JEE Main 2027 registration explained, the dates, the MeriPehchan login and what changed

Every year Class 12 students promise themselves they will fill the JEE Main form early. This year the National Testing Agency set the deadline at 11:50 pm, because it has met them. The JEE Main 2027 window opened on 24 October, and this year there is one genuinely new step worth knowing before you start.

The calendar, in one place

According to the schedule reported by the Times of India, the dates for the January session are:

• Registration opened on 24 October 2026.
• The last date to apply and pay without a late fee is 22 November 2026, up to 11:50 pm.
• Late applications run from 23 to 26 November with an extra fee of Rs 500.
• The correction window runs from 27 to 29 November.
• The exam city is announced on 30 December, and admit cards are due on 13 January 2027.
• The exam itself is on 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 28 January 2027.

The second session is in April 2027 and needs its own application when that window opens. Applications go only through the official site, jeemain.nta.nic.in, and NTA warns that submitting more than one form can invite action. One form per person. The system is very sure about this.

The new bit: you log in with MeriPehchan

The real change this year is the front door. Careers360 reports that NTA now uses MeriPehchan, the National Single Sign-on, for JEE Main registration. Candidates sign in through a DigiLocker, e-Pramaan or Jan Parichay account, and the portal fetches details such as name, date of birth and gender directly from that account. In return, candidates no longer need to upload a scanned Aadhaar card or photo ID.

That sounds simpler, and mostly it is. The catch is that the verification is mandatory, so the details in DigiLocker or your ID need to be correct before you begin. If your name is spelt one way in Aadhaar and another way in your school records, find out now, not at 11:40 pm on 22 November. A government login that already knows who you are is efficient, right up until it disagrees with you.

The syllabus stayed exactly where it was

Good news for anyone using an older sibling's notes. Careers360 also reports that the 2027 syllabus is unchanged from 2026. Paper 1 covers 54 units, with 20 each in physics and chemistry and 14 in mathematics.

The format holds steady too. Per the Times of India report, Paper 1 for BE and BTech has 75 questions, Paper 2A for BArch has 77 and Paper 2B for BPlanning has 100. Each paper runs three hours, or three and a half for candidates taking both BArch and BPlanning. The test is computer based, except the BArch drawing test, which is still pen on an A4 sheet. Negative marking applies to wrong answers in Sections A and B of Paper 1. The exam is offered in 13 languages.

A sensible order of operations

PW's guide lists the usual steps: register, fill the form, upload the photograph and signature where required, pay by card, net banking or UPI, then download the confirmation page. Use an email address and phone number that you or a parent actually check, because that is where NTA will send everything that matters.

Our advice is boring, which is how you know it is good. Check your DigiLocker details this week. Fill the form well before the deadline. Save the confirmation page somewhere you will find it in January. Then go back to studying the 54 units that did not change.

Beyond the rank

An entrance exam measures what you can solve in three hours. It says nothing about what you have done outside a classroom. For students who want real work on their record, Earth5R's FIELDWORK fellowship offers hands-on fieldwork with real people and real research, independently verified. It will not raise your percentile. It might give your application something to say.