JEE Main Marks vs Percentile 2026: Expected Cutoffs & Safe Scores for NITs
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The NTA Normalisation & Percentile Scoring System
The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in multiple shifts. Since the difficulty level of questions varies across sessions, raw scores are converted into percentile scores to prevent any unfair advantage or disadvantage. A percentile score represents the percentage of candidates who scored equal to or below your raw marks. Understanding the correlation between raw marks and percentile is crucial for tracking your prep and targeting top colleges.
Expected JEE Main 2026 Marks vs Percentile (Shift Averages)
Based on historical trends of recent sessions (divided by moderate and tough shifts), here is the expected raw marks required to score different percentiles:
| Target Percentile | Raw Marks (Moderate Shift) | Raw Marks (Tough Shift) | Expected General Rank Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99.9 Percentile | 245 - 260 Marks | 225 - 235 Marks | 1 - 1,200 |
| 99.5 Percentile | 215 - 225 Marks | 195 - 205 Marks | 1,201 - 6,000 |
| 99.0 Percentile | 190 - 200 Marks | 170 - 180 Marks | 6,001 - 12,000 |
| 98.0 Percentile | 165 - 175 Marks | 150 - 160 Marks | 12,001 - 24,000 |
| 97.0 Percentile | 145 - 155 Marks | 130 - 140 Marks | 24,001 - 36,000 |
| 95.0 Percentile | 120 - 130 Marks | 105 - 115 Marks | 36,001 - 60,000 |
| 90.0 Percentile | 90 - 95 Marks | 78 - 85 Marks | 60,001 - 1,20,000 |
JEE Main Cutoff for JEE Advanced Eligibility
To qualify to sit for the prestigious JEE Advanced exam (sole gateway to the IITs), candidates must clear the category-wise percentile cutoffs. The expected qualifying cutoffs for 2026 are:
- General Category (UR): 90.8 - 91.2 Percentile
- Gen-EWS: 75.5 - 76.2 Percentile
- OBC-NCL: 73.8 - 74.5 Percentile
- Scheduled Caste (SC): 51.5 - 52.5 Percentile
- Scheduled Tribe (ST): 37.2 - 38.5 Percentile
Safe Score Targets for NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs
For securing popular branches like Computer Science (CSE) or Electronics & Communication (ECE) at top-tier NITs (such as NIT Trichy, NIT Surathkal, or MNNIT Allahabad), you should aim for a score above 200 marks (99+ percentile). For core branches in middle-tier NITs, a percentile between 97.5 and 98.5 is generally considered a safe buffer.
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4. Category-wise JEE Advanced Registration Cutoffs (Expected 2026)
The JEE Advanced registration cutoff is the minimum JEE Main percentile required to be eligible to register for JEE Advanced. These cutoffs vary by category and are revised annually based on the number of candidates:
| Category | Expected Qualifying Percentile (2026) | Approx. Raw Score Needed | Candidates Eligible (Top N) |
|---|---|---|---|
| General (UR) | 90.8 – 91.5 | ~106–115 marks | Top 1,00,000 |
| General-EWS | 75.0 – 76.5 | ~78–88 marks | Top 10,000 |
| OBC-NCL | 73.5 – 74.5 | ~76–85 marks | Top 27,000 |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 51.0 – 52.5 | ~45–55 marks | Top 15,000 |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 37.0 – 38.5 | ~30–38 marks | Top 7,500 |
| PwD (Persons with Disabilities) | 0.11 – 0.14 | Minimum qualifying marks | Top 500 (PwD across all categories) |
- Important: The top 2,50,000 candidates across all categories combined are eligible to register for JEE Advanced. The category-wise breakdown above represents the allocation of those 2,50,000 seats.
- Both Attempts Considered: NTA considers the BETTER of your two JEE Main attempts (January and April sessions) for JEE Advanced eligibility. If you score 88 percentile in January and 93 percentile in April, 93 percentile is your qualifying score.
5. IIT Seat Allocation by Category
Once you qualify JEE Advanced, IIT seats are allocated under the following category-wise reservation structure (applicable to all 23 IITs):
| Category | Seat Reservation % | Approx. Seats (out of ~17,385 total) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| General (UR) — Open Category | 40.5% | ~7,041 seats | Open to all candidates — highest competition |
| OBC-NCL | 27% | ~4,694 seats | Requires valid OBC-NCL certificate (non-creamy layer, income below ₹8L) |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 15% | ~2,608 seats | Category rank within SC pool determines allocation |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 7.5% | ~1,304 seats | Category rank within ST pool determines allocation |
| EWS (Economically Weaker Section) | 10% | ~1,739 seats | Requires valid EWS certificate from tehsildar |
| PwD (horizontal reservation) | 5% within each category | ~869 seats (across all categories) | Horizontal — applies within your own category pool |
- Preparing Your Category Certificate: OBC-NCL, EWS, SC, ST certificates must be issued in the current financial year (2025–26) by a competent authority (SDM/Tehsildar). Expired or previous-year certificates are rejected during JoSAA counselling document verification.
- Home State Quota: Unlike NITs (which have 50% home-state quota seats), IITs have NO home-state quota. All IIT seats are allocated purely on JEE Advanced rank — a student from any state can get any IIT.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the qualifying percentile for JEE Advanced?
For General category it is usually 90-91 percentile, for OBC-NCL ~73-75 percentile, for SC ~51-53 percentile, and for ST ~37-38 percentile.
Is there home state quota in IITs?
No, IITs do not have home state quota. All seats in IITs are filled strictly on All India Rank in JEE Advanced.