How Many Attempts Are Allowed for JEE Main 2026
Engineers across India often wonder “how many attempts for JEE Main” they can take when planning for long-term JEE Main preparation. Knowing the exact “number of attempts for JEE Main 2026” is crucial for making an effective strategy and achieving success.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) clearly defines rules for JEE Main 2026 on various factors such as 12th passing year, number of sessions per year, and eligibility window. This blog explains in detail the “number of attempts for JEE Main 2026”, eligibility criteria, and key guidelines, helping students to plan strategically and avoid mistakes.
Understanding Attempts in JEE Main
Talking about attempts for JEE Main refers to the chance that allows a candidate to appear in the JEE Main exam within the rules defined by the National Testing Agency (NTA). An attempt is countable when a student actually takes the exam in a session (not just enrolling or printing the admit card).
The number of attempts depends on how many sessions JEE Main is held each year (typically two: January and April) and how long you are eligible to appear in these exams.
Number of Attempts for JEE Main 2026
JEE Main 2026 allows students to take 6 attempts over 3 consecutive years (per session 2 attempts), starting from the passing 12th class. There is no age limit to appear in the exam, but passing year criteria and specific subjects requirements are applicable. The score of JEE Main is only valid for the same admission year.
The detailed information of overall attempts for JEE Main 2026 is as follows-
- The JEE Main exam is conducted 2 times in a year (January session and April session).
- Students are allowed to take a maximum of 6 attempts over 3 consecutive years (twice every year) as per the current standards implemented by NTA.
- After beginning the journey as per the eligibility window (the year you clear/appear in Class 12), JEE Main provides you the opportunity to appear in the exam for the next two years (each year two sessions).
- NTA guidelines and most of the coaching institutes stated that there is a limit of 6 attempts total to appear in JEE Main 2026.
- Passing out of class 12th in 2024 ensures eligibility for three consecutive years: 2024, 2025, 2026.
Why “Three Consecutive Years” Important for Jee Main 2026 Aspirants?
As a JEE aspirant, you only have one continuous time period to make all the attempts, where you can not split them across different years.
- Passing class 12th in 2024 ensures your eligibility for 2024, 2025, and 2026 (three consecutive years).
- You do not have the option to skip or leave the year 2025 chance and then use this later, because the consecutive rule breaks your overall eligibility.
- In the situation of missing both sessions in a year, you might lose the opportunities and cannot carry them forward for the upcoming years.
Key Tips for Maximizing Your JEE Attempts
You can maximize your JEE Main 2026 attempts by following these essential preparation tips-
- You should be clear in your mind regarding attempts indefinitely, because the 3 consecutive year rule is very strict. Getting an appearance in January and April sessions is important for the maximum utilization of the given opportunities.
- For getting regular and authentic websites, you should refer to the official Information Bulletin published by NTA regarding the JEE Main 2026 exam.
- The effective use of both sessions in a year is mandatory because skipping a session clearly indicates a lack of maximum utilisation of the overall opportunities.
- The marks that appear in JEE Main 2026 are only valid for that year, which means that you can not be allowed to use the 2026 score to get admission for 2027.
- For JEE Main 2026 preparation, you should align your preparation schedule with session timelines for achieving the desired results.
Practical Breakdowns of How Many Attempts After the 12th
The practical implementation of the breakdowns of the attempts are as follows-
| Class 12th Passing Year | Years of eligibility for JEE Main | Attempts for JEE Main (Using both sessions) |
| 2024 | 2024, 2025, 2026 | 6 (2 each year) |
| 2025 | 2025, 2026, 2027 | 6 |
| 2026 | 2026, 2027, 2028 | 6 |
- If you passed 12th in 2024, you can appear in both sessions of 2024, 2025, and 2026, which is an equal total of 6 attempts.
- If a student does not appear in the April 2025 session, they cannot be eligible for longer than 3 years, even if they try to extend it.
- Passing class 12th in 2025 opens up the exam window for 2025, 2026, 2027 (total 6 attempts).
Eligibility Criteria for JEE Main 2026
The following is a detailed Eligibility Criteria for JEE Main 2026, which is important to understand before knowing how many attempts you can take for JEE Main 2026.
Key Eligibility Parameters or Criteria for JEE Main 2026
| Parameter | Requirement for the parameter |
| Educational Qualifications | A student must clear the 12th class or equivalent from a recognized board, or be appearing in Class 12 in 2026. |
| Year of Passing / Appearing | Students who passed in the year 2024, 2025, or appearing in 2026 are eligible for the exam. |
| Subjects in Class 12 | The student must have proficiency as follows: For B.E. / B. Tech (Paper 1): Physics + Mathematics + one of Chemistry/Biology/Technical Vocational subject. For B. Arch: Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics. For B. Plan: Mathematics mandatory. |
| Age Limit | According to NTA, there is no lower or upper age limit to appear in the JEE Main 2026 exam. |
| Minimum Marks / Percentage for Class 12 | For appearing in JEE Main, no minimum percentage or marks are mandatory, but admissions in IITs, NITs has a criteria: general category candidates often need ≥ 75% on board or be in the top 20 percentile; SC/ST category often 65%. |
| Nationality | Indian citizens, NRI, PIO, OCI or a foreign national by fulfilling the exam requirement successfully. |
| Number of Attempts | Total 6 attempts for 3 consecutive years (per year 2) starting from the year of Class 12. |
Difference between Session Attempt and Yearly Attempt
A session attempt is related to appearing for 1 of the 2 exams conducted in a single year (January & April), while yearly attempt combines both sessions in a single year (used for calculating maximum number of eligible years). A detailed comparison between Session Attempt and Yearly Attempt are as follows-
| Type of Attempts | Meaning | Example |
| Session Attempt | Appearing for either the January or April exam in one year | Attempting January/April 2026 session |
| Yearly Attempt | Combined count of both sessions in the same year | January + April = 2 yearly attempts |
Reservation Criteria for JEE Main 2026 for NITs, IITs, and GFTIs
| Category | Reservation Percentage | Explanation |
| General (Unreserved) | 0% | There is no reservation for the general category, where they have to compete on the basis of an open merit list. |
| General-EWS (Economically Weaker Section) | 10% | Students from the economically weaker section fall in this category, where it is necessary to hold an EWS certificate as per the criteria. |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 15% | As per the government standard, SC certificate is mandatory as per the government standards. |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 7.5% | A mandatory valid ST certificate as per the government instructions. |
| Other Backward Classes OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) | 27% | Students must be from the Non-Creamy layer category as per the instructions of the Government of India. |
| Persons with Disability | 5% | The 5% disability criteria is applicable for the different categories such as SC, ST, EWS and OBC (Non-Creamy Layer). |
Key Insights: Important Notes and Clarification for JEE Main 2026
- There is no age limit for students or drop years to appear in the exam.
- There is a lot of confusion around the condition of minimum marks, where most of the students believe that 75% marks are mandatory to appear. ≥ 75% is necessary to take admission into certain institutes such as IITs, NITs and many more.
- It is mandatory to confirm the official details from the official bulletin or news announced on JEE Main 2026, when released.
How The “Number of Attempts for JEE Main” Impacts Different Student Groups?
Student who passes Class 12 (first-time enrolled)
Completing class 12th in 2026, and want to start from the year 2026:
- Your eligibility criteria to appear in JEE Main will be 2026, 2027, and 2028. 2 times in each year, which is equal to 6 total attempts.
- You cannot participate in the 2027 exam if you skip the 2026 exam; you can lose your first-year slot.
Dropout /repeater students (How many attempts for JEE Main after 12th)
The student passed the 12th grade in early years and is now reattempting
- For example, a student who passed in 2025, but didn’t utilise both possible sessions in 2025, has a window for the years 2025, 2026, and 2027.
- If a student didn’t appear in both sessions of 2025, then they can not shift their window for 2026, 2027, 2028 (since beginning with the current year, that might violate 3 consecutive years.)
- After those three years, eligibility ceases, even if not all attempts were used.
Students from older passing years or delayed boards
If a student passes the 12th grade before the eligibility window, they will be considered ineligible. Eligibility criteria clearly state that candidates who passed before two years ago or outside the allowed window are not eligible.
Conclusion
The number of attempts for JEE Main 2026 is important for each appearing student to get admission into top institutes such as IIT, NIT, and other institutes. According to NTA, a student can utilise 6 maximum attempts for 3 consecutive years (2 for each) for the maximum utilisation of the opportunities, but only if they plan in an organised manner and use every session strategically. It is necessary to regularly follow the updates provided by NTA to avoid confusion regarding eligibility, dates, and attempt limits.
The key considerations identified from the blog are as follows-
- Maximum 6 attempts – 2 per year for 3 consecutive years.
- Eligibility starts from the year of Class 12 passing.
- No age limit, but subjects and passing year rules must be followed.
- JEE Main scores are valid only for that admission year.
You should plan well for the maximum utilisation of all sessions to achieve maximum success in the exam of JEE Main 2026.
FAQs
The student has a chance of a total of 6 attempts for JEE Main 2026 for the consecutive 3 years, with 2 sessions each year. The window for eligibility starts with the year you pass the 12th class without having the option to extend it later.
The rule indicates that you should use all the attempts for JEE Main 2026 with the continuous window beginning with your Class 12 passing year, as per the 3 consecutive years norm. A year cannot be skipped for using it later.
Yes, passing 12th in 2024 provides you eligibility for JEE Main 2024, 2025, and 2026 by allowing a total of 6 attempts, but it is necessary to appear within the above consecutive 3 years only.
If you miss a booth session in a single year, you will lose these attempts permanently. JEE Main criteria do not allow for carrying forward the missed opportunities to the next year, where effective planning and appearing is a crucial aspect for the aspirants.
Session attempts refer to making attempts in either the January or April exam, while year attempts include attending both sessions. For example, appearing in both sessions in 2026 equals 2 yearly attempts.
No, there is no age limit to appear in JEE Main 2026 as per the criteria of NTA. The eligibility criteria are based on clearing the 12th class and fulfilling the required subjects and attempting window rules, as per NTA guidelines.
After dropping a year, students have the chance to take part in the next 3 consecutive years from the year of passing class 12th. Apart from this application window, you will not be able to appear for the JEE Main exam.
No, the score in JEE Main is only valid for the same admission year. For example, your JEE Main 2026 marks can be used only for taking admission in 2026 and cannot be carried forward to the upcoming years.
For example, if you cleared 12th class in 2025, then you are eligible for 2025, 2026, and 2027 JEE Main with 6 attempts for 3 consecutive years.
Yes, you can take the appearance for only one session per year, but experts recommend that you attempt both sessions, because it increases the chances of improvement by ensuring full use of the number of attempts for JEE Main.
Yes, but it will reduce the overall chance from 6 to 3, which is not good for serious aspirants.
Students who pass class 12th in the specified eligibility years 2024, 2025, 2026 for JEE Main 2026 can appear in the exam. If the results are declared later by the board but within the academic cycle, then you can remain eligible for the exam.
You can provide your supplementary results during the eligibility years defined by NTA (2024, 2025, or appearing in 2026).
Droppers/repeaters get the same chance as freshers. The major difference is that they might have already made some attempts in their first eligible year for the exam.
No, 5% reservation allocated within each category (General, EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST) as per the official information posted on JEE Main 2026 reservation guidelines.
