IIT JAM 2026 Exam Pattern is available to check for various courses opted by the students on the website. The IIT JAM (Joint Admission Test for M.Sc.) is a national level entrance test conducted by the IISc and IITs on rotation basis.
Is there any negative marking for IIT JAM 2026? Exam pattern & paper wise marking scheme below.
For the year 2026, it is being conducted by the Indian Institutes of Technology, IIT Bombay. Candidates seeking admission in postgraduation and Ph.D courses offered by IITs and IISc will be required to clear the IIT JAM examination.
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Here in this article, we are providing details about IIT JAM Exam Pattern 2026 along with details on the marking scheme and tips on how to score well on exam.
IIT JAM 2026 Exam Pattern
IIT JAM examination is conducted for seven test papers. This examination will be organized through online mode (computer based test) on 15th February 2026. The paper will be in English language. The exam duration will be a total 3 hours. The question paper will be divided into total three sections, A, B, and C. The details of three sections are mentioned below:
Section – A:
This section will have a total of 30 MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions). There will be 10 questions of 1 mark and 20 questions of 2 marks. Each question will contain four optional answers, students will have to choose the right answer only. Candidates will have to answer by clicking the given choices.
Section – B:
It will contain a total of 10 MCQ (Multiple Select Questions). Each question will carry two marks. Each question will contain four given choices out of which more than one choice(s) can be correct. Candidates will get full marks if all the correct answers are selected. Two marks will be given for each correct answer.
Candidates can check the exam pattern below in the table:
| Sections | Questions | Total marks | |
| No. of questions | Type of questions | ||
| Section I | 30 | Multiple choice questions | 50 |
| Section II | 10 | Multiple select questions | 20 |
| Section III | 20 | Numerical answer type questions | 30 |
| Total | 60 | 60 | 100 |
Also Check:
Section- C:
This section will consist of 20 NAT (Numerical Answer Type) questions. 10 questions will be of 1 mark and 10 questions will be of 2 marks. No options will be displayed for these types of questions. Candidates will have to answer by pressing the number through the virtual numeric keypad.
IIT JAM 2026 Marking Scheme
Each section will contain a total of 60 questions, which will carry 100 marks. There will be no negative marking in Sections B & C, but negative marking will be done for Section A. In section A, for the 1 mark question, 1/3 of the marks will be deducted, and for 2 mark questions, 2/3 marks will be deducted for each incorrect response. No marks will be deducted for unattempted questions.
| IIT JAM Marking Scheme 2026 | |
| Particulars | Details |
| Correct Answer | +1 mark for each 1 mark question |
| +2 marks for each 2 marks question | |
| Negative Markings | -1/3 mark for each 1 mark question |
| -2/3 marks for each 2 marks question | |
| Unanswered Question | 0 marks |
IIT JAM 2026 Exam Centers
Here we are providing a list of exam centres for IIT JAM 2026:
| Institute | Cities |
| IISc Bangalore | Belagavi [KA], Bengaluru [KA], Bidar [KA], Gulbarga/Kalaburagi [KA], Hassan [KA], Hubbali [KA], Hyderabad [TS], Kannur [KL], Kozhikode [KL], Mangaluru [KA], Mysuru [KA], Palakkad [KL], Port Blair [AN], Shimoga [KA], Thrissur [KL], Vatakara [KL] |
| IIT Bombay | Ahmedabad [GJ], Ahmednagar (Ahilyanagar) [MH], Akola [MH], Amravati [MH], Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) [MH], Goa [GA], Jalgaon [MH], Kolhapur [MH], Mumbai-Navi Mumbai-Thane [MH], Nagpur [MH], Nanded [MH], Nashik [MH], Pune [MH], Rajkot [GJ], Sangli [MH], Satara [MH], Solapur [MH], Surat [GJ], Vadodara [GJ] |
| IIT Delhi | Faridabad [HR], Greater NOIDA [UP], Gurugram [HR], Hisar [HR], Indore [MP], Jaipur [RJ], Jammu [JK], Jodhpur [RJ], Mathura [UP], New Delhi [DL], Srinagar [JK] |
| IIT Guwahati | Agartala [TR], Asansol [WB], Dhanbad [JH], Dibrugarh [AS], Dimapur [NL], Durgapur [WB], Guwahati [AS], Imphal [MN], Jorhat [AS], Kalyani [WB], Kohima [NL], Patna [BR], Shillong [ML], Siliguri [WB] |
| IIT Kanpur | Agra [UP], Aligarh [UP], Bareilly [UP], Bhopal [MP], Gorakhpur [UP], Jabalpur [MP], Kanpur [UP], Lucknow [UP], Prayagraj [UP], Varanasi [UP] |
| IIT Kharagpur | Bhubaneswar [OR], Bilaspur [CH], Brahmapur (Odisha) [OR], Kolaghat [WB], Kolkata [WB], Kharagpur-Midnapore [WB], Raipur [CH], Ranchi [JH], Vijayawada [AP], Visakhapatnam [AP] |
| IIT Madras | Alappuzha [KL], Chennai [TN], Coimbatore [TN], Ernakulam [KL], Guntur [AP], Karimnagar [TS], Khammam [TS], Kollam [KL], Kottayam [KL], Madurai [TN], Ongole [AP], Puducherry [PY], Salem [TN], Thiruvananthapuram [KL], Tiruchirapalli [TN], Tirunelveli [TN], Tirupati [AP], Warangal [TS], |
| IIT Roorkee | Ambala [HR], Dehradun [UK], Ghaziabad [UP], Haldwani [UK], Jalandhar [PB], Kangra [HP], Kurukshetra [HR], Meerut [UP], Mohali-Chandigarh [PB], Moradabad [UP], NOIDA [UP], Patiala [PB], Roorkee [UK], Shimla-Solan [HP], |
Note: The cities mentioned above are official but tentative, table will be updated after the release of IIT JAM 2026 final center list.
IIT JAM 2026 Preparation Tips
Check out the preparation tips for the upcoming IIT JAM examination below-
- Reading & Understanding Exam Pattern & Syllabus: It is very important for candidates to thoroughly go through the JAM exam pattern and syllabus, without understanding the basis, you will not be able to start your preparation.
- Making a Schedule: Making a proper study plan will help you give equal time to all the subjects and topics.
- Practicing Mock Tests & Old Papers: With the help of mock tests you will have an idea about the exam format. Mock tests are like the original test paper. On the other hand, solving the previous year’s paper will familiarize you with the topics and questions commonly asked every year.
- Using Study Techniques: Find ways to make your study process easy. You can make notes, recall topics that you found difficult, watch videos to understand any concept, etc.
- Take Break: Timely take rests and breaks, as this is important while studying. This will help you in making your mind calm and will make your body relax too.
In this article, we have provided all the details related to the IIT JAM session 2026 exam pattern, marking scheme, and exam centers. Hope this article was helpful for you.
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