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If nobody in your family has sat JEE Main or NEET-UG, you are not behind on ability. You are behind on information: which website is real, which dates matter, what is free and who to ask.
Where do you find reliable JEE and NEET information?
Both exams are run by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The official homes are jeemain.nta.nic.in for JEE Main, neet.nta.nic.in for NEET-UG and nta.ac.in. Treat coaching sites, videos and forwards as copies that may be out of date.
Three rules from NTA's own documents:
JEE Main forms are accepted only online through jeemain.nta.nic.in, and each candidate may submit only one, says NTA's public notice of 24 October 2026.
The email and mobile number on the form must be your own or a parent's or guardian's, because NTA sends all communication there.
For NEET-UG 2026, a parent's or guardian's mobile number and email were mandatory, and the information bulletin has a chapter written for parents.
Be wary of anyone offering to "fix" a result: a July 2026 NTA notice warns that fabricated or AI-generated OMR sheets and score cards are an offence, and that genuine grievances go to its helpdesk.
What are the key dates for 2026-27?
According to NTA's JEE Main 2027 notice, Session 1 runs like this:
24 October to 22 November 2026: apply online and pay the fee
23 to 26 November 2026: late applications, with a Rs 500 late fee
27 to 29 November 2026: correction window
30 December 2026: exam city announced
13 January 2027: admit cards
20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 28 January 2027: exam days
April 2027: Session 2, with its own application window
The notice lists 13 exam languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu.
NEET-UG 2027 dates had not been announced when we checked on 26 October 2026. As a guide, the NEET-UG 2026 bulletin set applications for 8 February to 8 March 2026 and the exam for 3 May 2026. NTA then held a re-examination on 21 June 2026, as neet.nta.nic.in records, so check the site every week from January.
What free resources should you start with?
NCERT textbooks. The NCERT textbook page offers free PDFs for Classes 1 to 12. For free courses beyond textbooks, see our guide to free official learning resources such as NPTEL, SWAYAM and DIKSHA.
NTA's mock-test app. The Abhyas AI app listing names the National Testing Agency as publisher; it is free, covers JEE and NEET in English and Hindi, and lets you download solutions to revise offline. Our guide to using NTA's official mock tests explains how to review them.
Help with the form. The NEET-UG 2026 bulletin says more than 1.5 lakh Common Services Centres can help candidates apply online and pay the fee; csc.gov.in lists them.
When a chapter stops making sense and nobody at home can explain it, the Fermi Concept Library has a lesson for every concept in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics, so you can go back to the idea underneath.
How do you find a mentor when no one at home has done this?
A mentor does not need to be a topper. You need someone who went through the process recently and will reply to a message once a fortnight. Ask, in this order: a science or maths teacher at your school; a senior from your area now in an engineering or medical college; a college student home for the holidays.
A message you can copy:
"Hello [name], I am in Class 11 at [school] and want to prepare for [JEE Main or NEET-UG]. No one in my family has done this before. Could I ask you three questions by message? What do you wish you had started earlier? Which free resources helped you most? Could I send you my plan once a month for feedback?"
Say thank you, and report back on what you tried. If the talk turns to paid coaching, use our checklist on how to evaluate a coaching institute before you pay.
What should your first four weeks look like?
Week 1: Download the latest notice and bulletin from the official site, put every date on a wall calendar, and set up an email ID you check daily.
Week 2: Read one NCERT chapter per subject and write one page of notes on each.
Week 3: Take one mock test on the NTA app and list three topics where you lost marks.
Week 4: Send the mentor message with your calendar and those three topics, and ask what to fix first.
If you sit down unsure what to do next, Fermi's AI tutor can work out what you already know and build a plan for the session.
If stress starts affecting sleep, appetite or mood for more than a few days, talk to a parent, teacher or school counsellor, or call Tele MANAS, the Health Ministry's free 24x7 helpline, on 14416 or 1800-891-4416 (details).
