A fully data-backed breakdown of JEE Main 2026 — official NTA category-wise qualifying cutoff, shift-wise marks vs percentile for both January Session 1 and April Session 2, qualifying numbers, paper analysis, and score targets to plan your JEE Advanced 2027 prep with precision.
JEE Main 2026 wrapped up with NTA releasing the Session 2 final result and the official qualifying cutoff on 20 April 2026. The General/UR category cutoff moved up to 93.4123549 percentile (from 93.10 in 2025), with 2,50,182 candidates qualifying for JEE Advanced 2026. A record 15.5 lakh unique candidates appeared across 19 shifts (10 in January, 9 in April). April Session 2 was overall easier than January — 99%ile required ~177 marks in April vs ~162 in January.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) released the official JEE Main 2026 qualifying cutoff for JEE Advanced 2026 along with the Session 2 result on 20 April 2026. The cutoff is the minimum NTA percentile a candidate must score in JEE Main 2026 Paper 1 to become eligible for JEE Advanced 2026 (subject to the top 2.5 lakh rank limit). Across all major categories, the 2026 cutoff is higher than 2025 — a clear signal of tighter competition driven by the record 15.5 lakh candidate pool.
| Category | JEE Main 2026 Cutoff Percentile | 2025 Cutoff | YoY Movement |
|---|---|---|---|
| General / UR (CRL) | 93.4123549 | 93.1023262 | ↑ +0.31 |
| GEN-EWS | 82.4164528 | 80.3830119 | ↑ +2.03 |
| OBC-NCL | 80.9232583 | 79.4313582 | ↑ +1.49 |
| SC | 63.9172792 | 61.1526933 | ↑ +2.76 |
| ST | 52.0174712 | 47.9099298 | ↑ +4.11 |
| UR-PwBD | 0.0023186 | 0.0018700 | ↑ marginal |
| Year | General/CRL | EWS | OBC-NCL | SC | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 93.4123549 | 82.4164528 | 80.9232583 | 63.9172792 | 52.0174712 |
| 2025 | 93.1023262 | 80.3830119 | 79.4313582 | 61.1526933 | 47.9099298 |
| 2024 | 93.2362181 | 81.3266412 | 79.6757881 | 60.0923182 | 46.6975840 |
| 2023 | 90.7788642 | 75.6229025 | 73.6114227 | 51.9776027 | 37.2348772 |
| 2022 | 88.4121383 | 63.1114141 | 67.0090297 | 43.0820954 | 26.7771328 |
| 2021 | 87.8992241 | 66.2214845 | 68.0234447 | 46.8825338 | 34.6728999 |
| 2020 | 90.3765335 | 70.2435518 | 72.8887969 | 50.1760245 | 39.0696101 |
JEE Main 2026 was conducted in two attempts. NTA uses the better of the two session percentiles for final ranking. Here's the complete cycle snapshot:
Shift-wise breakdown of JEE Main 2026 January Session 1 marks vs percentile across all 10 shifts. Note how the same percentile requires 20–40 fewer marks in tough shifts (22 Jan S2, 23 Jan S2) compared to easy shifts (22 Jan S1, 24 Jan S2).
| %ile | 21 S1 | 21 S2 | 22 S1 | 22 S2 | 23 S1 | 23 S2 | 24 S1 | 24 S2 | 28 S1 | 28 S2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | 168 | 175 | 186 | 153 | 166 | 156 | 175 | 200 | 168 | 172 |
| 98.5 | 156 | 163 | 174 | 140 | 154 | 144 | 163 | 188 | 156 | 160 |
| 98 | 147 | 154 | 165 | 131 | 146 | 135 | 154 | 178 | 147 | 151 |
| 97 | 134 | 141 | 151 | 118 | 132 | 122 | 141 | 164 | 134 | 138 |
| 96 | 123 | 130 | 139 | 108 | 122 | 112 | 130 | 152 | 123 | 127 |
| 95 | 115 | 121 | 129 | 99 | 113 | 104 | 121 | 142 | 115 | 118 |
| 94 | 106 | 112 | 120 | 92 | 105 | 96 | 112 | 133 | 106 | 110 |
| 93 | 99 | 105 | 114 | 85 | 98 | 89 | 105 | 125 | 99 | 103 |
| 92 | 93 | 99 | 108 | 79 | 92 | 83 | 99 | 119 | 93 | 97 |
| 91 | 87 | 93 | 102 | 74 | 86 | 78 | 93 | 113 | 87 | 91 |
| 90 | 82 | 87 | 97 | 70 | 80 | 73 | 87 | 108 | 82 | 86 |
S1 = Morning Shift (9 AM–12 PM) · S2 = Evening Shift (3 PM–6 PM) · Marks out of 300
Shift-wise breakdown of JEE Main 2026 April Session 2 marks vs percentile across all 9 confirmed shifts. April papers were overall easier — same percentile required 15–20 more marks on average than January.
| %ile | 2 S1 | 2 S2 | 4 S1 | 4 S2 | 5 S1 | 5 S2 | 6 S1 | 6 S2 | 8 S2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | 185 | 192 | 180 | 182 | 193 | 178 | 162 | 196 | 165 |
| 98.5 | 172 | 180 | 168 | 170 | 180 | 166 | 150 | 183 | 153 |
| 98 | 163 | 170 | 159 | 161 | 170 | 157 | 141 | 173 | 144 |
| 97 | 149 | 156 | 146 | 148 | 156 | 143 | 129 | 159 | 131 |
| 96 | 137 | 144 | 134 | 136 | 144 | 132 | 118 | 146 | 121 |
| 95 | 127 | 134 | 125 | 127 | 134 | 123 | 110 | 136 | 112 |
| 94 | 118 | 124 | 116 | 118 | 124 | 114 | 102 | 126 | 104 |
| 93 | 110 | 116 | 108 | 110 | 116 | 107 | 95 | 118 | 97 |
| 92 | 103 | 110 | 102 | 104 | 110 | 101 | 89 | 112 | 91 |
| 91 | 97 | 103 | 96 | 98 | 103 | 94 | 83 | 105 | 85 |
| 90 | 91 | 97 | 90 | 92 | 97 | 88 | 78 | 99 | 80 |
S1 = Morning Shift · S2 = Evening Shift · All shifts conducted between 2–8 April 2026
A consolidated view of 99 percentile cutoff marks across every shift of JEE Main 2026, with difficulty rating. Red rows = toughest shifts (lower marks for 99%ile), Green rows = easiest shifts (higher marks for 99%ile).
| Date & Shift | 99%ile | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Jan Morning | 168 | Moderate |
| 21 Jan Evening | 175 | Moderate |
| 22 Jan Morning | 186 | Easy |
| 22 Jan Evening | 153 | Toughest |
| 23 Jan Morning | 166 | Moderate |
| 23 Jan Evening | 156 | Tough |
| 24 Jan Morning | 175 | Moderate |
| 24 Jan Evening | 200 | Easiest |
| 28 Jan Morning | 168 | Moderate |
| 28 Jan Evening | 172 | Moderate |
| Average | 162 | Mixed |
| Date & Shift | 99%ile | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Apr Morning | 185 | Moderate |
| 2 Apr Evening | 192 | Easy-Mod |
| 4 Apr Morning | 180 | Moderate |
| 4 Apr Evening | 182 | Moderate |
| 5 Apr Morning | 193 | Easy |
| 5 Apr Evening | 178 | Moderate |
| 6 Apr Morning | 162 | Toughest |
| 6 Apr Evening | 196 | Easiest |
| 8 Apr Evening | 165 | Tough |
| Average | 177 | Mixed |
Three data visualisations to interpret the JEE Main 2026 percentile landscape across sessions and shifts:
Combined difficulty assessment from expert coaching faculty across both sessions:
January: Moderate to tough, with conceptual emphasis. April: Easier, mostly formula-based. Mechanics, Modern Physics, and Electrodynamics dominated. Numerical-heavy in toughest shifts.
Most scoring section in both sessions — NCERT-based and formula-driven. Inorganic Chemistry was direct; Organic and Physical balanced. Highest section averages across shifts.
The decisive section — lengthy and time-consuming in both sessions. Calculus, Coordinate Geometry, and Vectors had higher weightage. Toughest shifts had multi-step problems that drained time.
Average time-per-question target was 2.4 minutes. Top scorers spent ~50–55 mins per subject and kept the final 15 mins for review. Math timing was the differentiator.
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total Marks | 300 |
| Total Questions | 75 (25 per subject) |
| Subjects | Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics |
| Duration | 3 hours (180 minutes) |
| Mode | Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
| Correct Answer | +4 marks |
| Incorrect Answer | -1 mark (both MCQ and NVT since 2025) |
| Unattempted | 0 marks |
| Question Type | MCQs + Numerical Value Type (NVT) |
Based on the JEE Main 2026 percentile-to-AIR mapping (with 15.5 lakh candidates), here's what you need for each milestone:
| Percentile | Approx AIR (Gen) | Marks Range | Best Suited For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 1–26 | 290+ | Top IIT (any branch) |
| 99.9 | ~155 | 250–290 | Top IIT CSE |
| 99.5 | ~7,750 | 205–230 | Top NIT CSE |
| 99 | ~15,500 | 170–200 | Mid-tier NIT CSE / Top NIT (other) |
| 98 | ~31,000 | 145–175 | Decent NIT branches |
| 95 | ~77,500 | 110–140 | Lower NIT / IIIT branches |
| 93.41 | ~1,01,000 | ~80–100 | JEE Advanced eligible (qualifying) |
| 90 | ~1,55,000 | ~70–110 | GFTIs / state colleges |
AIR estimates based on ~15.5 lakh General-category appearees. Marks ranges show shift-variation spread.
If you're preparing for JEE Main 2027, here are the 5 actionable takeaways from the 2026 cycle:
India's top JEE coaching faculty, structured DLP, weekly mock tests aligned to NTA's normalisation, and chapterwise PYQ drills — everything you need to cross the 99 percentile threshold with confidence.
JEE Main 2026 closed as the most competitive cycle on record — 15.5 lakh candidates, 19 shifts, and a 0.31 point Gen cutoff rise. The data confirms three structural shifts: the bar is rising annually, April papers continue to skew easier than January, and Math remains the make-or-break section. For JEE Main 2027 aspirants, the playbook is clear — target 94+ percentile for safety, balance all three subjects, and treat both sessions as serious attempts. The qualifying cutoff is just the door; what matters is the AIR you carry into JoSAA.
Use this analysis to calibrate your target percentile, then focus all your prep energy on the consistent practice that puts you well past the bar.
The official JEE Main 2026 qualifying cutoff for General/UR category is 93.4123549 percentile, released by NTA on 20 April 2026 with the Session 2 result. This is up from 93.1023262 in 2025 — a tighter competition signal.
For 99 percentile, required marks ranged 152–196 out of 300, depending on shift difficulty. January Session 1 average was ~162 marks, April Session 2 average was ~177 marks. The toughest shift (22 Jan S2) needed just 153 marks; the easiest (24 Jan S2) needed 200.
A total of 2,50,182 candidates qualified for JEE Advanced 2026 through JEE Main 2026 Paper 1, as per NTA's official category-wise table released on 20 April 2026.
In Session 1, 22 January Evening and 23 January Evening were the toughest — 99%ile needed just 152–156 marks. In Session 2, 8 April Evening and 6 April Morning were toughest — 99%ile at 160–166 marks. All four featured lengthy Mathematics and conceptual Physics.
In Session 1, 24 January Evening was the easiest (99%ile at 200 marks). In Session 2, 6 April Evening and 5 April Morning were the easiest (99%ile at ~193–196 marks). Easy shifts featured more direct, NCERT-based questions and shorter calculations.
A record ~15.5 lakh unique candidates appeared across both sessions. Session 1 saw 13.04 lakh appearees (Jan 21–28), Session 2 saw 10.30 lakh (Apr 2–8). Total Session 2 registrations crossed 11.23 lakh.
NTA uses the equi-percentile normalisation formula: ((Number of candidates who scored ≤ your marks) ÷ Total candidates in shift) × 100. This compensates for shift-difficulty variation so a student in a tough shift isn't penalised against one in an easier shift. Final ranking uses the better of two session percentiles.
JEE Main 2026 had 75 questions (25 each in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics) totalling 300 marks, conducted in 3 hours. Marking: +4 for correct, -1 for incorrect. Since 2025, negative marking applies to both MCQs and numerical (NVT) questions.
The 2026 General cutoff (93.41 percentile) is higher than 2025 (93.10). Reserved category cutoffs also moved up — EWS by +2.03, OBC by +1.49, SC by +2.76, ST by +4.11 percentile points. The shift reflects tighter competition from a record 15.5 lakh candidate pool.
No. The qualifying cutoff (93.41 for Gen) only makes you eligible for JEE Advanced. The admission cutoff for NITs / IIITs / GFTIs through JoSAA counselling is much higher — for CSE at top NITs you need 99.5+ percentile, and for IIT CSE you need both qualifying JEE Advanced and a high Advanced rank.
JoSAA 2026 counselling for admission to IITs, NITs, IIITs and GFTIs typically begins after the JEE Advanced 2026 result (1 June 2026). The choice-filling and seat-allocation process spans 5–6 rounds across June–July 2026. Track josaa.nic.in for live updates.
