17 errors in JEE Main 2026 session 1 answer key; ‘one mark can change ranks’, says CFI

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has come under scrutiny after the Coaching Federation of India (CFI) flagged 17 errors in the JEE Main 2026 session 1 answer key and sought bonus marks for 10 questions, citing ambiguity, numerical discrepancies, and multiple correct answers. JEE Main 2026 LIVE

The Joint Entrance Examination - Main (JEE Mains 2026) session 1 exams were conducted from January 21 and 29 for around 13 lakh students who registered for the exam. The JEE Main answer key was published on February 4, and candidates were allowed to challenge the answers by February 6.

Of the 17 questions identified, CFI said that 10 questions should be awarded ‘bonus’ marks as these were fundamentally "ambiguous or flawed". The remaining seven questions had errors, two numerical values, incorrect options, or multiple correct answers. Of the total questions, physics accounted for the highest number of answer key challenges.

CFI demands bonus marks for 10 questions

CFI argued that such errors have a direct impact on the JEE ranks, where even one-mark differences can lead to large rank shifts in an exam taken by 13 lakh students. The current objection mechanism also transfers the burden of correcting examiner and paper setter errors onto students, both financially and competitively.

Reacting to the findings, Keshav Agarwal, vice president (media and legal), Coaching Federation of India, said: “In JEE Main, even a one-mark variation can significantly affect student rankings. Also the time loss due to a wrong question or answer is never considered and even normalisation cannot take care of such issues and moreover students have to shell out Rs. 200 per question for challenging.”

Stating that the pattern has become repetitive, he said: “NTA it seems is not learning from past mistakes and every year there is mistake in answer key and how such things can happen in a coveted exam like jee is beyond imagination where more than 12 lakh students appear everywhere paying a good amount to NTA for conducting the exam.” Last year, the federation had flagged nine errors in the JEE session 2 answer key.

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JEE Mains 2026: Challenges raised against answers

Below are the shift-wise JEE Main questions and answer key errors raised by students.