India Education Exam Headlines: January 5, 2026 – Critical Exam Deadlines & Notifications

Jan 5, 2026

India Education Exam Headlines January 5, 2026 | National Exam Updates

Published: January 5, 2026

NIFT 2026 Registration Deadline Today – Don't Miss January 6

January 5, 2026 marks the final day for National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) aspirants to submit applications without incurring late fees. The National Testing Agency (NTA) opened NIFT 2026 registration on December 8, 2025, with the original deadline set for January 6, 2026. Candidates can apply through the official portal at exams.nta.nic.in/niftee/ without paying the late fee until midnight on January 6.

Update: The deadline has been extended to January 13, 2026, for regular fees and January 16, 2026, with a late fee of Rs 5,000 as per latest official updates.

For candidates applying after January 6, a late fee of Rs 5,000 will be charged in addition to the standard application fee. The application structure includes:

NIFT 2026 Application Fees:

General/OBC (Non-Creamy)/EWS: Rs 2,000
SC/ST/Persons with Disability: Rs 500

The NIFT entrance examination is scheduled for February 8, 2026, and will assess candidates through the Computer Aptitude Test (CAT), General Aptitude Test (GAT), and a Situation/Skill Test. Successful candidates will gain admission to undergraduate and postgraduate programs, including B.Des (Bachelor of Design), B.F.Tech (Bachelor of Fashion Technology), M.F.M (Master of Fashion Management), M.F.Tech (Master of Fashion Technology), and M.Des (Master of Design). Students can access the official NIFT notification for complete eligibility criteria and exam pattern details.

JEE Main Session 1 to Begin January 21 – Registration Already Closed

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2026 Session 1 is set to commence January 21 and continue through January 30, 2026. As announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA), registration for Session 1 concluded on November 27, 2025, and the examination is now in its final preparation phase.

Critical Update: NTA has extended the deadline for JEE Main candidates facing photo-mismatch issues to January 15, 2026. Affected candidates can upload corrected photographs through the official NTA portal at nta.ac.in. This extension provides a crucial window for candidates to resolve technical issues before the examination begins.

JEE Main 2026 Session 2, covering the April 2026 examination window, is expected to open registrations in the last week of January 2026, following the pattern established in previous years. The National Testing Agency will release detailed information, including exam dates, city intimation slips, and session-specific guidelines, after the completion of Session 1 activities.

CBSE Board Exams 2026 Reschedules: New Dates Announced December 30

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued a revised examination schedule on December 30, 2025, rescheduling Class 10 and Class 12 board exams from their originally announced dates.

CBSE 2026 Revised Exam Schedule:

Class 10: February 17 to March 11, 2026

Originally scheduled for March 3, now moved to March 11
Examination timing: 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM

Class 12: February 17 to April 10, 2026

Originally scheduled for March 3, now moved to April 10
Examination timing: 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM

Key subject exams include:

February 17: Mathematics (Standard/Basic) for Class 10; Physics for Class 12
February 20: Physics for Class 10; Physics for Class 12
February 28: Science for Class 10; Chemistry for Class 12
March 9: Social Science for Class 10; Mathematics for Class 12
March 27: (Class 12) Biology

The CBSE confirmed that revised dates will be reflected in admit cards, and schools have been instructed to update their internal date sheets accordingly. Practical examinations for Class 10 and Class 12 commenced in January 2026. Official details are available at cbse.nic.in.

UGC NET Examinations Ongoing Until January 7, 2026

The University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) December 2025 session is currently ongoing, with examination dates spanning December 31, 2025, through January 7, 2026. The exam determines eligibility for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professorship positions across Indian universities and colleges.

UGC NET December 2025/January 2026 Schedule:

Exam dates: December 31, January 2, January 3, January 5, January 6, and January 7
Mode: Computer-Based Test (CBT)
Duration: 180 minutes (3 hours)
Admit card: Released December 27, 2025, available at ugcnet.nta.nic.in

Candidates appearing for January 2-7 exams can access their admit cards at the official portal. The National Testing Agency conducted Paper 1 on December 31 and subsequent shifts throughout early January. Answer keys are expected to be released in January 2026, with final answer keys available by February 2026. Exam analysis reports indicate moderate to challenging difficulty levels across subjects, with detailed shift-wise reviews available on major education portals.

NEET UG 2026 Registration Timeline: Expected February 2026

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2026 registration date has been tentatively announced for February 2026. Candidates aspiring for medical and dental college admissions should prepare accordingly. The NTA is expected to release the official NEET 2026 information bulletin in the first week of February 2026.

NEET UG 2026 Tentative Timeline:

Notification release: First week of February 2026
Application form release: First week of February 2026
Last date to apply: First week of March 2026
Correction window: Second week of March 2026
Admit card availability: By May 1, 2026
Exam date: May 3, 2026 (first Sunday of May)

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has released the updated NEET UG 2026 syllabus, confirming that no chapters have been removed from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. All stakeholders, including students, teachers, and coaching institutes, have been instructed to align their preparation strictly according to the official syllabus. For more details, candidates can visit neet.nta.nic.in.

Other Major Exam Notifications – January 2026

NDA 1 2026 Examination

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) released the NDA 1 2026 notification for the 157th National Defence Academy course. The application process already concluded on December 30, 2025. The examination is scheduled for April 12, 2026 (Sunday). Results are expected between June-July 2026. UPSC official announcement

GATE 2026 Admit Card Postponed

IIT Guwahati announced a postponement of the GATE 2026 admit card release. The examination is scheduled for February 2026 across 30 test papers in English. Candidates can access mock tests on the official website gate2026.iitg.ac.in.

ICSE/ISC Board Exams 2026

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has announced board exam schedules:

ICSE Class 10: February 17 to March 30, 2026
ISC Class 12: February 12 to April 6, 2026
Practical exams: January 2026

Other Entrance Exams in January 2026:

AEEE 2026: Phase 1 deadline January 15 (Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham)
VITEEE 2026: Applications ongoing until March 31 (VIT University)
BITSAT 2026: Applications already underway
CAT 2025-26: Results released December 24, 2025

What Students Should Do Now – Action Items for January 5, 2026

Immediate Actions (Today – January 5):

NIFT aspirants: Complete application immediately at exams.nta.nic.in/niftee/ – deadline is tomorrow (January 6) for regular fee
JEE Main candidates: Resolve any photo-mismatch issues by January 15 if not yet corrected
UGC NET candidates: Check if you have exams remaining (January 6-7) and confirm admit card details

January 2026 Priority Actions:

JEE Main aspirants: Begin final revision for January 21-30 examinations
CBSE/ICSE students: Note the revised board exam dates and plan studies accordingly
NEET aspirants: Prepare for February registration; finalise NCERT revisions
CAT aspirants: Plan study schedule for next cycle (results released December 24, 2025)