From 2019 onwards, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has been granted the authority to design and develop the JEE Main syllabus and set the exam pattern. While there were a few modifications made to the exam pattern in 2019, for the 2024 exam, NTA has more or less kept the exam pattern similar to last year. However, some of the expected changes in 2024 are as follows:

• Two sessions of the exam instead of four. The first session of the exam will be held in January and the second session in April.
• There will be a negative marking for both Section A and Section B.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) in India administers the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), an engineering entrance exam for applicants seeking admission to prominent engineering institutes. NTA will conduct JEE Main 2024 Session 1 between January 24 and February 1, 2024.

JEE Main 2024 Session 2 will be conducted between April 1 and 15, 2024. Before JEE Mains Session 2 application form submission begins,

Candidates can check the below table to know the JEE Main 2024 date for session 1:

Events	JEE Main Session1 Dates2024
JEE Main 2024 Application Form Date	November 01, 2023
Last Date for Application Form Submission	December 4, 2023
Last Date for Registration Fee Payment	November 01, 2023
Application Form Correction Window	December 2023
Admit Card Release	January 21, 2024
JEE Mains 2024 Exam Date	January 24 and February 1, 2024
JEE Main 2024 Session 1 Final Answer Key	Paper 1- First week of February 2024 Paper 2- First week of February 2024
JEE 2024 Session 1 Result	Paper 1- February 12, 2024 Paper 2- February 12 2024

Note: A candidate has the option to apply for one JEE Main Session or for both Sessions (JEE Session 1 and JEE Session 2 of 2024) together and pay the JEE Main exam fee accordingly

NTA will likely start the JEE Main 2024 Session 2 registration process in March 2024.

The following table provides details on the JEE 2024 date for session 2:

Exam Events	Dates for JEE Main Session 2 (Tentative)
Start Date for Application Form Submission	March 2024
Last Date for Application Form Submission	March 2024
Last Date for Registration Fee Payment	March 2024
Application Form Correction Window	April 2024
Admit Card Release	April 2024
JEE Mains 2024 Exam Date	April 1 and 15, 2024
JEE Main 2024 Session 2 Final Answer Key	To Be Announced
JEE Main 2024 Session 2 Result	May 2024

Below is the expected exam pattern for JEE Main 2024

Paper	Subjects	Section A	Section b	Mode of the Examination	Timing of the Examination (IST)
					First Shift	Second Shift
Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech.)	Mathematics	20*	10*	Computer Based Test (CBT) mode	09:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.	03:00 p.m. to 06:00 p.m.
	Physics	20*	10*
	Chemistry	20*	10*
	Total	90
Paper 2A (B. Arch.) (B.E./B.Tech.)	Mathematics-Part I	20*	10*	Computer Based Test (CBT) mode except Drawing Test (Part-III) in pen and paper (offline) mode, to be attempted on drawing sheet of A4 size	09:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.	03:00 p.m. to 06:00 p.m.
	Aptitude Test-Part II	50
	Drawing Test - Part III	02
	Total	82
Paper 2B (B. Planning) (B.E./B.Tech.)	Mathematics-Part I	20*	10*	Computer Based Test (CBT) mode	03:00 p.m. to 06:00 p.m.
	Aptitude Test - Part II	50
	Planning Part III	25
	Total	105
*For Paper I and Part-1 of Paper 2, each Subject will have two sections. Section A will be of Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) and Section B will contain Questions whose answers are to be filled in as a numerical value. In Section B, candidates have to attempt any 05 (five) questions out of 10. There will be negative marking for both Section A and Section B. For each question in Section B, enter the correct integer value of the answer using the mouse and the on-screen virtual numeric keypad in the place designated to enter the answer. For Section B, the answer should be rounded off to the nearest Integer.

JEE Main consists of three papers and will be conducted in two shifts – morning and evening. The general layout of the exam pattern for JEE Main is given below:

Paper 1: B.E/B.Tech
Subject	Section A (Marking Scheme:Correct +4, Incorrect -1, Unanswered: 0) Question Type: MCQs		Section B (Marking Scheme: Correct +4, Incorrect -1, Unanswered: 0) Question Type: Numerical Value		Marks
	Number of Questions in paper	Number of questions can be attempted	Number of Questions in paper	Number of questions can be attempted
Physics	20	20	10	5	100
Chemistry	20	20	10	5	100
Maths	20	20	10	5	100
Total	90 Question | 75 Questions can be attempted				300

Paper 2A:B.Arch
Subject	Section A (Marketing Scheme:Correct +4, Incorrect -1, Unanswered : 0) Question Type:MCQs		Section B (Marketing Scheme:Correct +4, Incorrect -1, Unanswered : 0) Question Type:Numerical Value		Marks
	Number of Question in paper	Number of Question can be attempted	Number of Question in paper	Number of Question can be attempted
Maths	30	20	10	5	100
Aptitude	50	20	0	0	200
Drawing	2	20	0	0	100
Total	82 Question | 77 Question can be attempted				400

Paper 2B:B.Planning
Subject	Section A ( Marking Scheme:Correct +4 , Incorrect-1 Unanswered:0) Question Type: MCQs		Section B ( Marking Scheme: Correct +4 , Incorrect-1 Unanswered:0) Question Type: Numerical Value		Marks
	Number of Question in paper	Number of Question to be attempted	Number of Question in paper	Number of Question to be attempted
Maths	30	20	10	5	100
Aptitude	50	20	0	0	200
Planning Based	25	20	0	0	100
Total	105 Question | 100 Question can be attempted				400

JEE Main Exam Pattern Detailed Description

Course	B .E/B. Tech
Exam Mode	Online
Subjects	Physics, Chemistry and Maths
Type of Questions	MCQs and Numerical-based Questions
Duration	3 hours
Medium	Medium of the Question Papers: Drawing from the National Education Policy (NEP), the JEE (Main) -2024 will be conducted in English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
Total Marks	300
Marking Scheme	4 for the correct answer,-1 for the wrong answer and 0 for the unanswered Question.

In paper I, each subject will contain two sections. Section A will be of Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs), and Section B will contain questions whose answers will be filled in as a numerical value. In Section B, candidates must attempt five questions out of 10. There will be a negative marking for Section B as well.

Course	B.Arch
Exam Mode	Both online and offline
Subjects	Maths with Aptitude and Drawing test
Types of questions	Objective-type questions for maths and aptitude while drawing test is also conducted
Duration	3 hours. 4 hours for people with disability
Total Marks	400
Marking Scheme	4 for the correct answer,-1 for the wrong answer.

In paper 2A, 20 questions will be MCQs, and 5 questions will have answers to be filled in as a numerical value out of 10. There will be a negative marking for numerical value.

Course	B.Planning
Exam Mode	Computer-based test
Subjects	Maths with Aptitude and Planning-based test
Types of questions	Multiple-choice questions and answers as a numerical value for maths
Duration	3 hours. 4 hours for people with disability
Total Marks	400
Marking Scheme	4 for the correct answer and -1 for wrong or multiple answers. Unanswered questions will contain 0 marks.

20 questions will be MCQs, and 5 questions will have answers to be filled in as a numerical value out of 10. There will be a negative marking for numerical value.

On a side note, it is also very important for candidates to carefully read all the instructions that are given in the question paper. Understand it clearly and then move on to solving the questions. It is important to follow the right procedure for the exams because gaining a negative marking or losing points may cost candidates a higher rank in the exams.

From 2021 onwards, as per the National Education Policy (NEP), JEE Main paper will be set in 13 languages. They are as follows:

S. No.	Language	Examination Centres
1	English	All Examination Centres
2	Hindi	All Examination Centres in India
3	English and Assamese	Examination Centres in Assam
4	English and Bengali	Examination Centres in West Bengal, Tripura and Andaman & Nicobar Islands
5	English and Gujarati	Examination Centres in Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli
6	English and Kannada	Examination Centres in Karnataka
7	English and Marathi	Examination Centres in Maharashtra
8	English and Malayalam	Examination Centres in Kerala and Lakshadweep
9	English and Odia	Examination Centres in Odisha
10	English and Punjabi	Examination Centres in Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi
11	English and Tamil	Examination Centres in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andaman & Nicobar Islands
12	English and Telugu	Examination Centres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
13	English and Urdu	All Examination Centres in India

Candidates have to note the option of choosing a language for the question paper should be exercised while filling out the application form online. NTA has mentioned that it cannot be changed at a later stage. Additionally, for the correctness of the questions in all the JEE Main question papers, the English version will be taken as the final.

The exam schedule for JEE Main 2024 has been released by the NTA. The JEE Main exam dates are as follows.

Date of Examination

(Session 1): Between 24th January and 1st February, 2024 (Session 2): Between 1st April, 2024 and 15th April, 2024

The JEE Main exam is conducted in two shifts. The timing details are given below.

Timing of Examination	First Shift	Second Shift
For B.E./B.Tech	9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m.	3.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m.
For B.Arch	9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m.	3.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m.
For B.Planning	9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m.	3.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m.
For both B.Arch and B.Planning	9.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.	3.00 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.

How is the JEE Main merit list determined? Let us find out below.

Paper 1	Paper 2	Paper 3
The raw scores in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry are converted into total NTA scores.	The raw scores obtained in Mathematics, Aptitude Test, Drawing Test, and total are converted into NTA scores.	The raw score in Mathematics, Aptitude Test, Planning-Based Test and total is converted to NTA scores.
Overall merit is determined by combining NTA scores of the first and second shifts, including all the days.

Tie between candidates obtaining equal total NTA scores in Paper 1: B.E./B. Tech will be resolved in the following descending order:

• NTA score in Mathematics, followed by
• NTA score in Physics, followed by
• NTA score in Chemistry, followed by
• Candidates having a lesser ratio of negative to positive responses

Tie between candidates obtaining equal total NTA scores in Paper 2A: B.Arch will be resolved in the following manner:

• NTA score in Mathematics, followed by
• NTA score in Aptitude Test, followed by
• NTA score in Drawing Test, followed by
• Candidates having a lesser ratio of negative to positive responses

Tie between candidates obtaining equal total NTA scores in 2B: B. Planning will be resolved in the following manner:

• NTA score in Mathematics, followed by
• NTA score in Aptitude Test, followed by
• NTA score in Planning-Based Questions, followed by
• Candidates having a lesser ratio of negative to positive responses

Candidates who wish to get admission to the best engineering colleges in India must score the minimum marks — for the General category of candidates, they must score 75% or above, and for the SC/ST category of candidates, they must score 65% or above in their Class 10+2 exam) to qualify for JEE Main 2024 admissions. The eligibility criteria for JEE Main examination 2024 are detailed here in this section below:

The candidate must be an Indian Citizen to apply for the JEE 2024 exam.

The following pointers provide details on the JEE Main age limit candidates must fulfil in order to be eligible for the exam:

• NRIs, PIOs, OCIs and foreign national candidates can also apply for JEE Main 2024.
• There is no requirement for the minimum age for JEE Mains 2024.

The qualifying year and exam are as follows:

• Only those candidates who have passed the Class 12/equivalent examination in 2022 and 2023, or those who are appearing in the Class 12/equivalent examination in 2024, are eligible to appear in JEE Main 2024.
• Candidates who have passed Class 12 or other equivalent examinations in 2021 or before, as well as those who will be appearing in such examinations in the upcoming year 2024 or later, are not eligible to appear in JEE Main 2024.
• NIOS candidates can also apply for JEE Main 2024 exam as the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) also comes under the Association of Indian Universities.

Candidates can refer to the below pointers to know the JEE Main eligibility criteria of subjects in class 12/qualifying exam:

• B. Arch aspirants should have Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as mandatory subjects for their qualifying exam. They should have passed their Class 10+2 or an equivalent exam from a recognised board with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks.
• Candidates who wish to apply for B.E and B.Tech programmes must have Physics and Mathematics as the qualifying subjects. Additionally, they must qualify in one of the subjects: Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, and a technical vocational subject.
• Candidates who are willing to study B.Plan as their degree course should compulsorily pass Mathematics as a part of their qualifying subjects. They should pass their Class 10+2 or an equivalent exam from a recognised board with a minimum aggregate mark of 50%.

The JEE Main 2024 examination will be held twice a year. Candidates can choose to appear for only one session or both sessions of JEE Main 2024.

Candidates can apply for the JEE Main 2024 if they have qualified for one of the below-listed exams:

• An Intermediate/2-year pre-university exam or a 10+2 system examination conducted by a recognised board of India.
• A National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) organised the Senior Secondary School Examination consisting of a minimum of five subjects.
• A Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) Vocational Examination.
• Any examination conducted by a Public School/Board/University in India or any foreign country is recognised as equivalent to the 10+2 system by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
• An AICTE or a state board of technical education recognised Diploma of at least three years.
• A General Certificate Education (GCE) examination (London/Cambridge/Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level.
• A high school certificate examination of the Cambridge University or International Baccalaureate Diploma of the International Baccalaureate Office, Geneva.

The eligibility criteria for admission to NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs are listed below:

• It is mandatory for candidates willing to study in the NITs, IITs, and CFTIs to pass their Class 12 exams with a minimum of 75% marks.
• As an alternative to the above, they should be in the top 20 percentile of candidates in their Class 12 or other equivalent exams.
• Candidates who belong to the SC or ST categories should secure a minimum of 65% in their Class 12 or other equivalent exams.

Candidates appearing for JEE Main 2024 examination are not compulsorily required to fill in the Aadhar details in the application form. The NTA wants candidates to provide any identification proof such as Passport, Bank Account Number, Ration Card Number, Driving License, Aadhar Card, or any valid Government ID.

Admissions will be granted to the participating institutes based on these reservation criteria. The reservation criteria of JEE Main 2024 will apply to the candidates belonging to SC, ST, and OBC categories and the Person with Disability (PwD) category. The reservation criteria also include the home state quota and other state quotas. Candidates can check the previous year’s reservation criteria here:

• Other Backward Classes (OBC) belonging to Non-Creamy Layer (NCL)
• Scheduled Castes (SC)
• Scheduled Tribes (ST)
• Persons with Disability (PwD) with 40% or more disability

Category	Reservation
OBC (Non-creamy layer)	27%
SC	15%
ST	7.5%
PwD (40% or more disability)	5%

Institutes	Criteria
NIT (Other State Quota)	50% of seats are reserved for candidates belonging to all other states and union territories, excluding the home state
NIT (Home Quota)	50% of seats are reserved
Centre Funded Technical Institutes (CFIs)	Based on a home quota/state quota/AIQ
State-Funded Technical Institutes	Based on a home quota/state quota/AIQ
IIIT	Based on a home quota/state quota/AIQ
Government Funded Technical Institutes	Based on AIQ
State Engineering Colleges	Based on AIQ