By Yogesh Parashar. Last reviewed 1 October 2026.

How to prepare

NCHM JEE

National Council for Hotel Management Joint Entrance Examination. Run by National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the test for the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT).

The exam: A two-hour computer-based test of 120 multiple-choice questions.
Opens: NCHM JEE is the entrance test for the B.Sc.

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Your plan, step by step

Class 11, now to March 2027
Build English and the reading habit
English is 45 of the 120 questions, the largest share. Read one newspaper for 20 to 30 minutes a day and learn ten new words a week with their use in a sentence. The same reading feeds General Knowledge and Current Affairs. Keep English in your Class 12 subjects; it is required.
Class 11, April to September 2027
Maths and reasoning basics
Revise Class 8 to 10 arithmetic: percentages, ratios, averages, profit and loss, time and work, speed and distance. Do 20 minutes of reasoning puzzles a few days a week. Accuracy matters more than speed, because each wrong answer costs 1 mark.
Class 11 and 12, alongside school
Learn the service mindset
For Aptitude for Service Sector, notice how staff at a hotel, restaurant, airline or hospital handle people. Practise questions that ask what you would do with an upset guest, a late order or a safety issue. If you can, visit an IHM open day or talk to a student there to understand the work, including the kitchen practicals.
Class 12, December 2027 to March 2028
Apply on time
Watch exams.nta.nic.in/nchm-jee for the bulletin. In 2026 the form opened on 26 December 2025. Choose the medium and four exam cities carefully. Then focus on board exams; you need a Class 12 pass with English.
After boards to exam day (April 2028, expected)
Timed mocks
Do a full 120-question mock in 2 hours on a computer two or three times a week, and review every wrong answer. Revise current affairs from the last six months. Decide a section order in advance, for example English first.
After the result
NCHMCT counselling
Register for counselling on nchmcounselling.nic.in, where NCHMCT posts the seat matrix and rounds. Fill choices for both central and state IHMs, and check each institute's fee and hostel before locking choices. Keep your physical fitness certificate and category documents ready.

This plan is advice from the author, not an official schedule. Adjust it to your school and your pace.

What the exam testsPapers, marks, marking and the syllabus

A two-hour computer-based test of 120 multiple-choice questions. Each right answer gets 4 marks and each wrong answer loses 1, so the paper is out of 480. English is the biggest section. (NCHM JEE 2026 Information Bulletin, NTA.)

120 questions in 120 minutes, in one shift. Computer-based test.
English Language: 45 questions.
Aptitude for Service Sector: 30 questions.
Numerical Ability and Analytical Aptitude: 15 questions.
Reasoning and Logical Deduction: 15 questions.
General Knowledge and Current Affairs: 15 questions.
Marking: plus 4 for a right answer, minus 1 for a wrong answer, 0 for a question left blank.
Medium: English or Hindi, chosen in the application form and fixed after that. If a translation is unclear, the English version is final.
The bulletin mentions no interview or group discussion. Admission depends on eligibility, rank in the merit list, medical fitness and document checks, through NCHMCT counselling.

When. Usually April, for admission in the same academic year. NCHM JEE 2026 was on Saturday 25 April 2026, 11 am to 1 pm. Applications opened on 26 December 2025 and, after an extension, closed on 1 April 2026. The result came on 22 May 2026 (NTA notices, 2026). NCHM JEE 2027 is not on NTA's calendar yet, which so far runs only to March 2027 (checked October 2026). A student now in Class 11 will write NCHM JEE 2028, expected around April 2028 at the end of Class 12; its date is not announced.

Syllabus. No detailed syllabus. The 2026 bulletin lists only the five sections: Numerical Ability and Analytical Aptitude, Reasoning and Logical Deduction, General Knowledge and Current Affairs, English Language, and Aptitude for Service Sector. Aptitude for Service Sector checks how you would deal with guests and service situations, so practise judgement questions, not facts.

Source: NTA: NCHM JEE 2026 Information Bulletin Source: NTA: NCHM JEE 2026 Information Bulletin, scheme of examination

Study materialFree official material first, then books

Free and official

NTA NCHM JEE pageOfficial
Bulletin, application, admit card, answer keys and results.
NCHM JEE 2026 Information Bulletin (NTA)Official
The exact sections, marking, eligibility, fee and list of affiliated institutes.
NCHMCT counselling siteOfficial
Counselling rounds, notices and the seat matrix for each institute.
B.Sc. HHA revised seat matrix 2026 (NCHMCT)Official
Seats at each of the 80 institutes by category, so you know how many seats each IHM has.
NCHMCT websiteOfficial
About the council, its programmes and its institutes.
NTA mock test pageOfficial
NTA lists a free computer-based mock for NCHM here, to get used to the test screen.
Press Information Bureau (PIB)Official
Free, official government news for current-affairs notes, including tourism news from the Ministry of Tourism.

Books students commonly use

Commonly used, not endorsed. Finish the free official material first.

English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin
Grammar for the English section, the biggest in the paper. Commonly listed, not endorsed.
General English for All Competitive Examinations by Arihant
English practice questions. Commonly listed, not endorsed.
Quantitative Aptitude by R.S. Aggarwal
Arithmetic for Numerical Ability. Commonly listed, not endorsed.
Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal
Reasoning and Logical Deduction practice. Commonly listed, not endorsed.
General Knowledge by Lucent Publications
Static general knowledge. Commonly listed, not endorsed.
Manorama Yearbook by Malayala Manorama
Background for General Knowledge and Current Affairs. Commonly listed, not endorsed.
The Ultimate Guide for Hotel Management by Arihant
Section-wise practice including Aptitude for Service Sector. Commonly listed, not endorsed.

Source: Careers360: Best books for NCHMCT JEE 2027 (updated 17 September 2026) (not official)

Coaching: do you need it?Your options, how to choose, red flags

Self-study with free material

Only the application fee and a newspaper

Most students. The paper is English, basic maths, reasoning, general knowledge and service judgement, all of which can be prepared at home with books and mocks.

Online course or test series

varies

Students who want timed mocks and practice for Aptitude for Service Sector, which school does not teach.

Classroom coaching

varies

Students near a reputable centre who need a fixed routine. It helps least when it takes time from Class 12, which you must pass with English.

How to choose a coaching centre

Ask how many full NCHM JEE pattern mocks they give (120 questions, 2 hours, plus 4 and minus 1), and whether each is reviewed with you.
Ask how they teach Aptitude for Service Sector; it is 30 questions and the part school does not cover.
Get the full fee, instalments and a written refund policy before paying. The Ministry of Education's 2024 guidelines ask centres to publish fees and refund pro rata if a student leaves.
Check that class timings do not clash with school. CBSE enforces 75 per cent attendance for board eligibility.

Red flags

A guaranteed seat at a top IHM or a promised rank.
'100 per cent selection' claims with no list of names, years and institutes. The CCPA has penalised coaching institutes for misleading result claims.
Pressure to pay the full fee upfront, or no refund policy in writing.
Advice to skip school or join a 'dummy' school.

Names families usually consider

Career Leaders. Delhi-based hotel management entrance coaching with online classes. Its success claims are self-reported. Fees not checked. Source: Career Leaders home page (not official)
Manoeuvre. Online hotel management entrance coaching with recorded and live lectures and full-length mocks, as listed on its page. Fees not checked. Source: Manoeuvre hotel management page (not official)
Success Mantra. Hotel management entrance coaching in Delhi with online and video classes. Fees not checked. Source: Success Mantra hotel management page (not official)
Listed so you know the names, not ranked or endorsed. Visit, ask the questions above, and compare in writing.

Mocks and the last monthsPractice tests, final months, common mistakes

Official: NTA lists a free computer-based mock for NCHM on nta.ac.in/Quiz to practise the test screen. NTA does not publish a public archive of past NCHM JEE papers (none found on the NTA NCHM JEE page, October 2026); the question paper is shown only to candidates, with their own responses, during the answer-key challenge window (7 to 9 May 2026 last year). Past papers on private websites are reconstructed or unofficial, so use them for practice only. Paid test series are optional; check they follow the 2026 pattern of 120 questions in 2 hours.

Write full 2-hour mocks on a computer and review every mistake.
Guess only when you can rule out at least two options. Each wrong answer costs 1 mark.
Spend the most time on English, which is 45 of the 120 questions.
Revise current affairs from the last six months, including tourism and hospitality news.
Keep the admit card, ID, an extra photo and a transparent pen ready the day before.

Common mistakes

Treating it as a GK test. English and Aptitude for Service Sector together are 75 of the 120 questions.
Dropping English in Class 12. English as a subject is required.
Guessing blindly. Four wrong answers wipe out one right answer.
Missing the application window. Check the NTA page from December onwards.
Choosing institutes in counselling without checking fees, hostel and location, or ignoring state IHMs.

Who can sitAttempts, age, marks and subjects

Pass Class 12 or an equivalent from a recognised board, with English as a subject of study (core, elective or functional). Any stream can apply.
No minimum Class 12 percentage is stated in the 2026 bulletin.
No age limit (bulletin 2026, citing NEP 2020).
Class 12 students can apply. Admission is provisional and is cancelled if you cannot show a Class 12 pass at counselling or admission, and at the latest by 30 September of the admission year.
Equivalents include NIOS or a state open school with at least five subjects including English, and HSC vocational approved by NCVT or SCVT.
You must give a physical fitness certificate from a registered doctor at admission, because the course has practical classes such as cooking, food and beverage service and housekeeping.
Central institutes reserve 15 per cent of seats for SC, 7.5 per cent for ST, 27 per cent for OBC-NCL (central list) and 10 per cent for EWS, with 5 per cent in each category for candidates with 40 per cent or more disability who can carry out the practicals. Each central institute also has one supernumerary seat for Kashmiri migrants. State institutes follow their state's reservation policy.
Application fee 2026: Rs 1,000 for General and OBC-NCL; Rs 700 for General-EWS; Rs 450 for SC, ST, PwD and third gender candidates. Bank charges and GST are extra. The fee is not refunded.
Only one application per candidate. You must pick four exam cities.

Source: NTA: NCHM JEE 2026 Information Bulletin

This exam leads to

Hotel management

Want a plan for your own situation?

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Sources, checked 1 October 2026

Rules change every year. Confirm each detail on the official site before you register or pay.