The IIT Joint Admission Test for Masters (IIT JAM 2026) is a national-level entrance examination for postgraduate science programs such as MSc, Joint MSc-PhD, MSc-PhD dual degrees, and other courses offered by the IITs and IISc. The exam will be conducted by IIT Bombay on February 15, 2026. Registrations are set to begin from September 5, 2025, through the official JAM Online Application Processing System (JOAPS). This computer-based test provides graduates from diverse academic streams an opportunity to pursue higher studies and research careers in leading institutes of the country.

IIT JAM 2026 Exam 

IIT JAM 2026 Exam is a national level exam conducted on a rotational basis by IITs to help candidates take admissions in postgraduate programs including MSc, MSc-PhD and Joint MSc-PhD. The IIT JAM 2025 Exam was held on February 15, 2026. The prestigious exam was conducted in two sessions for seven test papers. The IIT JAM 2026 admit card was released on January 5, 2026 on the official website. This year, the IIT JAM exam was conducted by IIT Delhi. 

The results for the exam are basically scheduled to be declared in the month of March. With the help of IIT JAM 2025 scores, students can take part in counselling for getting admission in top IITs and other colleges. 

IIT JAM 2026 Exam Dates and Important Schedule 

Here are the important dates and schedules related to the IIT JAM 2026 exam;

IIT JAM 2026 Eligibility Criteria 

To qualify your admission in IITs and other prestigious Postgraduate institutes, you need to follow eligibility criteria related to IIT JAM 2026. The key eligibility criteria is listed below:

• A candidate should possess a bachelor degree or an equivalent degree from a recognised college or university.
• All candidates appearing for IIT JAM exam should have passed their qualifying degree examination to get admission in a specific program. 
• A candidate should pass the Minimum Education Qualification [ MEQ ] criteria.
• Foreign candidates possessing an Indian degree can also apply for the admissions on the basis of rules.
• There is no age bar to appear for the IIT JAM exam. 
• A candidate’s CGPA or CPI is basically mapped on the scale of 10.
• All qualified candidates are required to provide evidence of their qualifying degree.
• A physical fitness certificate is required from a qualified practitioner at the time of admission. 

IIT JAM Admission Process 2026

IIT JAM 2026 admission process involves applying on the official website, submitting important documents, paying the required application fees and participating in a centralized admission process. Moreover, before getting into the admission process, all candidates should typically look into the eligibility criteria. After that, they can start the admission process of IIT JAM 2026.

• Application and Registration: First candidates are required to fill the IIT JAM Online application form from the official website. You should feel your personal and academic details in this form. 
• Centralized Admission Process: CAP is an admission process conducted by top IITs and IISc to let candidates take admission in postgraduate programs. Candidates are required to fill the form and indicate their preferred institution or college.
• Admission and Seat Allotment: After the CAP process, IITs release the admission list on the basis of merit list. Candidates whose names are there in the admission list get allotted seats in their preferred institutes.
• Documents: All necessary documents like your 10th and 12th marksheet, category certificate and other documents are specified in the information brochure of IIT JAM 2026.

IIT JAM 2026 Admit Card

Admit cards for IIT JAM 2025 are available on the official website of IIT JAM. Admit is considered a crucial document to enter the examination centre. Moreover, you have to also take it during the counselling process. Candidates who have successfully completed their application process can easily download the admit card by following below-mentioned steps:

• First, visit the official website.
• Click on the download IIT JAM 2026 Admit card tab.
• Enter your important credentials like email address and password 
• You may also need to enter the arithmetic expression
• Then enter your virtual signature.
• Download the admit card in the PDF format. 

IIT JAM 2026 Answer Key

After the exam is conducted, IIT Bombay will release the official answer key for JAM 2026. This will enable candidates to check their responses, calculate their probable scores, and raise objections if any discrepancies are found. The answer key ensures fairness and transparency in the evaluation process.

IIT JAM 2026 Result and Merit List

The results of JAM 2026 will be declared on March 20, 2026. Candidates can log in to the JOAPS portal to download their scorecards. Along with results, a merit list will also be published, displaying the names and ranks of qualified candidates. This merit list will form the basis for admission into various postgraduate programs across IITs.

Key Steps for Checking the IIT JAM 2026 Results 

Students appeared for the IIT JAM 2026 can check the exam results from the official website. All they need to do is follow certain steps:

Step 1: Go to the official website of IIT JAM 

Step 2: You need to select the JOAPS portal for IIT JAM.  You can go to the login screen from there.

Step 3: Click the IIT JAM 2026 Result link.

Step 4: You can enter your email address and password to login.

Step 5: Click on the “ Submit “ tab to check your results.

Step 6: To check your list, you can analyse the merit list. 

IIT JAM 2026 Score Card Updates 

The expected date for the issue of IIT JAM 2026 scorecard is 25 March 2025. The scorecard contains all vital information and updates regarding a candidate’s performance. Several details mentioned in the scorecard are:

• Name of test taker and Enrollment number 
• Candidate’s Registration Number or All India Rate 
• Each subject’s qualifying marks 
• Percentile Scorecard 
• A scorecard’s validity 
• Category wise cut off 
• Instruction regarding the admission process

IIT JAM 2026 Cut Off 

The cut-off score is the minimum mark required to qualify for admission. It will be released after the declaration of results and will vary across subjects and categories such as General, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, and PwD. Candidates must achieve at least the prescribed cut-off to be considered for counselling and admission.

IIT JAM 2026 Merit List Process 

Few days after the announcement of IIT JAM 2026 results, the merit list regarding the exam will be released. For all the test papers, All India Rank [ AIR] will be announced. Based on your exam score, you can check if your name is there in the merit list or not. Only the names of IIT JAM shortlisted candidates appear in the merit list. The merit list is typically prepared on the basis of several factors like average marks, category  and scorecard of a JAM candidate. 

IIT JAM 2026 Counselling 

IIT JAM Counselling is held every year through the online mode. The counselling’s process for IIT JAM 2026 application will start from 2nd April 2025. Candidates who have qualified the exam can sit in the admission counselling process. The admission for postgraduate programs is usually done on the basis of applicants rank in the merit list.

Applicants need to undergo the CCMN Process 2026 in which they are required to fill the institute or program of their choice. Generally, four rounds of counselling are planned for the admission of candidates. The rounds may increase, in case certain seats stay vacant. To fulfil the admission process, each candidate has to be physically present. Candidates should complete all types of formalities including fee payment and document verification. 

Documents Needed for IIT JAM 2026 Counselling 

Here is the list of documents that you will need for IIT JAM 2026 counselling. 

IIT JAM Seat Matrix

For IIT JAM 2026, more than 3000 seats are there in the postgraduate programs in IITs, IISc and other top universities.. The number of these seats in regard to the academic year 2026-27. The JAM scores will be used to secure admissions in IITs, IISc and several IIESTs, NITs, SLIET for admissions through Centralised Counselling. 

Seat Distribution varies in IITs and IISc on the basis of different courses. You can get an estimate regarding the allocation of seats in IITs and IISc with the help of General seat matrix. You can expect further updates. Hence, it is advisable to check the official website for the updates.

IIT JAM 2026 Process for Seat Allocation 

Round 1: Round 1 of seat allotment is basically done on the basis of rank or preference. In this round of allotment, the preference of candidates is basically on IITs. The seats are allotted in IITs to all merit list candidates.

Round 2: In round 2, subsequent seat allotment is done. When candidates don’t secure any seat in the first allotment round, they can do it in this round. This round is conducted on the basis of subsequent allotment.

Round 3: This round is called the acceptance and confirmation round. Candidates have to confirm the seat that is allotted to them. For that, they have to pay the required fees.

Round 4: Candidates can also update the seats in the other rounds. This can be done on the basis of allotted seats.

Round 5: Once all the rounds of process are completed, allotment for final seats is announced. All candidates have to report to their designated institutes.

Round 6: Candidates who have accepted their allocation seat and they have to submit their document for further admission process. 

IIT JAM 2026 – List of Top Colleges and Universities Accepting IIT JAM Scores 

Top IITs and other colleges accept IIT JAM 2026 score to admit candidates for various postgraduate programs. List of colleges and courses accepting IIT JAM score are tabulated below:  

IIT JAM 2026 Exam Centres 

Every year, IIT JAM, called as one of the toughest exams of the country, is conducted across various cities. There can be more than one exam centre in a particular city. The exact centre details are basically mentioned on the admit cards of candidates. When you fill your IIT JAM application form, you get the opportunity to choose three exam cities in terms of your order of preference. The IIT JAM 2025 examination was conducted on 2nd February 2025 across 103 cities. The zone-wise list for the exam centre list is also updated on the official website.

IIT JAM 2025 Exam Analysis

Exam analysis is an integral part to understand the difficulty level of the exam. The exam analysis is generally dependent on feedback, reviews and reactions given by all students. For the IIT JAM 2025 exam, majority candidates appeared in Mathematics and Chemistry papers. Other students appeared in the Geology exam. 

As per student’s reactions, the Mathematics exam was quite difficult as compared to previous year. However, the chemistry paper’s difficulty level was moderate. Questions were mainly designed to check the practical and analytical ability of candidates. Moreover, the chemistry paper was considered more lengthy. As per the reviews of students appeared in the IIT JAM 2025 Chemistry paper, the questions were attempted with 90% accuracy. 

IIT JAM 2026 Mock Tests 

Mock tests are a good way to give extra power to your exam preparation. Every year, mock tests for IIT JAM exam are released by conducted IIT. To get used to the format and level of questions, you can prepare from the mock test of IIT JAM 2024. You can sign in to the official website to download the IIT JAM exam mock tests. Mock tests of different subjects for IIT JAM can be downloaded in PDF format. 

IIT JAM Previous Year Question Papers

The IIT JAM previous year question papers are released immediately after the exam alongside the provisional answer key. You can download the answer key in PDF format. The IIT JAM 2025 exam authorities released the 2024 exam previous year question paper after the exam. You can download subject-wise question papers from the official website.

Previous year question papers are considered a good way to understand the exam pattern, syllabus and question types. Moreover, these question papers can help you analyze the performance and know where you stand in your preparation. 

IIT JAM 2026 Exam Pattern 

The IIT JAM 2026 is a computer Based Test which consists of three sections. This section comprises Multiple Choice Questions and Numerical Type Questions. The exam is typically conducted for several papers including; Physics, Chemistry, Mathematical Science and Biological Science, Mathematics and Computing and Geology. 

IIT JAM 2026 Syllabus 

The syllabus for IIT JAM 2026 exam is comprehensive. The examination questions are particularly asked from the subjects of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Mathematics, Geology etc. Each subject’s syllabus is divided into sections. You can check the official website to get in-depth detail about the syllabus. 

Below, we have provided, the subject wise breakdown of all important topics: