Planning your exam year just got easier. The National Testing Agency has put out its Examination Calendar covering the December 2026 cycle through March 2027, and it lays out tentative dates for every test it runs in that window, from UGC NET and JEE (Main) Session 1 to CUET (PG). Students and parents can now block out these dates and start preparing well ahead.
The NTA Examination Calendar 2027 sits on the agency’s official website at https://nta.ac.in/. One thing to keep in mind: every date here is tentative. The agency has flagged that the schedule may shift due to administrative, academic, statutory, logistical or other reasons.
What the NTA Examination Calendar 2027 covers
The calendar runs across December 2026, January, February and March 2027. Here is the full list of exams and their proposed dates.
| Examination | Proposed Date(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Rashtriya Indian Military College | 06 Dec 2026 | 1 Day |
| SWAYAM | 08 – 12 Dec 2026 | 5 Days |
| Rashtriya Military Schools | 13 Dec 2026 | 1 Day |
| UGC NET (December Cycle) | 14 – 19 Dec 2026 (buffer: 20 – 21 Dec 2026) | 6 Days |
| Joint CSIR UGC NET (December Cycle) | 20 – 21 Dec 2026 | 2 Days |
| Army Cadets College | 04 Jan 2027 | 1 Day |
| SHRESHTA (NETS) | 10 Jan 2027 | 1 Day |
| NIFT Entrance Examination | 10 January 2027 | 1 Day |
| JEE (Main) Session 1 (January) | 22 – 24, 28 – 30 Jan 2027 (buffer: 31 Jan 2027) | 6 Days |
| All India Sainik Schools Entrance Examination | 31 Jan 2027 | 1 Day |
| Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) | 07 Feb 2027 | 1 Day |
| NITTT (Part 1) | 26 – 27 Feb 2027 | 2 Days |
| CUET (PG) | 01 – 05, 08, 12 – 20, 24 – 25 March 2027 (buffer: 30 – 31 March 2027) | 17 Days |
| NITTT (Part 2) | 05 & 07 March 2027 | 2 Days |
The big ones to watch
JEE (Main) Session 1 is spread over 22 to 24 and 28 to 30 January 2027, with 31 January kept as a buffer. Engineering aspirants get a clear runway for their first attempt.
UGC NET December Cycle takes place from 14 to 19 December 2026, and the Joint CSIR UGC NET follows on 20 and 21 December 2026. CUET (PG), the entry route for many postgraduate programmes, is the longest event on the list at 17 days across March 2027.
What students should do now
The NTA has been clear that this calendar is not a formal notification for any single exam. Detailed Information Bulletins and exam-specific notices will come out separately when the time is right. So this is a planning tool, not a signal to apply just yet.
Candidates are advised to check the NTA website and the respective exam portals regularly for application schedules, exam city intimation, admit cards, answer keys and results. The agency has also asked students and stakeholders to trust only the information published on its official website and the exam portals, and to ignore other sources.
Mark the dates, but keep watching for the bulletins.