New Delhi: As the registration process for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2027 Session 1 continues, a highly unusual trend has emerged. Official data released by the National Testing Agency (NTA) highlights a massive discrepancy between the number of students who have registered for the crucial engineering entrance exam and those who have actually completed their fee payment.
As of November 12, approximately 6.70 lakh candidates had initiated their registrations for the upcoming January session. However, only 4.90 lakh applicants successfully completed the final step of depositing the examination fee. This leaves a striking difference of 1.80 lakh candidates—accounting for a staggering 26 percent gap between initial sign-ups and final form submissions.
Education experts attribute this unprecedented difference to major structural changes introduced by the NTA in the application process this year. Career counselling expert Amit Ahuja explained that candidates are deliberately abandoning incomplete applications midway due to a newly introduced provision.
“For the first time, the NTA has allowed candidates to create a fresh application if they realise they have made an error in their initial registration,” Ahuja stated. Consequently, students who notice mistakes in crucial details—such as their name, parents’ names, academic records, category documents, or medium of examination—are choosing to register all over again rather than pay the fee for an incorrect form.
Ahuja further pointed out that technical hurdles, such as mismatches in live photos and Aadhaar card details, are actively contributing to the surge in duplicate registrations. He noted that several candidates initially applied using outdated Aadhaar cards and later created new profiles once their Aadhaar details were officially updated.
Taking note of the massive backlog in payments, the NTA recently took to the social media platform X to urge aspirants to lock in their spots. The testing agency reminded students to quickly submit their forms, pay the required fee, and download the confirmation page before the final rush.
Candidates have until November 22, 2026, to apply for the Session 1 exams without incurring a late fee. Submissions with a late penalty will be accepted until November 26. The highly anticipated Session 1 exams are scheduled to be held on January 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 28.