JEE Main 2026: Major Exam Reforms On The Way? What Every Student Must Know

JEE Main 2026: Big changes are coming to JEE Main, one of India's largest engineering entrance exams. The Ministry of Education has formed a new JEE Apex Board for the 2026 and 2027 exams. This board will make all important decisions related to the exam, whether it's rules, normalization policy, or exam pattern. Many students have complained that the difficulty level of the JEE Main paper is not the same across different shifts. Some shifts have easier questions, while others have more difficult ones. After normalization, the marks change, and students with the same raw scores end up with different final scores. This is why the government has decided to reconsider the entire system by forming a new board.

What could change in JEE Main 2026?

• The normalization formula will be reviewed, and a new, more transparent scoring system may be introduced.
• The paper-setting process will be changed so that the difficulty level of questions is almost equal in every shift.
• Student complaints and feedback will be considered.
• Transparency and fairness in the exam will be further strengthened.

What are the students' complaints about JEE Main?

Normalization issues: Students believe that the current formula does not accurately reflect their actual performance.

Disparity in paper difficulty: The difficulty of questions varies across different shifts.

Demand for standardization: Students want equal opportunities and a consistent difficulty level across all shifts.

JEE Apex Board Structure

The JEE Apex Board has been completely revamped. Professor SK Jain (former Vice-Chancellor, BHU) has been appointed as its head. The board has a total of 19 members, including the directors of IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Roorkee, and NIT Rourkela, the chairman of CBSE, the DG of NTA (National Testing Agency), and representatives from Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh.

Why is this change important for students?

Every year, lakhs of students take the JEE Main to gain admission to top colleges like NITs and IIITs and to reach IITs through JEE Advanced. Even a small change in the rules or scoring can have a big impact on the results. The new board can also benefit students, including clearer guidelines on rules and eligibility, a more consistent difficulty level across all shifts, a fairer normalization system, and greater transparency in the exam process.

The first meeting of the board is yet to be held. The official announcement of the exam schedule and new rules will be made after the meeting. Therefore, students preparing for JEE 2026 are advised to stay updated with the NTA's official website.

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