India’s National Testing Agency released the final answer key for JEE Main 2026 Session 2 on the afternoon of April 20, triggering immediate access to scorecards for over a million candidates who had awaited the outcome.
The announcement came after the agency had already declared the Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) results earlier that evening, allowing students to log in with their application number, password and CAPTCHA to download their scorecards.
Among the top performers, two students from Andhra Pradesh—Bijjam Venkata Chandrasekhara Reddy and Pasal Mohith—achieved a perfect 100 percentile, securing their place in the national merit list.
National ranks were determined by considering the highest scores obtained by candidates across both Session 1 and Session 2 of the JEE Main 2026 examination.
Those who ranked in the top 250,000 based on their combined performance are now eligible to apply for the JEE Advanced 2026 examination, scheduled for May 17.
The online application window for JEE Advanced remains open from April 23 to May 4, during which candidates must submit their forms to proceed to the next stage.
Students who qualify in JEE Advanced will undergo joint seat allocation counselling, which grants admission to premier Indian Institutes of Technology for undergraduate engineering programmes based on their ranks.
The NTA had earlier released the provisional answer key and response sheets for Paper 1 on April 13, following challenges submitted by candidates after the Session 2 exams were conducted in the first week of April.
After reviewing the feedback, the agency compiled the final answer key and released it on the afternoon of April 21, paving the way for the result declaration later that day.
Candidates seeking real-time updates, including the list of top scorers, can access the information through www.eenadu.net, which continues to monitor and report on the outcome.
How are national ranks calculated for JEE Main when candidates appear in multiple sessions?
National ranks are determined by considering the highest score obtained by a candidate in either Session 1 or Session 2 of the JEE Main examination, not the sum of both attempts.
What is the eligibility criterion for appearing in JEE Advanced 2026 based on JEE Main results?
Candidates who rank among the top 250,000 in the JEE Main 2026 merit list, based on their best score across both sessions, are eligible to apply for JEE Advanced 2026.