JEE Main 2026 Cutoff, Marks vs Percentile & Shift-Wise Analysis
Complete shift-by-shift score-to-percentile mapping for January & April sessions, official category-wise cutoff, percentile-to-rank conversion, exam pattern, and 2027 preparation roadmap.
The JEE Main 2026 double-attempt cycle has wrapped up January saw 10 shifts (21 to 28 January) and April saw 8 confirmed shifts (2 to 6 April). NTA released the Session 2 final result on 20 April with 26 candidates scoring a perfect 100 NTA score and Kabir Chhillar from Kota topping the merit list. Around 13.04 lakh candidates appeared in Session 1 and 10.30 lakh in Session 2, with the unique-candidate count crossing 15.5 lakh a record. This page brings together a shift-by-shift score-to-percentile mapping for both attempts, average and median trends, an explanation of the normalisation logic, and a focused preparation roadmap for 2027 aspirants.
A reminder worth pinning: in JEE Main, your All India Rank is built from your percentile, never from your raw marks. A score of 154 in a 'pressure-cooker' shift can carry the same percentile weight as 188 in a high-yield shift. The numbers below explain exactly how that happens.
99-Percentile Threshold Snapshot — Both Sessions
January 2026 Attempt
Avg 99%ile Threshold≈ 172 marks
Median 99%ile≈ 174 marks
Lowest – Highest Spread154 – 188
Score-Friendly Slot22 Jan Morning
High-Pressure Slot22 Jan Evening
Total Shifts10
Appearing Candidates≈ 13.04 Lakh
April 2026 Attempt
Avg 99%ile Threshold≈ 175 marks
Median 99%ile≈ 175 marks
Lowest – Highest Spread160 – 192
Score-Friendly Slot5 Apr Morning
High-Pressure Slot6 Apr Morning
Total Shifts8
Appearing Candidates≈ 10.30 Lakh
Competishun's Take: January was slightly tougher than April — roughly 3 fewer marks needed on average for the same percentile. April's shift spread (32 marks) was narrower than January's (34 marks), pointing to more uniform paper-setting in Session 2. Practical advice: if you wrote both sessions, never compare raw marks across sessions — always look at the percentile.
Session 1
January 2026 — Shift-Wise Score-to-Percentile
Detailed mapping for all 10 shifts (21–28 January 2026)
Shift (Date & Slot)
99.9%ile Band
99%ile Band
95%ile Band
90%ile Band
Adv. Qualifying
21 Jan — Morning
222–226
156–160
100–104
74–78
88–91
21 Jan — Evening
228–232
172–176
121–125
97–101
109–113
22 Jan — Morning
241–245
184–188
127–131
104–108
115–119
22 Jan — Evening
217–221
152–156
97–101
74–78
86–90
23 Jan — Morning
225–229
164–168
110–114
89–93
99–103
23 Jan — Evening
222–226
156–160
99–103
76–80
88–92
24 Jan — Morning
230–234
172–176
110–114
85–89
97–101
24 Jan — Evening
234–238
176–180
118–122
92–96
105–109
28 Jan — Morning
240–244
186–190
118–122
92–96
105–109
28 Jan — Evening
235–239
178–182
111–115
87–91
99–103
Average
≈ 230
≈ 172
≈ 113
≈ 87
≈ 99
Spread
217 – 245
152 – 190
97 – 131
74 – 108
86 – 119
Pattern Reading: 22 Jan Morning was the score-friendly day (easier paper = higher marks needed for same percentile). 22 Jan Evening flipped completely — same percentile achievable at 30+ marks lower. 28 Jan Morning was Maths-heavy, requiring the highest marks (186–190) for 99 percentile. 23 Jan Evening had a difficult Mathematics section that compressed scores at the top end.
Granular View
January 2026 — Percentile vs Marks Matrix
Detailed percentile band-by-band breakdown for every January shift (S1 = Morning, S2 = Evening)
Percentile
21 S1
21 S2
22 S1
22 S2
23 S1
23 S2
24 S1
24 S2
28 S1
28 S2
99.9
224
230
243
219
227
224
232
236
242
237
99.5
189
200
212
184
193
188
200
205
213
207
99
158
174
186
154
166
158
174
178
188
180
98.5
143
162
173
140
152
144
160
164
173
165
98
132
153
163
130
141
134
149
154
162
155
97.5
125
145
156
122
134
126
141
146
154
148
97
119
139
149
116
127
120
134
138
146
140
96.5
113
133
143
110
121
114
128
132
140
134
96
108
128
138
105
116
108
123
127
134
129
95.5
104
124
134
101
112
104
119
123
130
124
95
100
121
129
97
108
100
115
119
125
119
94
93
113
121
89
100
92
107
112
117
112
93
87
106
114
83
94
86
101
105
110
105
92
82
100
108
78
88
81
96
99
104
100
91
78
95
102
74
82
76
91
94
99
95
90
74
91
97
70
78
72
87
89
94
91
99 %ile Avg
≈ 172 marks | Median: 174 | Range: 154 – 188
Reading the Matrix: Cross-check your shift column with the percentile row. For example, if you scored 145 marks in 24 Jan Morning, you're sitting near 97 percentile. Same 145 marks in 22 Jan Evening would put you at ~97.5 percentile (tougher shift = better normalisation). Always look at the column for your shift, never compare across columns.
Session 2
April 2026 — Shift-Wise Score-to-Percentile
Detailed mapping for all 8 confirmed shifts (2–6 April 2026)
Shift (Date & Slot)
99.9%ile Band
99%ile Band
95%ile Band
90%ile Band
Adv. Qualifying
2 Apr — Morning
231–235
173–177
123–127
98–102
110–114
2 Apr — Evening
219–223
163–167
116–120
95–99
106–110
4 Apr — Morning
228–232
173–177
128–132
103–107
114–118
4 Apr — Evening
227–231
172–176
122–126
97–101
109–113
5 Apr — Morning
250–254
188–192
135–139
108–112
120–124
5 Apr — Evening
229–233
173–177
123–127
98–102
110–114
6 Apr — Morning
216–220
158–162
103–107
83–87
94–98
6 Apr — Evening
239–243
181–185
129–133
104–108
116–120
Average
≈ 230
≈ 175
≈ 124
≈ 99
≈ 111
Spread
216 – 254
158 – 192
103 – 139
83 – 112
94 – 124
Pattern Reading: 5 Apr Morning was April's clear score-friendly slot (250+ for 99.9%ile). 6 Apr Morning was the toughest — 99%ile achievable at just 158+. 6 Apr Evening swung the other way with a relatively scoring Physics section. Most shifts clustered in the 172–177 band for 99%ile, indicating well-calibrated paper-setting.
Granular View
April 2026 — Percentile vs Marks Matrix
Detailed percentile band-by-band breakdown for every April shift (S1 = Morning, S2 = Evening)
Percentile
2 S1
2 S2
4 S1
4 S2
5 S1
5 S2
6 S1
6 S2
99.9
233
221
230
229
252
231
218
241
99.5
200
189
199
198
218
200
184
209
99
175
165
175
174
190
175
160
183
98.5
161
151
164
161
175
161
146
168
98
151
141
153
151
165
151
136
158
97.5
143
134
146
144
156
143
129
150
97
137
128
140
138
149
137
123
144
96.5
132
123
135
132
143
132
118
138
96
128
119
130
128
138
128
113
134
95.5
128
118
131
124
137
128
105
131
95
125
118
130
124
137
125
105
131
94
117
110
121
116
128
117
97
122
93
110
104
114
109
121
110
91
115
92
104
99
108
104
114
104
87
109
91
99
95
103
99
108
99
83
104
90
95
91
98
95
103
95
80
99
99 %ile Avg
≈ 175 marks | Median: 175 | Range: 160 – 192
Key Difference From January: April's distribution is tighter and slightly more "calibrated" — 99%ile band sits in a narrower 158–192 range vs January's 152–190. This is partly because Session 2 candidates (10.3 lakh) were more selective and partly because NTA's paper-setting balanced subject difficulty better. The 5 Apr Morning anomaly (190+ marks for 99%ile) is the exception, not the norm.
99-Percentile Marks By Shift — Quick Summary
Side-by-side view of all 18 shifts
January 2026 99%ile Score
21 Jan Morning158
21 Jan Evening174
22 Jan Morning (easiest)186
22 Jan Evening (toughest)154
23 Jan Morning166
23 Jan Evening158
24 Jan Morning174
24 Jan Evening178
28 Jan Morning188
28 Jan Evening180
Average / Median172 / 174
Range154 – 188
April 2026 99%ile Score
2 Apr Morning175
2 Apr Evening165
4 Apr Morning175
4 Apr Evening174
5 Apr Morning (easiest)190
5 Apr Evening175
6 Apr Morning (toughest)160
6 Apr Evening183
——
——
Average / Median175 / 175
Range160 – 190
4-Bucket Shift Classification
All 18 shifts classified by difficulty character
Bucket
% of Shifts
99%ile Marks Needed
Specific Shifts
What It Means
Score-Friendly
≈ 22%
186+ marks
22 Jan S1, 28 Jan S1, 5 Apr S1, 6 Apr S2
Easier paper — high marks needed for same percentile
Balanced
≈ 44%
170–180 marks
21 Jan S2, 24 Jan S1, 24 Jan S2, 28 Jan S2, 2 Apr S1, 4 Apr S1, 4 Apr S2, 5 Apr S2
Average difficulty — most common scenario
Slightly Tough
≈ 17%
165–172 marks
23 Jan S1, 2 Apr S2
Challenging but manageable
High-Pressure
≈ 17%
152–162 marks
21 Jan S1, 22 Jan S2, 23 Jan S2, 6 Apr S1
Tough paper — lower marks still yield high percentile
Takeaway: Stop worrying about which slot you'll get. Aim to consistently score at the 95-percentile band, and let normalisation do the rest. NTA's system is engineered to give every candidate a fair playing field.
Percentile to All India Rank — 2026
Based on ~15.5 lakh unique candidates (combined Session 1 + Session 2)
Percentile Bracket
Expected AIR Range
Marks Range (Avg Shift)
What This Unlocks
100
Rank 1 (26 candidates tied)
286–300
JEE Advanced top contenders
99.95+
Top 775
235–285
IIT Bombay/Delhi CSE-ready scores
99.85 – 99.94
775 – 2,325
215–235
Top NIT CSE / strong JEE Advanced
99.50 – 99.84
2,325 – 7,750
185–215
NIT Trichy/Surathkal/Warangal CSE band
99.00 – 99.49
7,750 – 15,500
165–185
Mid-tier NITs CSE; top NITs core branches
98.00 – 98.99
15,500 – 31,000
140–165
NIT core branches; top IIITs
97.00 – 97.99
31,000 – 46,500
120–140
Lower NITs; mid-tier IIITs
95.00 – 96.99
46,500 – 77,500
100–120
GFTIs; lower IIITs; strong private universities
93.00 – 94.99
77,500 – 1,08,500
87–100
JEE Adv. eligibility (General); lower NITs in HS quota
90.00 – 92.99
1,08,500 – 1,55,000
72–87
State govt colleges; mid-tier private universities
85.00 – 89.99
1,55,000 – 2,32,500
58–72
State universities; private engineering colleges
80.00 – 84.99
2,32,500 – 3,10,000
48–58
Mid-tier private colleges
AIR Formula: AIR ≈ ((100 − Percentile) ÷ 100) × Total Candidates. With ~15.5 lakh candidates, every 0.01 percentile shift roughly equals a rank movement of 155 positions. The competition gets exponentially tighter above 99.5 percentile.
JEE Advanced 2026 Qualifying Cutoff — Official
Category-wise minimum percentile to qualify for JEE Advanced 2026
Category
Qualifying Percentile (2026)
2025 Comparison
Change
Approx. Marks (Avg Shift)
General (CRL)
93.4123549
93.1023262
+0.31
≈ 87–93 marks
Gen-EWS
82.4164528
80.3819706
+2.03
≈ 60–66 marks
OBC-NCL
80.9232583
79.4329632
+1.49
≈ 56–62 marks
SC
63.9172792
61.7360327
+2.18
≈ 38–44 marks
ST
52.0174712
47.9074498
+4.11
≈ 30–36 marks
PwD
0.0007544
0.0015403
−0.0008
Minimum threshold
Note: 2026 cutoffs increased across all categories. A total of 2,50,182 candidates qualified for JEE Advanced 2026. Cutoff is based on percentile (not raw marks) due to multi-shift normalisation. The biggest jump came in the ST category (+4.11 percentile), reflecting improved performance among reserved-category candidates this year.
2025 vs 2026 — Year-on-Year Comparison
How JEE Main difficulty and competition shifted
Metric
JEE Main 2025
JEE Main 2026
Change
Total Unique Candidates
≈ 14.75 Lakh
≈ 15.50 Lakh
+5.1%
Session 1 Appearances
≈ 12.58 Lakh
≈ 13.04 Lakh
+3.7%
Session 2 Appearances
≈ 10.13 Lakh
≈ 10.30 Lakh
+1.7%
100 Percentilers
24
26
+2 candidates
JEE Adv. Cutoff (General)
93.10 percentile
93.41 percentile
+0.31
JEE Adv. Qualifiers
2.50 Lakh
2.50 Lakh
≈ same
Avg Marks for 99%ile
≈ 170 marks
≈ 174 marks
+4 marks
Avg Marks for 95%ile
≈ 115 marks
≈ 119 marks
+4 marks
Avg Marks for 90%ile
≈ 90 marks
≈ 93 marks
+3 marks
What This Means For 2027 Aspirants: Competition continues to intensify — about 75,000 more candidates appeared in 2026 vs 2025. Cutoffs rose in every category. To stay competitive, aim 5–10 marks higher than the previous year's threshold for your target percentile band.
JEE Main 2026 Exam Pattern
Updated & verified — continuing into 2027
Feature
Details
Mode
Computer-Based Test (CBT)
Duration
3 hours (180 minutes)
Subjects
Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics
Questions/Subject
25 (20 MCQs + 5 compulsory NVTs)
Total Questions
75
Total Marks
300
Marks per Subject
100
Correct Answer
+4 marks
Wrong Answer
−1 mark (MCQ & NVT both)
Unattempted
0 marks
Sessions/Year
2 (January + April) — better score used
Languages
13 (English, Hindi + 11 regional)
Exam Conducting Body
National Testing Agency (NTA)
Result Format
NTA Score (percentile up to 7 decimals)
What Changed: All 5 NVTs per subject are now compulsory. Negative marking (−1) applies to NVTs as well. Random guessing on numericals is significantly riskier.
For JEE 2027 Aspirants
Competishun Test Series & Study Material
Start your 2027 preparation with India's most trusted JEE test series — designed by experienced faculty with focus on real exam performance.
Top NITs CSE (Trichy/Surathkal/Warangal); strong JEE Advanced eligibility
99–99.5 percentile
175–200
7,750 – 15,500
Mid-tier NIT CSE; top NIT core branches
98–99 percentile
160–175
15,500 – 31,000
NIT core branches; top IIITs in CSE
95–98 percentile
120–160
31,000 – 77,500
Lower NITs, GFTIs, top private universities
93–95 percentile
95–120
77,500 – 1,08,500
JEE Advanced eligibility (Gen); state-quota NITs
90–93 percentile
78–95
1,08,500 – 1,55,000
Quality private universities, state institutes
85–90 percentile
60–78
1,55,000 – 2,32,500
State universities, mid-tier private colleges
Important: These targets are approximate (based on average shift difficulty) and shift with paper difficulty. Your actual goal should be to maximise your best percentile, not your raw marks.
Preparation Tips & Exam-Day Game Plan
Last 3 Months Strategy
Revision Cycle: Complete 3 full revisions — short, medium, and deep
Mock Tests: Take 2–3 full-length papers every week with detailed post-mortem
Weak Areas: Block fixed days for your 2–3 weakest chapters
Previous Papers: Solve at least 5 years of JEE Main papers (2022–2026)
Time Management: Practise full paper in 2.5 hours — leaves 30-min buffer
Health: 7–8 hours of sleep is non-negotiable in the final 30 days
Exam-Day Game Plan
Section Order: Pick your strongest subject first — early confidence boosts performance
Time Allocation: ~50–55 minutes per subject, 15–20 min buffer at end
Question Selection: Attempt sure-shot questions first; mark doubtful ones for review
Risk Management: Negative marking applies to MCQs AND NVTs — avoid pure guessing
Last 15 Minutes: Switch to review-only mode. Resist attempting new questions in panic
Mindset: Even toppers don't attempt all 75. Accuracy beats volume every time
Subject-Wise Strategy For 99+ Percentile
Physics (Target: 80+/100): Mechanics + Electrodynamics carry ~55% weightage. Master these first
Mathematics (Target: 75+/100): Calculus + Coordinate Geometry = 40% of paper. Practice 50+ problems daily
Combined Goal: 245+ marks for safe 99+ percentile across any shift difficulty
Success Mantra: Consistent practice + smart shift-aware strategy + composed exam-day execution = high JEE Main percentile. NTA's normalisation gives every candidate a fair playing field. Your job: maintain maximum accuracy. The system handles the rest.
Start Your 2027 Journey
Complete JEE 2027 Course & DLP Packages
From lectures to material to test series — everything under one roof for serious JEE aspirants.
Pratham — Class XI complete IIT-JEE study package
Prakhar — Class XII complete IIT-JEE study package
Praveen — Combined XI + XII for repeaters & droppers
JEE Main PYQ (2021–2026) — Chapter-wise solved PCM
Based on shift-wise analysis, 152–192 marks were needed for 99 percentile across different shifts. On average, around 173–175 marks (out of 300) were required. The exact marks depend on your shift's difficulty due to NTA normalisation.
The official qualifying cutoff for General category is 93.4123549 percentile, up from 93.1023262 in 2025. This is the minimum percentile to qualify for JEE Advanced 2026. A total of 2,50,182 candidates qualified.
In January, 22 January Evening was the toughest (99%ile at just 152-156 marks). In April, 6 April Morning was the toughest (99%ile at 158-162 marks). Both had lengthy Maths and conceptual Physics sections.
NTA uses normalisation across shifts. Formula: ((Number of candidates who scored ≤ your marks) ÷ Total candidates in shift) × 100. This ensures a student in a tough shift isn't penalised compared to one in an easier shift.
With ~15.5 lakh candidates, 99 percentile = AIR roughly 7,750–15,500. For top NITs (CSE at Trichy/Surathkal/Warangal), you need 99.5+ percentile (AIR under 7,750).
No. Raw marks are meaningless across sessions because paper difficulty varies widely. A score of 160 in a tough shift may equal a higher percentile than 180 in an easy shift. Always compare percentiles, never raw marks.
For 95 percentile, the range was approximately 97–139 marks depending on shift difficulty. Average across all shifts was around 119–124 marks. Easier shifts required higher marks (127–139), while tougher shifts needed just 97–107.
For 90 percentile, the range was approximately 70–112 marks. Average was around 93 marks. Tougher shifts (22 Jan S2, 6 Apr S1) had cutoffs as low as 70–80 marks while easier shifts (5 Apr S1) demanded 108–112 marks.
Yes — from 2025 onwards, negative marking (−1) applies to both MCQs AND Numerical Value Type (NVT) questions. All 5 NVTs per subject are compulsory. Random guessing on numericals is significantly riskier now.
Approximately 13.04 lakh candidates appeared in Session 1 (January) and 10.30 lakh in Session 2 (April). The total unique candidate count crossed 15.5 lakh — a record. Around 8 lakh candidates appeared in both sessions.
Kabir Chhillar from Kota, Rajasthan, topped JEE Main 2026. A total of 26 candidates secured a perfect 100 NTA score (up from 24 in 2025). Andhra Pradesh and Telangana led with 5 toppers each, followed by Rajasthan (4) and Delhi (3).
NTA uses your best percentile (highest of the two sessions) for the final merit list. Appearing in Session 2 cannot lower your rank — it can only improve it. Around 8 lakh candidates appeared in both sessions in 2026.
Sources: Official NTA JEE Main 2026 Session 1 & Session 2 results, expert shift-wise estimates, and Competishun's in-house analysis. All percentile-to-marks figures are presented as bands for guidance — actual cutoffs may vary slightly based on individual shift normalisation by NTA.
Competishun Blog
competishun
One of the most Trusted Institute for IIT JEE and NEET preparation
Hello 👋 Welcome to Competishun – India’s most trusted platform for JEE & NEET preparation. Need help with JEE / NEET courses, fees, batches, test series or free study material? Chat with us now 👇
Exam News
Exam Analysis
Study Material
Exam Analysis