JEE Main is a competitive engineering entrance exam in India which is administered in sessions. Where marks represent the raw scores out of 300, the percentile represents the performance of a candidate in comparison to the performance of other people in the same session. Because exams have different levels of difficulty, percentile levels even out the scores to make equal comparisons across sessions.
The percentiles permit equitable rankings even when there is variation in difficulty of the exams across sessions.
The JEE Main percentile score is not the percentage of the questions answered correctly. It, instead, reports the share of applicants who scored lower than or the same as a candidate in his or her session.
The formula to calculate percentile is:
Percentile Score = (Number of candidates with score ≤ your score / Total candidates in your session) ×100
For example, if 10,000 students appeared in a session and you scored better than or equal to 9,200 students, then:
Percentile=9,200/10,000×100=92%
This helps estimate your standing relative to peers within the same exam session.
There are no fixed passing marks, but candidates must meet the percentile cutoffs to qualify for JEE Advanced and admission to NITs, IIITs, and other institutes. The expected percentile cutoffs for 2025 are:
Category | Expected Percentile Cutoff |
---|---|
General (UR) | 93.10 |
Gen-EWS | 80.38 |
OBC-NCL | 79.43 |
SC | 61.15 |
ST | 47.90 |
UR-PwD | 0.0079 |
Typically, a marks score of around 90–120 (out of 300) aligns with the qualifying percentile, but fluctuations depend on exam difficulty.
In order to be admitted to IITs in 2025 by JEE Advanced, the minimum qualifying marks (both in aggregate and discipline) are:
Minimum total marks: 35% of total (about 126 out of 360 in the case of General)
Minimum marks per subject:
Applicants not satisfying these minimums are not included in any IIT ranking regardless of rank.
The relationship between marks scored and expected percentile for JEE Main 2026 is approximately:
Marks (out of 300) | Expected Percentile Range |
---|---|
300 – 281 | 100 – 99.9999 |
271 – 280 | 99.9947 – 99.9974 |
250 – 262 | 99.9772 – 99.9888 |
201 – 210 | 99.7951 – 99.8452 |
151 – 160 | 99.0286 – 99.2397 |
101 – 110 | 96.2046 – 96.9782 |
51 – 60 | 82.0161 – 86.9079 |
0 – 10 | 0.84 – 9.69 |
Top percentile scorers generally have marks above 250, while those in the 90 percentile range score around 100 to 120 marks.
Mathematics is usually the toughest section, so percentiles for marks scored are steeper:
Mathematics Marks | Expected Percentile |
---|---|
60+ | 99.5+ |
50 – 60 | 99+ |
41 – 50 | 98+ |
35 – 41 | 97+ |
26 – 35 | 94 – 96 |
20 – 26 | 90 – 93 |
11 – 20 | 70 – 80 |
8 – 11 | 60+ |
Physics is considered to be a conceptual and occasionally difficult part of the JEE Main exam. Mark to percentile distribution in Physics is highly dependent on the level of the examiner and the performance of the pupils in a particular session.
The percentile indicates not only raw scores but also conceptual questions by showing the level of difficulty of the Physics problems the candidate has to solve, as the latter may require more in-depth knowledge and problem-solving skills. In a difficult paper, even mediocre marks can be used to register higher percentiles.
Most aspirants tend to score well in chemistry as it is a predictive section and relies on memorization and problem-solving.
Faster recall of concepts and better time management improves Chemistry scores, and candidates achieve better percentiles in this subject.
Understanding the previous years’ marks versus percentile data helps students set realistic targets for preparation:
Marks Range (out of 300) | Approximate Percentile 2024 |
---|---|
270+ | 99.99+ |
250 – 269 | 99.7 – 99.9 |
200 – 249 | 99.1 – 99.6 |
150 – 199 | 97.5 – 99 |
100 – 149 | 90 – 97 |
50 – 99 | 70 – 89 |
Below 50 | Below 70 |
Key observations from past trends:
In cases where two or more candidates receive identical percentile or marks, JEE Main applies certain tie-breaking rules to give them unique ranks:
These regulations make each rank unique and decide on ties in a systemic manner.
Top Medical Colleges in India 2025
Articles recommended for you
CAT Exam
CAT Exam
CAT Exam
CAT Exam
CAT Exam
CAT Exam
CAT Exam
CAT Exam
CAT Exam
Chat with us