The National Testing Agency released the final answer key for the Joint Entrance Examination Main 2026 January session, bringing clarity for lakhs of engineering aspirants across the country.
The revised key followed the objection window and confirmed that nine questions had been removed from evaluation.
With the final key now published, candidates can match responses and understand how their scores were calculated. The update also explained why some students may notice slight changes between provisional estimates and final marks.
The examination was conducted across multiple shifts, and after reviewing challenges raised by candidates and subject experts, the agency corrected answers and deleted disputed questions.
WHAT CHANGED IN THE FINAL ANSWER KEY
The biggest change came in the form of dropped questions.
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Total dropped questions: 9
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Candidates awarded marks as per rules
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Corrections made after expert review
When a question is dropped, all candidates who attempted it receive full marks, regardless of their response. This can slightly increase overall scores and percentiles.
The final answer key replaced the provisional one and became the basis for result calculation.
HOW SCORES WERE CALCULATED
The testing body used the normalised percentile system due to multiple shifts.
The final marks were prepared after:
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Verifying challenges submitted by students
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Evaluating academic validity of objections
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Revising incorrect answers
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Removing ambiguous questions
The updated key ensured fairness across different sessions and difficulty levels.
WHAT CANDIDATES SHOULD DO NOW
Students should:
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Download the final answer key
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Compare their responses
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Check scorecards after result declaration
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Prepare for the next session or counselling
The revised key also helps aspirants estimate rank ranges more accurately before the official merit list.
The Joint Entrance Examination Main is India’s largest engineering entrance test and serves two purposes:
Every year, challenges are raised after the provisional answer key, and the final version reflects expert verification. The deletion of nine questions in 2026 became one of the key updates of the January session and affected scoring calculations for many candidates.
Direct link to check the JEE Main 2026 final answer key
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