IIT JAM Exam Pattern 2026: Check Marking Scheme, Total Marks, Duration

IIT JAM Exam Pattern 2026

IIT JAM Exam Pattern 2026 has been released along with JAM information brochure 2026 by IIT Bombay. IIT JAM 2026 will be held on February 15, 2026, for all seven subjects in two shifts (morning and afternoon). Thus, students should go over IIT JAM Exam Pattern 2026 to understand the kind of questions, negative markings, and sectional structure. The exam officials will evaluate the students' domain knowledge from the specified IIT JAM syllabus 2026 using MCQ, MSQ, and NAT questions for three hours.

Check JAM notification 2026

Based on the officially prescribed IIT JAM Exam pattern, there will be 60 questions for a total of 100 marks. The entire IIT JAM 2026 paper will be separated into three sections, A, B, and C. IIT JAM 2026 exam will be held to assess students' topic knowledge that they have gained during their undergraduate degree courses. Additionally, IIT JAM exam duration is three hours but one hour compensatory time will be provided to PwD students. 

Keep reading to know everything about IIT JAM exam pattern 2026, marking scheme, total marks, shift timings, etc!

IIT JAM Exam Pattern 2026: Highlights

Here are the highlights of IIT JAM exam pattern 2026 which has to be followed before preparing for the entrance exam -

IIT JAM Exam Pattern 2026 Section Wise

There are three sections in IIT JAM exam pattern 2026 - Section A, Section B, and Section C. IIT JAM 2026 negative marking is none for Section B and Section C. While in section A, for all 1 mark question, 1/3 of marks will be deducted for a wrong answer and for all 2 marks questions, 2/3 marks will be deducted for each incorrect response. In all sections, questions not attempted will result in zero marks.

IIT JAM Exam Pattern 2026 - How to Answer Questions?

IIT JAM exam pattern 2026 has three types of questions, they are MCQ type, MSQ type and NAT type. All these are answered in a different way and we have discussed that in details:

MCQ Type: MCQ type questions have four options and the students has to choose one of the given options as the correct option. 

MSQ Type: MSQ type questions have more than 4 options and candidates will have to choose more than one correct answer. If the student is able to choose all the correct options then he/ she will be credited with the full score. If he/she misses one of the options or if one of them is wrong then they will be marked partially as per IIT JAM exam pattern 2026.

NAT Type: Numerical Answer Type Questions is a subjective type of question that can not be answered just by choosing the correct option. Candidates will have to write in order to answer this type of questions according to IIT JAM 2026 exam pattern. 

IIT JAM Exam Pattern 2026: Section-wise Marking Scheme

Students dreaming of securing a seat at the top IITs or IISc colleges must get a comprehensive understanding of the section-wise marking scheme in IIT JAM 2026. It will offer a scope for setting score targets. As per the marking criteria, each of the seven test papers will carry a total of 100 marks. Section A will carry 10 questions of 1 mark, Section B comprises 10 MSQs of 2 marks, and the NAT section contains 10 questions of 1 mark and 10 questions of 2 marks respectively.

IIT JAM Exam Pattern 2026 & Marking Scheme - Section A

Check IIT JAM 2026 exam pattern and marking scheme of Section A, out of the total 30 questions in which;

IIT JAM 2026 Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme - Section B

Check the IIT JAM exam pattern 2026 and marking scheme of Section B. There are a total of 10 questions in which;

IIT JAM Exam Pattern 2026 & Marking Scheme - Section C

Check the IIT JAM 2026 exam pattern and marking scheme of Section C. Out of the total 20 questions in which;

IIT JAM Exam Pattern 2026: Shift Timing

Candidates willing to appear for IIT JAM exam 2026 must check IIT JAM shift time along with IIT JAM exam pattern 2026 as they should know the exam timing so that they can reach  IIT JAM exam centre on time. IIT JAM shift timing 2026 has been provided below:

Check IIT JAM Exam Centres 2026

Knowing IIT JAM 2026 exam pattern helps you understand where to focus your efforts, especially since different sections have different marking schemes and question types. This understanding will help you get ready for the exam in a better way.