Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The first session of JEE Main 2026 commenced on Wednesday, January 21, with over 1.1 lakh students appearing across Madhya Pradesh.
Indore continues to emerge as a hub for engineering aspirants, hosting between 28,000 and 32,000 candidates, including students from neighboring districts such as Ujjain, Dewas, and Dhar.
This year marks a record registration for JEE Main January session, with 14.5 lakh candidates appearing nationwide, reflecting a growing interest in engineering courses.
According to JEE mentor Kamal Sharma, the exam followed a pattern similar to previous sessions. Physics was moderately challenging, testing conceptual understanding and problem-solving speed. Chemistry was largely scoring, with questions from Physical, Organic, and Inorganic Chemistry considered straightforward.
Mathematics proved most time-consuming, with topics such as Calculus, 3D Geometry, and Vectors reported as tough by many candidates. Overall, students described the paper as moderate to slightly difficult, requiring careful time management and accuracy.
Atil Arora, academic expert, said, “Physics and Chemistry offered scoring opportunities for students with strong preparation, while Mathematics required both conceptual clarity and time control. Success depended on steady pacing and selection of questions.”
To accommodate the growing number of aspirants, NTA has expanded examination centers in Madhya Pradesh. Along with established cities — Indore (MP07), Bhopal (MP03), Jabalpur (MP08), and Gwalior (MP06) — a new center was added in Chhatarpur (MP24). The addition aims to ease travel for rural students, particularly in the Bundelkhand region.
Experts noted that the competition in Indore continues to be intense, reflecting national trends, and students must maintain focus on both accuracy and time management to perform well in the exam.
JEE Main 2026 Session 1 will continue over several days, and results will determine eligibility for JEE Advanced and admissions to NITs, IIITs, and other centrally funded technical institutions.
