NTA Exam Calendar 2026-27: JEE Main, UGC NET, CUET PG and Other Important Dates

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released its tentative examination calendar covering major examinations scheduled between December 2026 and March 2027.

The calendar includes major tests such as UGC-NET, JEE Main, CUET PG, CMAT, NIFT Entrance Examination and Joint CSIR-UGC NET.

The announcement gives students an early framework for planning preparation, although NTA has clarified that the dates are tentative and may change.

UGC-NET December 2026

The December 2026 UGC-NET examination is proposed from December 14 to 19, 2026.

December 20 and 21 have been kept as buffer dates.

The Joint CSIR-UGC NET is scheduled for December 20 and 21.

These examinations are particularly important for candidates seeking eligibility for Assistant Professor and Junior Research Fellowship opportunities.

JEE Main 2027

For engineering aspirants, JEE Main 2027 Session 1 is proposed to be conducted on:

January 22-24, 2027

and

January 28-30, 2027

January 31 has been kept as a buffer date.

The examination is among India’s largest undergraduate engineering entrance tests and is particularly important for students targeting NITs, IIITs and other participating institutions.

NIFT Entrance Examination

The NIFT Entrance Examination is scheduled for January 10, 2027.

Students interested in fashion design, technology, management and related programmes will need to plan preparation around this date.

CMAT 2027

The Common Management Admission Test is scheduled for February 7, 2027.

CMAT is used by participating management institutions for admission to management programmes.

CUET PG 2027

The Common University Entrance Test for postgraduate admissions is proposed across several dates in March.

The current calendar lists examination dates from:

March 1-5

March 8

March 12-20

March 24-25

March 30 and 31 have been kept as buffer dates.

Why the Calendar Matters

The NTA calendar is important because students often prepare for multiple examinations at the same time.

A student preparing for JEE Main, for example, may also have school examinations, practical assessments and other entrance tests.

Similarly, postgraduate aspirants may need to prepare for CUET PG alongside university-specific admission requirements.

Having tentative dates several months in advance allows students to divide preparation into phases.

Students Should Not Treat Dates as Final

NTA has specifically stated that the calendar is tentative.

Dates can change because of administrative, academic, statutory, logistical or unforeseen circumstances.

Students should therefore use the calendar for planning but rely on the detailed notification issued for each examination before making final arrangements.

What Students Should Do Now

The smartest approach is to work backwards from the tentative examination date.

Students should first identify their target examinations.

They can then divide preparation into syllabus completion, revision, mock tests and final revision.

The announcement removes one major source of uncertainty: students now have a broad picture of the upcoming national examination cycle.