Joint Entrance Examination – Main (JEE-Main), formerly All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE), is an examination organised by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in India.
Introduced in the year 2002 and renamed in April 2013, this national level competitive test is for admission to various undergraduate engineering and architecture courses in institutes accepting the JEE-Main score, mainly National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIITs) and Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs).
Until 2018, JEE-Main was on the first week of April by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). It was held both on paper and electronically. From 2019 it is conducted by the NTA, twice a year, and online only.
Key Description:
Acronym: JEE Main
Type: Computer Based Test
Developer / Administrator: National Testing Agency
Knowledge / Skills Tested:
- Paper 1: Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics
- Paper 2:Mathematics, Aptitude, Drawing and Planning
Purpose: Admission to Undergraduate Engineering and Architecture courses in 31 NITs, 23 IIITs and other colleges. Also serves as a prelim selection for JEE Advanced
Year Started: 2002 (18 years ago)
Duration: 3 hours for each paper
Score / Grade Range: - 60 to +300 in Paper 1
Offered Twice: a year ( January & April )
Restrictions on Attempts: Maximum three attempts in successive years
Countries / Regions: India
Languages: English, Hindi and Gujarati
Website: www.jeemain.nta.nic.in
Eligibility of JEE-Main
Age Limit: None
Qualifying Exam: Class 12th Board Examination or any other equivalent
Year of Clearing: 2018, 2019 and 2020
Required Subjects in Qualifying Exam: Physics, Chemistry, Math, Language and Optional Subjects
Qualifying Marks: 57% Aggregate or top 20 percentile of the respective board.
JEE Main 2020 – April Session Dates
| JEE Main 2020 Events | JEE Main 2020 Dates |
| Main 2020 mock test | 10-Aug-2020 to 29-Dec-2019 |
| Main 2020 application form availability | 19-May-2020 |
| Last date to apply for JEE Main 2020 and application fees | 24-May-2020 |
| Correction window | 25-May-2020 to 31-May-2020 |
| Correction in exam centre | 25-May-2020 to 31-May-2020 |
| Main 2020 admit card for April session | July 4, 2020 |
| Main April 2020 exam | 18-July-2020 to July 23-July-2020 (Announced) |
| Release date of answer key and recorded responses | To be notified soon |
| Release of Main 2020 answer key | To be notified soon |
| Declaration of Main 2020 result for April session | To be notified soon |
JEE Main 2020 – January Session Dates
| JEE Main 2020 Events | JEE Main 2020 Dates |
| JEE Main 2020 application form availability | 03-Sep-2019 |
| Last date to apply for JEE Main 2020 | 10-Oct-2019 |
| Registration for Test Practice Centres starts | 10-Oct-2019 to 29-Dec-2019 |
| Payment of Application Fee, uploading of signature and photograph | 11-Oct-2019 |
| JEE Main 2020 Application form correction window | 14-Oct-2020 to 20-Oct-2019 (11:50 pm) |
| Release of exam city for paper 1, 2 and 3 | Third week of October 2019 |
| JEE 2020 application form extended for J&K students | 04-Nov-2019 to 08-Nov-2019 |
| Issuance of JEE Main 2020 admit card | 06-Dec-2019 |
| JEE Main 2020 exam | 06-Jan-2020 to 11-Jan-2020 |
| Release of response sheet and question paper | 13-Jan-2020 to 15-Jan-2020 |
| JEE Main 2020 answer key release date for paper 1 | 17-Jan-2020 |
| JEE Main 2020 answer key release date for paper 2 | 23-Jan-2020 |
| Declaration of JEE Main 2020 result for January session | 31-Jan-2020 |
JEE Main 2020 Schedule
Below is the schedule for JEE Main. NTA has released JEE Main 2020 exam schedule on the official website along with the information brochure.
Session |
Morning Shift |
Afternoon Shift |
| Timing of Examination | 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM | 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM |
| Duration of Examination | 3 Hours | 3 Hours |
| Entry in Exam Centre | 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM | 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM |
| Entry in Exam Hall | 8:45 AM to 9 AM | 1:45 PM to 2 PM |
| Checking of Admit Cards by the Invigilator | 9 AM to 9:15 AM | 2 PM to 2:15 PM |
| Sitting on the seat in the Examination Hall | 9:15 AM | 2:15 PM |
| Instructions by the Invigilators | 9:15 AM to 9:25 AM | 2:15 PM to 2:25 PM |
| Test Commences | 9:30 AM | 2:30 PM |
| Test Concludes | 12:30 PM | 5:30 PM |
JEE Course Details 2020
A. ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY COURSES
- Aeronautical Engineering
- Agricultural Engineering
- Automobile Engineering
- Applied Electronic and Instrumentation
- Automation and Robotics
- Bio-Medical Engineering
- Bio-Technology
- Ceramic Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Science and Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Electronics and Communication Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Food Technology
- Industrial Engineering and Management
- Information Technology
- Instrumentation and Control Engineering
- Leather Technology
- Marine Engineering
- Materials Science & Technology
- Metallurgical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mining Engineering
- Oil & Paint Technology
- Polymer Science and Rubber Technology
- Printing Technology
- Production Engineering
- Pulp & Paper Technology
- Sugar Technology
- Textile Engineering & Technology
- Transportation Engineering
B. ARCHITECTURE & TOWN PLANNING COURSES
- Architecture
- Building Construction Technology
- Interior Design
- Planning
Structure of JEE Main
The examination consists of only two papers: Paper 1 for B.E./BTech courses and Paper 2 for BArch and BPlanning courses. A candidate can opt for any or both the papers. Paper 1 is mandatorily a computer based test (called Online mode) from 2019.
Till 2018, there was an option between OMR based and computer based mode. The examination was conducted in offline pen and paper mode till 2010. In 2011, as per the orders of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, CBSE conducted Paper 1 in Computer-Based-Test mode for the first one lakh candidates who opted for the same, while the remaining students took the examination in the conventional pen and paper mode.
The number of attempts which a candidate can avail at the examination is limited to three in consecutive years. As of 2018, the top 224,000 rankers of JEE (Main) will qualify to take the second and final level of examination: JEE (Advanced)
In 2010 the Ministry of Human Resource Development announced plans to replace JEE by 2013 with a common entrance test for all government engineering colleges which will be called Indian Science Engineering Eligibility Test (ISEET).
Accordingly, MHRD proposes to set up National Testing Service, which will be an autonomous and self-sustained agency to conduct this new common entrance test.
Languages of JEE-Main
The exam is offered in English, Hindi and Gujarati. From January 2021, it will be offered in eleven languages, namely Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Odiya, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
JEE-Main Mode of exam
- B.E. /B. Tech. (Paper 1) Physics, Chemistry and Math
, part 1, 2 and 3 respectively will be conducted in Computer Based Test mode only. - B. Arch (Paper 2) Mathematics and Aptitude Test, part 1 and 2 respectively will be held in Computer Based Test mode only. While Drawing Test or part 3 will be in offline mode on drawing sheet.
- B. Planning (Paper 3) Mathematics, Aptitude Test and Planning Based Questions, part 1, 2 and 3 respectively will be held in Computer Based Test mode only.
Participating Institutes
Institutes participating in the 2017 centralized seat allocation process included:
- The 31 National Institutes of Technology
- The 24 Indian Institutes of Information Technology
- 19 other central government or state government funded institutions including the three Schools of Planning and Architecture.
- Several self-financed institutes (during the spot round).
- Many other institutes used Main ranks to fill seats through their own seat allocation processes.
Number of Applicants By Year
The number of applicants taking the JEE Main has varied over the years, with a peak of over 1.35 million in 2014.
| Year | Phase | Number of applicants |
| 2020 | 2 | TBD |
| 1 | 921,261 | |
| 2019 | 2 | 935,741 |
| 1 | 929,198 | |
| 2018 | Held once
a year |
1,259,000 |
| 2017 | 1,186,454 | |
| 2016 | 1,194,938 | |
| 2015 | 1,304,495 | |
| 2014 | 1,356,805 | |
| 2013 | 1,282,000 | |
| 2012 | 1,220,000 |