JEE Main answer key and individual response sheet are expected between 1st and 3rd February 2026. It is usually released 3-5 days after the JEE Main exam concludes. Students can calculate the JEE Main score by comparing the answer key and response sheet.
- Match the question ID and choose option in the response sheet to the correct option listed in the answer key to count the correct answer.
- While calculating, keep in mind that negative marking applies to both MCQs and numerical value questions as per the marking scheme.
- This calculation gives you a raw score. The final result will be a normalised percentile score by taking the shift-wise performances into account.
Also Read:
- How to calculate JEE Main score using the response sheet?
- Recent updates on the JEE Main 2026 Answer key and how to challenge it?
Key Summary
- JEE Main 2026 response sheet and answer key release is expected between February 1 and 3, 2026.
- To identify correct and incorrect answers, you need to match Question IDs in the response sheet with the official answer key
- Both MCQs and numerical questions follow +4 for correct and -1 for incorrect marking.
- The calculated score is a raw score; final results are released as normalised percentile scores.
- If you find any errors in the answer key, you can challenge it within the answer key challenging window.
Difference Between JEE Main Response Sheet and Answer Key
The response sheet is a personal document showing the answers you marked during the exam. Whereas the answer key is the document listing the official correct answers for all the questions.
These documents serve as a mirror of your performance in the JEE Main exam.
| Aspect | JEE Main Response Sheet | JEE Main Answer Keys |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Shows your marked answer | Shows correct answers as per NTA |
| Purpose | Review your Performance | Calculate your score |
| Can it be challenged? | No | The answer key can be challenged by paying a fee of 200 for each question. |
| Information Shown | Your chosen options | Correct answer for every question as per NTA |
| Release Timing | Same time as the answer key | 3-5 days after the exam. (Expected by February 1st to 3) |
Also Read: How to challenge JEE Main 2026 Answer Key?
Ques. What does the JEE Main response sheet show exactly?
Ans. The response sheet lists all of your chosen answers to every question. It also displays numerical values you entered, whether you attempted them.
Check out this step-by-step guide from Collegedunia on how to download the JEE Main 2026 Answer Key
Understanding the JEE Main Marking Scheme to Calculate Your JEE Main Score
Understanding the JEE Main marking scheme is the first step to calculating your score using the answer key and response sheet.
Negative marking applies to both MCQs and numerical answer-type questions. Many students make the mistake that numerical questions don’t carry negative marking.
Every correct answer gets +4 marks, while you get -1 mark for every wrong answer.
| Question Type | Correct Answer | Incorrect Answer | Unattempted |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCQs | +4 Marks | -1 Mark | 0 |
| Numerical Value | +4 Marks | -1 Mark | 0 |
Source: JEE Main 2026 Official Information Bulletin
A user in r/JEE on Reddit explains how to read a response sheet and calculate the score.
How to Calculate JEE Main 2026 Score By Using the Response Sheet and the Answer Key?
Follow the simple steps to calculate your JEE Main score:
- Open your downloaded JEE Main response sheet and answer key.
- Check each question one by one. Check the Question ID and the correct option in the answer key against your chosen option in the response sheet.
- For every question where your chosen option matches the answer key, add 4 marks.
- For every mismatch in the chosen option and the correct option, subtract 1 mark.
- Ignore the unattempted questions. Unattempted questions don’t have negative marking.
- Sum all the marks to get the JEE Main 2026 score.
The formula can also be used to calculate the score. After counting the correct and wrong answers, use the given formula to compute your JEE Main score.
| JEE Main Score = (No of correct answers x 4) - (No of incorrect answers x 1) |
| Subject | Correct | Incorrect | Unattempted | Subject Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physics | 20 | 3 | 2 | (20 x 4) - 3 |
| Chemistry | 18 | 5 | 2 | (18 x 4) - 5 |
| Mathematics | 15 | 2 | 8 | (15 x 4) - 2 |
| Total | 53 | 10 | 12 | 202/300 |
Also Read:
Predict your college chances as per your JEE Main 2026 Score
A user on Quora explains how you can use your answer key to calculate your JEE Main score. “You can use answer keys to know your JEE Main raw scores. All u have to do is to download it and tally Ur every response carefully. This procedure hardly takes 30 minutes,” says the Quora user.
Ques. What if my numerical answer is very close but not exact?
Ans. Numerical answers must match exactly. No range is accepted as an answer. The answer should be rounded off to the nearest integer. If you think your calculation and answer are correct, you can challenge the answer key within the duration with solid proof for the answer.
JEE Main 2026 Score Calculator by Collegedunia
If this process is tedious for you, Collegedunia brings you a time-efficient tool to calculate your JEE Main score accurately. JEE Main 2026 Score Calculator by Collegedunia calculates your score based on your response sheet.
Collegedunia's JEE Main score calculator allows you to calculate your score by directly uploading your response sheet. JEE Main 2026 score calculator uses the NTA marking scheme for accurate calculation. All you have to do is follow these simple steps.
- Paste your response sheet link in the Collegedunia JEE Main score calculator
- Click on “Check Results”
You can also calculate your score manually, by following these simple steps
- Select your paper from the drop-down menu
- Enter the number of correct and incorrect answers for each section.
- Click on “Check Results”.
Common Mistakes to Avoid While Calculating Your Score
One of the common mistakes students make is not counting the negative marks for wrong numerical value questions. As per NTA, numerical value questions also have negative marking if the answer doesn’t match the answer key.
| Mistake | How to Avoid? |
|---|---|
| Forgetting negative marking in numerical | Apply negative marking of -1 for a wrong numerical type answer. |
| If a numerical answer is close enough to the correct answer, consider it correct | Numerical values that don’t match the answer in the answer key are considered wrong.It should exactly match the answer in the key; otherwise, apply a negative mark. Note: The answer should be rounded off to the nearest integer (most of the time it will be mentioned in the question itself) |
| Miscounting questions | Double-check the question IDs |
| Relying on unofficial answer keys | Use only official NTA answer keys for accurate calculations |
| Not challenging obvious errors in the answer key. | You can challenge the answer key during the challenging window if you find a wrong answer in the answer key. Make sure you have solid proof before challenging. |
Also Check Out:
Predict your All India Rank based on your JEE Main 2026 Score
Ques. How can I make sure my JEE Main score calculation is correct?
Ans. Calculate twice to make sure there are no mistakes. Use only the official answer key. To make it simple, do subject-wise calculations.
Ques. What are the common mistakes when calculating JEE Main marks?
Ans. Common mistakes include:
- Forgetting negative marking
- Wrong matching of question IDs.
- Misreading the numerical answer.
The JEE Main response sheet and answer key are important tools that allow candidates estimate their performance. You can accurately calculate your JEE Main raw score by using these official documents. Use the NTA official marking scheme to minimise errors while calculating.
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