JEE (B.Arch)
JEE - Joint Entrance Examination
Table of Contents
Comprehensive Guide to JEE Main Paper 2A (B.Arch) 2026
The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main Paper 2A is a national-level entrance examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). It serves as the gateway for students aspiring to secure admission into undergraduate Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) programs at prestigious institutions across India, including National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and other Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs). This dedicated page provides a detailed overview of the JEE Main 2026 Paper 2A exam.
About the JEE Main Examination
The JEE Main is conducted in two sessions per year, typically in January and April. This gives candidates two opportunities to improve their scores. If a student appears for both sessions, the best of the two NTA Scores is considered for preparing the final merit list and ranking. This approach reduces the pressure on students and provides a safety net in case they are unable to perform their best in a single attempt.JEE Main 2026 Paper 2A (B.Arch): Examination Scheme
The examination for B.Arch is designed to test a candidate’s aptitude, mathematical skills, and drawing ability. The exam is conducted in a hybrid mode.- Part I (Mathematics) & Part II (Aptitude Test): These sections are conducted as a Computer Based Test (CBT).
- Part III (Drawing Test): This section is conducted in a pen-and-paper (offline) mode, where candidates must attempt questions on an A4 size drawing sheet.
Important Dates
| EVENTS | DATES |
|---|---|
| Session 1 (January 2026): JEE (Main) – 2026 | |
| Online Submission of Application Form | 31 October 2025 to 27 November 2025 (Up to 09:00 P.M.) |
| Last date for successful transaction of prescribed Application Fee | 27 November 2025 (Up to 11:50 P.M.) |
| Correction in Particulars of the online Application Form | Will be displayed on the NTA website |
| City Intimation Slip | First Week of January 2026 (Tentatively) |
| Downloading Admit Cards from the NTA website | 03-04 days before the date of the Examination |
| Dates of Examination | Between 21 January 2026 to 30 January 2026 |
| Display of Question Paper attempted by the Candidate and Answer Keys for inviting challenges | Will be displayed on the NTA website |
| Declaration of Result | By 12 February, 2026 |
| Session 2 (April 2026): JEE (Main) – 2026 | |
| Online Submission of Application Form | Last week of January 2026 Onwards |
| Last date for successful transaction of prescribed Application Fee | Will be notified later |
| Correction in Particulars of the online Application Form | Will be displayed on the NTA website |
| City Intimation Slip | Second Week of March 2026 (Tentatively) |
| Downloading Admit Cards from the NTA website | 03-04 days before the date of the Examination |
| Dates of Examination | Between 02 April 2026 to 09 April 2026 |
| Display of Question Paper attempted by the Candidate and Answer Keys for inviting challenges | Will be displayed on the NTA website |
| Declaration of Result | By 20 April, 2026 |
| Duration of Examination for each Session of JEE (Main) – 2026 | |
| Paper 1 (B. E/ B. Tech.) Or Paper 2A (B. Arch.) Or Paper 2B (B. Planning) | 03 Hours |
| B. Arch & B. Planning (Both) | 03 Hours 30 Minutes |
| Duration of Examination | First Shift | Second Shift |
|---|---|---|
| For 03 Hours Paper | 09:00 A.M. to 12:00 Noon (IST) | 03:00 P.M. to 06:00 P.M. (IST) |
| For 03 Hours 30 Minutes Paper | 09:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. (IST) | 03:00 P.M. to 06:30 P.M. (IST) |
Fee payable for JEE B.Arch
| Fee payable for JEE (Main) – 2026 (through Credit Card/ Debit Card/ Net-Banking/ UPI) | Type of Candidate | Male/Female | Centres in India (Fee in ₹) | Centres Outside India (Fee in ₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Paper 1: B.E./B. Tech OR Paper 2A: B. Arch OR Paper 2B: B. Planning | General | Male | 1000 | 5000 |
| General | Female | 800 | 4000 | |
| Gen-EWS/ OBC (NCL) | Male | 900 | 4500 | |
| Gen-EWS/ OBC (NCL) | Female | 800 | 4000 | |
| SC/ST/ PwD/PwBD | Male | 500 | 2500 | |
| SC/ST/ PwD/PwBD | Female | 500 | 2500 | |
| Third Gender | – | 500 | 3000 | |
|
Paper 1: B.E./ B. Tech & Paper 2A: B. Arch OR Paper 1: B.E./ B. Tech & Paper 2B: B. Planning OR Paper 1: B.E./ B. Tech, Paper 2A: B. Arch & Paper 2B: B. Planning OR Paper 2A: B. Arch & Paper 2B: B. Planning | General/ Gen-EWS/ OBC (NCL) | Male | 2000 | 10000 |
| General/ Gen-EWS/ OBC (NCL) | Female | 1600 | 8000 | |
| SC/ ST/ PwD/ PwBD | Male | 1000 | 5000 | |
| SC/ ST/ PwD/ PwBD | Female | 1000 | 5000 | |
| Third Gender | – | 1000 | 5000 |
Processing charges and Goods & Service Taxes (GST) are to be paid by the candidate, as applicable.
Candidates are requested to fill in the Application Form carefully; corrections in only certain fields will be permitted during the correction window which will be notified at a later stage.
Note: Multiple Application Forms submitted by a candidate will not be accepted and will lead to the cancellation of his/her result.
- A candidate can apply for Session-1 (January 2026) examination and pay the exam fee accordingly; candidates will be given opportunity to apply for Session-2 (April 2026) separately (using same application number) along with the fee payment, for which separate notification will be issued.
- If a candidate wishes to apply for Session 2 (April 2026), the candidate can log in and pay the Examination Fee for Session 2 during that period; if candidate wishes to apply only for Session-2 (April 2026), he/she can register later, when application form for Session-2 (April 2026) is active.
- The application window for Session 2 will be opened as per the details available in the Information Bulletin and will also be notified separately through a Public Notice.
- The fee can be submitted only online through Net Banking, Credit Card, Debit Card, or UPI Services; processing charges and GST as applicable are chargeable from the candidate (in addition to the examination fee) by the concerned Bank/Payment Gateway Integrator.
- The Confirmation Page of the online Application Form for each session will be generated only after the successful payment of the fee by the Candidate; in case the Confirmation Page is not generated after payment of the fee, then the candidate may have to approach the concerned Bank/Payment Gateway (in the helpline numbers and email given in Appendix – I) to ensure the successful payment or to obtain the refund of duplicate/multiple payments.
Under no circumstances, candidates will be allowed to fill more than one Application Form. Strict action will be taken, even at a later stage, against such candidates who have filled more than one Application Form and will be treated as UFM.
Examination Scheme
Mode of examination
- Part I Mathematics (CBT) and Part II Aptitude Test (CBT) are conducted in Computer Based Test mode.
- Part III Drawing Test is conducted in pen-and-paper (offline) mode on an A4-size drawing sheet.
Medium of question paper
Available in 13 languages: English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu (availability depends on the chosen examination centre policy).
Subjects and question types
| Part | Subject | Type of questions | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part I | Mathematics | MCQs and Numerical Value Questions | CBT |
| Part II | Aptitude Test | MCQs | CBT |
| Part III | Drawing Test | Questions to test drawing aptitude | Pen & Paper on A4 sheet |
Question distribution and marks
| Subject/Part | Number of questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Part I: Mathematics | 20 (Section A MCQs) + 5 (Section B Numerical) | 100 |
| Part II: Aptitude Test | 50 | 200 |
| Part III: Drawing Test | 2 | 100 |
| Total | 77 | 400 |
Marking scheme
- MCQs: +4 for correct, −1 for incorrect, 0 for unanswered/marked for review.
- Numerical value questions (Section B of Mathematics): +4 for correct, −1 for incorrect, 0 for unanswered.
- Drawing Test: Two questions evaluated for a total of 100 marks (no negative marking).
- For Section B numerical answers, enter the integer using the on‑screen numeric keypad and round to the nearest integer.
Duration
- Total duration: 3 hours for Paper 2A.
- PwD/PwBD candidates eligible for a scribe: 4 hours.
Tie‑breaking (Paper 2A)
- Higher NTA score in Mathematics.
- Then higher NTA score in Aptitude Test.
- Then higher NTA score in Drawing Test.
- Then lower ratio of incorrect to correct attempts across all subjects.
- Then lower ratio of incorrect to correct attempts in Mathematics.
- Then lower ratio of incorrect to correct attempts in Aptitude Test.
- If still tied, the same rank is awarded.
Eligibility & Qualification
Age Criteria
For appearing in JEE (Main) – 2026, there is no age limit for candidates.
Candidates who have passed Class XII / equivalent in 2024 or 2025, or are appearing in 2026, can appear in JEE (Main) – 2026 irrespective of age.
Institutes may prescribe their own age criteria for admission; candidates must satisfy the institute’s requirements at the time of admission.
List of Qualifying Examinations (QE)
- Final examination of the 10+2 system conducted by any recognized Central/State Board (e.g., CBSE, CISCE).
- Intermediate or two-year Pre-University examination conducted by a recognized Board/University.
- Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy.
- Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling with a minimum of five subjects.
- Any Public School/Board/University examination in India or abroad recognized as equivalent to 10+2 by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
- Higher Secondary Certificate Vocational Examination.
- A diploma (minimum 3 years) recognized by AICTE or a State board of technical education.
- General Certificate Education (GCE) examination (London/Cambridge/Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level.
- High School Certificate Examination of the Cambridge University or International Baccalaureate Diploma of the IB Office, Geneva.
- Candidates who completed Class XII (or equivalent) outside India or from a Board not listed above must produce an AIU equivalence certificate.
- If Class XII is not a public examination, the candidate must have passed at least one public Board or Pre-University examination earlier.
- Board of Open Schooling and Skill Education (BOSSE), Sikkim.
Eligibility to appear in JEE (Main) per the above does not guarantee admission; candidates must also meet institute-specific eligibility criteria.
Year of Appearance in QE
Eligible candidates are those who passed Class XII / equivalent in 2024 or 2025, or are appearing in 2026; those who passed in 2023 or earlier are not eligible.
“Passing year” means the first year the result is declared as “pass” for the Class XII / equivalent examination.
Example: If a candidate passed Class XII with PCB in 2023 and later passed Mathematics in 2024, then 2023 is treated as the passing year for JEE (Main) eligibility.
Improvement attempts do not change the first passing year; they are not considered as the first attempt.
Candidates appearing in Class XII in 2026 may enter their Roll/Registration/Enrollment number while filling the online form.
State of Eligibility (SoE)
State code of eligibility is determined by the State/UT from which the candidate passed Class XII or equivalent, not by place of birth or residence.
- If the exam was taken in New Delhi while residing in Noida (UP), the SoE is Delhi, not Uttar Pradesh.
- If Class XII was first passed in one State and later improvement was taken in another, the SoE is the State where Class XII was first passed.
- For NIOS candidates, select the State where the Study Centre is located.
- Indian nationals passing Class XII from Nepal/Bhutan: SoE is based on permanent address in India as per the passport.
- OCI who pass Class XII in India have SoE at par with Indian nationals; OCI who pass abroad are eligible for All India quota seats but not Home State quota in NITs/IIITs/Other-CFTIs.
Applicability to Paper 2A
All provisions in Chapter 3 above apply to candidates seeking to appear in JEE (Main) Paper 2A (B.Arch) and should be read in conjunction with Paper 2A exam-pattern and admission criteria given elsewhere in the Bulletin.
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