4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Feb 16, 2026 08:39 PM IST
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has today (February 16) released the final answer keys for the JEE Main 2026 session 1, and as many as nine questions have been dropped. Students can download the final answer keys, along with the results, from the official website– jeemain.nta.nic.in. NTA has uploaded two answer keys – one with the correct options released in the morning and the other with the correct option IDs released now.
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The morning release includes answer keys for both domestic and international candidates. It presents answers shift-wise and date-wise, and shows two columns — one for domestic candidates and another for international candidates. The answers are displayed using simple option numbers (such as 1, 2, 3, or 4) along with corresponding codes.
The later release, however, is specifically labelled for centres in India and centres outside India. It does not separate domestic and international candidates. Instead of showing simple option numbers, it provides a single “Correct Option ID” for each Question ID, using long numerical codes. The structure is more streamlined and appears longer because it lists questions sequentially with their final mapped option IDs.
Final answer keys are prepared after the Agency takes into account the questions claimed by students. These claimed questions are then referred to the subject expert. The final answer keys for JEE Main session one are then released based on the experts’ recommendations to accept the claim or reject it. For more updates on JEE Mains final answer key, and result, April application process, and top colleges, click here.
The final answer keys are available as a PDF document file on the official portal without the need for login credentials. Candidates can access and download them directly to match their marked responses and estimate their final scores before the result is declared.
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How to check the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Final Answer Keys
Step 1: Visit the official website of JEE Main at jeemain.nta.nic.in.
Step 2: On the homepage, look for the link titled ‘JEE Main 2026 Final Answer Key – Session 1’.
Step 3: Click on the link to open the final answer key PDF.
Step 4: The answer key will be displayed subject-wise and paper-wise on the screen
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Step 5: Download the PDF file and save it for future reference.
Step 6: Compare the final answers with your response sheet to estimate your final score.
The JEE Main 2026 Session 1 result is expected to be announced by today, February 16, 2026. The final answer keys are typically published before or along with the results, and the results will also be available on the same official website.
In the final answer key released today for the JEE Main 2026 January session exam paper 1, it is observed that as many as four questions have multiple answers. For questions with multiple answers, four marks (+4) will be awarded to only those who have marked any of the correct options in the JEE Main 2026 paper 1.
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For the nine questions dropped across multiple shifts, full marks will be awarded to all candidates who appeared for that particular shift.
Meanwhile, the Coaching Federation of India (CFI) has accused the National Testing Agency (NTA) of releasing provisional solutions riddled with errors. Arguing that these mistakes could drastically impact student rankings, the federation has demanded bonus marks for several disputed questions.
Shortly after, CFI identified 17 problematic questions, pointing to ambiguous wording, calculation mistakes, incorrect answer options, and cases with multiple correct responses. Of these, the federation insists that 10 are fundamentally flawed and should be awarded as bonus questions, while the remaining seven suffer from technical inaccuracies.
