The National Testing Agency (NTA) has clarified the use of calculators in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2026. The agency, by a public notice on November 2, 2026, clarified that no calculators, whether physical or on-screen, will be allowed during the examination. This statement by the agency contradicts the earlier provision in the JEE Main 2026 information brochure, released on October 31, which for the first time indicated the availability of an on-screen calculator.
NTA clarified that it was a typographical error and that the calculator feature is for their generic test platform and does not apply to JEE Main. Examinees are required to handle all the computations by themselves, as no calculating device will be provided. The revised version of the official information booklet reflecting this change has been posted on the JEE Main website, and candidates are advised to download the latest version for the correct details.
Registration and Exam Dates for JEE Main 2026
As of now, the application process for the first session of JEE Main 2026 is going on and will be available till 27 November 2025. The first session of the exam will be conducted from 21 to 30 January 2026, while the second session is scheduled from April 2 to 9, 2026. A separate session format thus gives the opportunity to candidates to appear in either one or both sessions to have better results.
NTA has increased the number of exam cities this time to 323 from 284 last year. This increment is targeted at making it easier and more comfortable for candidates throughout India to take the exam. Students choosing their city while registering can rest assured that they will have less travel and its related fatigue during the examination.
Clarification on the On-Screen Calculator Confusion
The misunderstanding about the calculator use came from the first point of the JEE Main 2026 brochure, mentioning an on-screen calculator that was supposed to be a simple tool available during the computer-based test (CBT). Many candidates anticipated that, through this feature, it would be possible to perform simple operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, percentages, and square roots directly on the exam interface.
In fact, the NTA has clarified that the on-screen calculator is not for JEE Main and that its inclusion was an error due to the use of a generic test platform template. The agency pointed out that all calculations in the JEE Main test should be done manually.
By this correction from the NTA, it was made clear that the NTA is committed to preserving the integrity and fairness of the exam by requiring candidates to demonstrate their basic conceptual knowledge and arithmetic skills without the use of technological tools.
