JEE Main Answer Key
Provisional and final answer keys, response sheets, challenge procedures and fee information.
Answer-key analysis desk
Compare responses, calculate a provisional score and challenge only with evidence.
Dates, fees, cutoffs and rules can change between admission cycles. Confirm dynamic details on the conducting authority’s official portal before acting.
Provisional answer key and recorded responses
After an examination session, NTA displays the provisional answer key, the candidate’s recorded responses and the attempted question paper through the official portal. The display window can be only a few days, so download all files immediately and preserve them.
Calculating a provisional Paper 1 score
Compare the recorded response—not merely what you remember selecting—with the provisional key. For the 2026 Paper 1 scheme, add four marks for each correct answer, subtract one for each incorrect answer and add zero for unanswered questions. This produces a raw-score estimate, not an NTA percentile or final rank.
Challenging a key
The 2026 bulletin prescribed a non-refundable processing fee of ₹200 per challenged question. A valid challenge had to be submitted through the official online link during the stated period with supporting justification or evidence. Email, post or unpaid objections were not considered.
Before paying, verify the question ID, option ID, paper date and shift. Build a concise argument using an authoritative textbook, official syllabus or logically complete solution. Challenging because an answer “feels wrong” is unlikely to succeed.
Subject experts examine the challenges. NTA’s decision is final, and candidates are not necessarily informed individually about the outcome of each objection. The result is compiled from the final answer key.
Dropped or multiple-answer questions
The bulletin specifies how marks are handled if more than one MCQ option is correct, all options are correct or a question is dropped. The applicable treatment depends on question type and the final decision. Candidates should not apply a generic social-media rule; use the final key and the bulletin’s marking provisions.
Why estimated marks and percentile differ
JEE Main is conducted in multiple shifts. Raw marks are converted into NTA scores through normalisation. Therefore, the same raw mark does not guarantee an identical percentile across different shifts, and unofficial “marks versus percentile” tables are only historical approximations.
Records to save
Preserve the provisional key, response sheet, attempted paper, challenge receipt, supporting evidence and final key. These files help diagnose scoring differences and are valuable for the result analysis and future question-paper practice.
Exam at a Glance
- Admission LevelUndergraduate engineering, architecture and planning admissions
- Conducting AuthorityNational Testing Agency
- Exam CategoryUndergraduate Engineering