JEE Main 2026 Answer Key Controversy: 17 Errors Flagged by CFI
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• Updated on 7 Feb, 2026, 4:29 PM, by Arman Kumar
The Coaching Federation of India (CFI) has identified 17 potential errors in the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 provisional answer key and urged the NTA to award bonus marks for 10 questions. CFI noted that even a single‑mark variation can significantly affect candidate rankings in the competitive exam taken by around 13 lakh students
The National Testing Agency (NTA) is facing scrutiny after the Coaching Federation of India (CFI) highlighted 17 potential errors in the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 provisional answer key released for the engineering entrance exam. The Session 1 exams were conducted from 21–29 January 2026 for approximately 13 lakh registered candidates. The provisional answer key was published on 4 February 2026, with the objection window closing on 6 February 2026.
CFI Identifies Flawed Questions, Seeks Bonus Marks
CFI has urged the NTA to award bonus marks for 10 of the disputed questions, arguing that these were fundamentally ambiguous or flawed and lacked clear correct answers. The remaining seven questions flagged by CFI reportedly exhibit numerical discrepancies, incorrect options, or multiple valid answers. Among the subjects, Physics accounted for the highest number of disputed items, followed by concerns in Chemistry and Mathematics. CFI’s position is that ambiguous questions unfairly penalise candidates, especially when the exam’s scoring is highly competitive. In an exam taken by such a large cohort, even a one‑mark difference can substantially change a candidate’s All India Rank (AIR).
Criticism of Objection Mechanism
CFI also criticised the current answer key objection process, pointing out that candidates must pay a non‑refundable objection fee (INR 200 per question) to challenge answers they believe are incorrect. The federation contended that this places an unfair financial and competitive burden on students for errors that originate with the exam setter or evaluator. Keshav Agarwal, Vice President (Media and Legal) of CFI, remarked that recurring errors in the provisional answer key raise concerns about overall quality control, and that the NTA appears not to be learning from past controversies.
Next Steps for Candidates
The NTA is expected to review all challenges submitted during the objection window before publishing the final answer key and JEE Main Session 1 results. Once released, students will be able to calculate their tentative scores and percentiles ahead of admissions and counselling processes. Affected candidates and coaching institutions are closely monitoring how the authority addresses these flagged discrepancies and whether bonus marks will be awarded where ambiguities exist. Experts have previously noted similar concerns in past years, when multiple answer key issues were raised and addressed in official results, indicating that this is not the first time such disputes have emerged in JEE Main answer keys.
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