IIT JAM 2026 exam is scheduled to be held on February 15, 2025, in two shifts at 117 exam centres across the nation. IIT Bombay, the exam conducting body, will conduct the JAM 2026 exam to provide admissions to the master's and integrated PhD programmes.
JAM 2026 application form is closed. The last date for filling out the registration form was October 12, 2025. Successfully registered candidates who have paid the registration fee will be able to download the IIT JAM 2026 admit card from January 5, 2026, onwards.
Exam Authority will test candidates’ domain knowledge, analytical and critical skills from the specified IIT JAM 2026 syllabus for the duration of three hours in online/CBT mode. As per the IIT JAM 2026 exam pattern, candidates' understanding of the concepts will be tested in the form of MCQ, MSQ and NAT-type questions.
Check out this SciAstra exam page to get complete insight on the IIT JAM 2026 exam dates, pattern, syllabus, admit card, question paper, result, cut-off and other relevant details.
Why IIT JAM?
The IIT JAM, Joint Admission Test for Master's, is among the crucial examinations for students who wish to pursue their master’s degree in the science domain to elevate their academic and professional careers. For the science enthusiastes, IIT JAM 2026 exam is a gateway to prestigious postgraduate science programmes like MSc, Joint MSc -PhD, and Integrated PhD degrees at premier institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and various National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and other Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs).
Apart from academics, qualifying the JAM 2026 exam will also enhance the candidate’s long-term career prospects, like lucrative opportunities in Research and Development in organisations like ISRO, DRDO, BARC, and CSIR labs.
JAM 2026 Highlights
Before applying for the IIT JAM 2026 registration form, candidates can check out the exam highlights from the section below:
Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
Exam Name | Indian Institute of Technology Joint Admission Test for Masters, IIT JAM, JAM |
Conducting Body for 2026 session | Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT Bombay) |
Exam Level | National-level Postgraduate Entrance Exam |
Exam Frequency | Once a Year (Typically in February) |
Mode of Exam | Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
Total Applicants | Approximately 1–2 Lakhs |
Courses Offered |
|
Exam Duration | 3 Hours |
Number of Papers & Marks | 7 Papers (Physics, Mathematics, Mathematics, Biotechnology, Geology & Mathematical Statistics)- 100 Marks Each |
Total Questions per Paper | 60 Questions |
Question Types & Marking Scheme | - Section A: 30 MCQs (10 questions: 1 mark each, 20 questions: 2 marks each, negative marking) |
Language/Medium | English |
Colleges Accepting Scores | IITs, IISc Bangalore, NITs, and Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs) |
Total Seats | Approximately 2,900 |
Number of Exam Cities | 113 |
Official Website |
IIT JAM 2026 Exam Dates and Schedule
Candidates taking IIT JAM exam 2026 can check out the exam dates and schedule for this academic session:
Event | Tentative Date |
IIT JAM 2026 Notification Release Date | July 26, 2025 |
JAM 2026 Application Form Start Date (JOAPS Portal) | September 5, 2025 |
IIT JAM 2026 Application Form Last Date | October 12, 2025 |
Last Date to Change Examination Cities, Candidate Name, Category, or Gender | November 10, 2025 |
Availability of JAM Admit Cards (Download and Printing) | January 5, 2026 |
Date of Examination | February 15, 2026 |
Announcement of Results | March 20, 2026 |
Courses Offered Through IIT JAM 2026
IIT JAM exam offers admissions to many postgraduate programmes at IITs, NITs, IISc and other participating Institutes. Majorly, candidates will be enrolled in the following courses:
1. MSc
2. MSc (Tech)
3. MS (Research)
4. MSc-MTech (Dual Degree)
5. Joint MSc- PhD
6. MSc- PhD dual degree
7. Integrated PhD
Also, candidates will be able to pursue their respective degrees in Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biotechnology, Economics, Geology and Mathematical Statistics.
IIT JAM Eligibility Criteria 2026
Meeting the minimum educational, nationality, and age requirements is very important for test-takers to ensure a smooth admission process. Candidates should be aware that if any applicant fails to satisfy the JAM 2026 eligibility criteria at any stage, their candidature may be cancelled.
Check out the basic overview of the IIT JAM 2026 eligibility criteria from here:
The undergraduate programme should have been completed before the date of admission of the respective Admitting Institute.
Proof of having passed the qualifying degree with the required eligibility, as specified by the Admitting Institute, should be submitted within the timeline provided by the respective Admitting Institute.
Also Read: IIT JAM 2026 Eligibility Criteria.
IIT JAM 2026 Exam Pattern
IIT JAM 2026 exam pattern has been released by the exam officials on the official website. It is very important for the test takers to understand the JAM exam pattern, as this will help them in knowing the type of questions asked, the negative marking scheme and time duration.
JAM 2026 exam will be conducted online/CBT mode in two shifts at various exam centres across the nation. Check out the exam pattern below:
Section | Question Type | Details | Question Numbers |
Section A | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) | Only one correct option out of four choices | Q.1 - Q.10, Q.11 - Q.30 |
Section B | Multiple Select Questions (MSQ) | One or more correct choices | Q.31 - Q.40 |
Section C | Numerical Answer Type (NAT) | Real number entered via virtual keyboard, no choices provided | Q.41 - Q.50, Q.51 - Q.60 |
IIT JAM 2026 Negative Marking Scheme
Check out the negative marking scheme for the IIT JAM 2026 exam from here:
Section | Marks per Question | Number of Questions | Total Marks | Marking Scheme |
Section A |
|
|
| Negative marking: -1/3 mark for 1-mark questions, -2/3 mark for 2-mark questions |
Section B |
|
|
| No negative or partial marking |
Section C |
|
|
| No negative marking |
Total Questions: 60
Total Marks: 100
IIT JAM 2026 Syllabus
IIT Bombay has released the JAM 2026 syllabus on the official website in the information brochure. Candidates wishing to appear for the JAM 2026 exam must start their preparation as per the IIT JAM 2026 syllabus PDF.
Check out the topic-wise syllabus from here.
Subject | Syllabus |
Biotechnology | Biology: Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Evolution and Ecology. Microbial, Plant and Animal Biotechnology: Microbiology, Plant Biology and Animal Biology. Biotechniques: Biochemical and Microscopy Techniques, Molecular Biology Techniques, Computational Biology, databases. Instrumental Techniques. Chemistry: Structure and properties of Atoms, Bonding in molecules, Chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, and equilibrium, Physical and chemical properties of compounds, Chemistry of organic compounds. Mathematics: General Mathematics, Probability and Statistics. Physics: General Physics. |
Mathematics | Real Analysis: Sequences and Series of Real Numbers, Functions of One Real Variable. Multivariable Calculus and Differential Equations: Functions of Two or Three Real Variables, Integral Calculus, Differential Equations. Linear Algebra and Algebra: Basic algebra, Matrices, Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces, Groups. |
Chemistry | Basic Mathematical Concepts (10+2 Level), Physical Chemistry: Atomic and Molecular Structure, Gaseous State, Liquid State, Solid State, Chemical Thermodynamics, Chemical and Phase Equilibria, Electrochemistry, Chemical Kinetics, Adsorption, Spectroscopy. Organic Chemistry: Basic Concepts in Organic Chemistry and Stereochemistry, Organic Reaction Mechanism and Synthetic Applications, Qualitative Organic Analysis, Natural Products Chemistry, Aromatic and Heterocyclic Chemistry. Inorganic Chemistry: Periodic Table, Extractions of Metals, Chemical Bonding and shapes of molecules, Main Group Elements (s and p blocks), Transition Metals (d block), Bioinorganic Chemistry, Instrumental Methods of Analysis, Analytical Chemistry. |
Physics | Mathematical Methods, Mathematical Methods, Oscillations, Waves and Optics, Electricity and Magnetism, Kinetic Theory, Thermodynamics, Modern Physics, Solid State Physics, Devices and Electronics |
Geology | The Planet Earth, Geomorphology, Structural Geology, Palaeontology, Stratigraphy, Mineralogy, Petrology, Economic Geology,and Applied Geology. |
Economics | Microeconomics: Consumer theory, Theory of production and cost, General equilibrium and welfare, Market structure, Game theory, Public goods and market failure. Macroeconomics: National income accounting, Behavioural and technological functions, Business cycles and economic models (closed economy), Business cycles and economic models (open economy), Inflation and unemployment, Growth models. Statistics for Economics: Probability theory, Mathematical statistics, Hypothesis testing, Correlation and regression. Indian Economy: Indian economy before 1950, Planning and Indian development, Indian economy after 1991, Banking, finance and macroeconomic policies, Inequalities in social development, Poverty, India’s labour market.\ Mathematics for Economics: Preliminaries and functions, Differential calculus, Integral calculus, Differential equations, and difference equations, Linear algebra, Optimization. |
Mathematical Statistics | Mathematics (Sections 1-3)
Statistics (Sections 4 - 12)
|
JAM Previous Year Question
Referring to the IIT JAM previous year questions helps the aspirants in understanding the trend and analysis of the types of questions asked during the examination by the examination conducting body. Check out the JAM 2024 master question paper and answer key from here:
IIT JAM 2024 Question Paper | Answer Key |
Final Answer key | |
Geology Question Paper | Final Answer Key |
Final Answer Key | |
Available Soon | |
Available Soon | |
Available Soon |