have appeared for their Class 12 examination for the first time in either 2025 or 2026 with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as compulsory subjects. Candidates who have previously secured admission to any IIT are not eligible to apply.
As part of the examination process, IIT Roorkee will release the response sheets of candidates on May 21. The provisional answer key will be published on May 25, after which candidates will be allowed to raise objections between May 25 and May 26. Following the review of challenges submitted by candidates, the final answer key will be issued on June 1, 2026.
The results of JEE Advanced 2026 will also be announced on June 1 by 10 AM. After the declaration of results, the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) counselling process for admission to IITs will commence on June 2, 2026.
The examination syllabus will remain based on the Class 11 and Class 12 curriculum covering Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. However, details related to the marking scheme, number of questions, and marks distribution will be revealed to candidates only on the day of the examination, maintaining the exam’s characteristic unpredictability.
With the second session of JEE Main 2026 concluding on April 9, candidates who qualify will have approximately five and a half weeks to prepare exclusively for JEE Advanced before the examination scheduled in mid-May.