IIT JAM Exam Pattern 2026: Marking Scheme, Exam Day Requirements & Total Marks

Aspiring and eligible candidates must get familiar with the IIT JAM exam pattern 2026 to appear in the upcoming JAM exam. The updated pattern is available on ‘jam2026.iitb.ac.in’. The exam paper will be segregated into 3 sections. There will be a total of 60 questions in the paper which need to be solved within the duration of 3 Hours. The test paper will comprise Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), Multiple Select Questions (MSQs), and Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions.

The entire IIT JAM pattern 2026 is explained in this article with information such as time allotment, marking scheme, total marks, facilities for PwD, section-wise pattern, and more.

Clear understanding of IIT JAM paper pattern 2026 will help students with their preparation for the exam. The key points of the IIT JAM 2026 exam pattern are mentioned-below:

* PwD candidates are provided with the Scribe Facility according to the rules and regulations of the Government of India.

* Students must know that they can appear in the exam only if they have completed the IIT JAM registration 2026.

Aspirants preparing for the IIT JAM need to learn about the section-wise exam pattern. In the IIT JAM question paper; there are 60 questions which are segmented into 3 sections. Each section has different types of questions which are below-described:

* MSQs carry one or more correct answers out of the 4 options; these are considered similar as MCQs but not the same.

The below-listed information will assist students in knowing details about IIT JAM marking scheme of each section:

Negative Marking

The negative marking criteria for IIT JAM are as follows:

Section A: For 1 Mark questions, negative marking of -1/3 is there and for 2 Mark questions, -2/3 Mark will be subtracted for an incorrect answer.

Section B: No negative and partial marking is done for a wrong answer.

Section C: In this section, there will be no negative marking.

* Candidates preparing for the exam as per the above-stated pattern must satisfy the IIT JAM eligibility criteria 2026 and should also refer to IIT JAM syllabus 2026.

The IIT JAM 2026 entrance test will be conducted in 2 sessions for different test papers; the details of the same are outlined in the table below:

* Students must ensure that if they are applying for 2 test papers then it must be of different sessions.

Students must be well-acquainted with the following points that are laid down in the IIT JAM exam pattern 2026:

• The sequence of the questions displayed on the screens of the appearing students will be random.
• It is compulsory for the appearing candidates to attempt all the sections of the question paper.
• For the MSQ type questions, candidates will only be awarded full marks if they have marked all the correct answers & no wrong answers.
• For the NAT questions, the applicants have to enter the signed real number answer for the respective questions using a virtual numeric keyboard displayed on the screen.
• The correct answers for the MCQ & MSQ type questions can be marked using a mouse.

PwD candidates who wish to avail the scribe facilities or compensatory time during the IIT JAM 2026 examination are supposed to apply for the same on the official website before 30^th December 2025 along with the requisite documents.

There are different categories under which candidates become eligible for attaining provisions during the entrance exam; the categories are given below:

• PwD-A: Students who have one or more of the following benchmark disability that is greater than 40% are entitled for availing additional facilities: Visually Impaired, Locomotor Disability (Lost Hands / Fingers), Cerebral Palsy, and Severe Dyslexia.
• PwD-B: Applicants who have more than 40% disability other than the above-mentioned ones can apply under this category.
• PwD-C: Aspirants who have any type of disabilities that is less than 40% are allowed to apply for scribe & compensatory time facilities under this category.

Detailed information about the provisions facilitated to the PwD students are discussed below:

Scribe

As per the IIT JAM exam pattern 2026, candidates requesting for only scribe facilities will automatically be granted with compensatory time. Also, students can either request JAM 2026 authorities to arrange a scribe or request them to allow bringing their own scribe.

Candidates who have the following original documents in the prescribed format are eligible for availing scribe facilities:

• Certificate issued by the Chief Medical Officer / Civil Surgeon/ Medical Superintendent of a Government Health Care Institution in the format mentioned in the Form V / VI / VII (as applicable) in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017.
• Person with specified disability covered under the definition of Section 2 (s) of the RPwD Act, 2016 but not covered under the definition of Section 2(r) of the said Act, i.e. persons having less than 40% disability and having difficulty in writing have to write a mail to the concerned exam authorities along with their mobile number & enrolment ID.

Compensatory Time

Information about the compensatory time granted to the PwD students  as per the IIT JAM exam pattern 2026 are as follows:

• In accordance with the IIT JAM exam pattern 2026, aspiring candidates will be granted a compensatory time of 60 minutes for a 3 hour exam.
• Those willing to only avail the compensatory time facility and not the scribe facility can proceed with the same.
• Applicants who are ineligible for availing scribe facility may be granted compensatory time given, they submit an authentic Certificate concerning their physical limitation to write. The Certificate must be issued by a Chief Medical Officer/ Civil Surgeon/ Medical Superintendent of a Government Health Care institution in the prescribed proforma.

Special Points to Note

Some of the other crucial points regarding the PwD facilities provided to the students in accordance with the IIT JAM exam pattern 2026 are mentioned below:

• The Scribe is only allowed to read the instructions & question paper displayed on the computer screen. They are also permitted to assist the students with mouse-clicks. However, Scribes cannot interpret / emphasise the content of the exam paper to the applicants.
• The Scribe’s qualification should be at least Class 10^th pass or above but not more than the minimum eligibility requirements of the entrance test.
• The conducting authority will arrange a panel of Y (number of students) +1 scribes so that the applicants can choose an alternative as per their preferences. The eligible students will be given the option to choose among 2 scribes arranged for them.
• Applicants who have a disability in vision will be allotted the option to view the questions on the computer screen in a magnified font.

Aspirants who desire to secure excellent marks in the entrance test are advised to follow the content mentioned in the IIT JAM Syllabus 2026. Students must know that the syllabus prescribed by IIT Bombay (conducting body) is different for all the test papers i.e., Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Biotechnology, Economics, Mathematical Statistics, and Physics.