Aspirants across the country preparing for engineering admissions, higher education entrances, academic careers, or military school entries now have a clear timeline for their upcoming tests. The National Testing Agency has officially released the complete examination calendar for the 2026-27 period, detailing the tentative dates for a total of 14 national-level examinations that will take place from December 2026 through March 2027.
December 2026 and January 2027 Exam Lineup
The examination schedule kicks off with a busy December 2026 featuring five major tests. The Rashtriya Indian Military College exam is scheduled for December 6, 2026, followed by the SWAYAM examination from December 8 to 12, 2026. The Rashtriya Military School test will take place on December 13, 2026. Furthermore, the UGC NET December session is set for December 14 to 18 and December 21, 2026, while the CSIR UGC NET December exam will run from December 20 to 21, 2026.
The year 2027 begins with major engineering and defence tests in January. The Army Cadets College examination will be held on January 4, 2027. The SHRESHTA-NETS and NIFT entrance tests are scheduled for January 10, 2027. The first session of the highly anticipated JEE Main will take place from January 22 to 24 and January 28 to 30, 2027. The All India Sainik School Entrance Examination wraps up the month on January 31, 2027.
February and March 2027 Schedule Highlights
February brings management and technical teaching assessments, starting with CMAT on February 7, 2027. The NITTT Part 1 and Part 2 exams are scheduled for February 26-27, March 5, and March 7, 2027. March is headlined by the massive undergraduate university entrance test, CUET UG 2027, which will be conducted across multiple dates including March 1 to 5, March 8, March 12 to 20, and March 24 and 25, 2027.
Managing Board Exams and Entrance Preparation
The release of the exam calendar often causes anxiety among class 12 students whose board exams overlap with these major entrance tests. To manage preparation effectively, students should rely heavily on NCERT textbooks as the foundational base for both board exams and tests like JEE and CUET, practicing multiple-choice questions regularly. Candidates must ignore unverified rumours and rely exclusively on official notices published on the NTA website. Setting aside time for weekly online mock tests will help improve time management and overall readiness as the examination dates approach.
