How Many Marks will be Required To Clear JEE Main 2026?

Every aspirant gets stuck on the question “How many marks are required to clear JEE Main?” during their JEE preparation journey. The answer to this question is not any simple number. We need to understand past trends, categories, and other deciding factors to answer this. If you also dream of getting into IIT like the majority of other aspirants, it is crucial to get clarity on the cut-off marks for JEE Main.

This guide aims to break down all influencing factors to help students decide on how many marks are required to clear JEE Main. For this blog, we conducted a deep analysis with our experts and past year students who have qualified for JEE. As a result, the blog includes past year cut-off data, expected cut-off trends, and insights from experts to help students. So that an aspirant can decide their safe target marks and percentile.  

JEE Main 2025 Cut Off Marks (Category Wise)

NTA (National Testing Agency) released the cut-offs for IIT JEE 2025 on April 19, 2025. These cut offs qualify the eligibility to attempt JEE Advanced. Browsing through the scores of previous years’ exams will help make a better prediction. Below is the official information that was released:

Past Year Trends of Passing Marks (2021-2024)

As we are all aware of the 2021 pandemic, let us do a past year passing marks analysis to understand the variations in every year, with the reasons behind this. If we talk about cut-off scores from the year 2021 to 2024, we can see the cut-off scores going upwards.

Insights: The rising cutoffs indicate an increase in competition and improved performance of candidates.

Suggestions based on the previous year trends: By making some observations based on previous year trends of passing marks, we can use the data to estimate cut-off marks for JEE Main. This data also helps set a safe target score for the students.

• The general category cut-off has been steadily increasing. So the expected cut-off percentile is estimated to be 92-94 percentile (94-98 marks).
• Reserved categories like SC/ST have seen larger fluctuations. Hence, to surpass these fluctuations and be on the safe side, scoring 50+ will prove to be fruitful.
• For the OBC-NCL category, one can target the 80+ percentile to be on the safe side. 

Overall, getting 100+ marks will prove to be safer qualifying marks for JEE Main 2026 and JEE Advanced.

Expected Cut Off Marks For JEE Main 2026

What are the qualifying marks for JEE Main 2026? Getting a realistic idea of the expected cut-off for JEE Main 2026 will help students start their preparation smoothly. These expected percentiles are set based on past-year trends and other factors.

Note: These percentiles are just a prediction for JEE Main 2026. They are not the actual cutoffs. The official cut-off scores and percentiles will be released by NTA after the exam.

The table below is a summary of category-wise expected cutoff marks and percentiles.  Students can use this table as a clear benchmark for their target scores to understand clearly how many marks are required to clear JEE Main.

Expert Insights: It is expected that JEE Main 2026 will have a moderate level of difficulty. Hence, based on the past year 2025, our experts have estimated that 90 marks will be a safe score (for general category students) to clear the NTA cut-off for 2026.

Difference between Cutoff Marks and Qualifying Marks

You must have heard of both the terms cutoff marks and qualifying marks frequently. But are they the same? In the context of JEE Main, students often mix up cut-off marks and qualifying marks. Let us clear this confusion once and for all:

• The qualifying marks or percentile are the minimum marks or percentile required to qualify for JEE Advanced. Qualifying and clearing the JEE Advanced serves as a gateway to prestigious IITs (Indian Institute of Technology), IISC (Indian Institute of Science), IISERs (Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research), and IIST (Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology).
• Cut-off marks are the minimum scores needed for admission in other leading engineering colleges (apart from IITs). These include NITs (National Institute of Technology), IIITs (Indian Institute of Information Technology), GFITs (Government Funded Technical Institutes), and several others.

In simple terms,

• If your goal is IIT, you must score the qualifying marks to appear for JEE Advanced. 
• However, clearing the JEE Main cutoff marks will make one eligible to take admissions in NITs, IIITs, GFITs, and others through the counselling process. Accordingly, the student can make the right decision about how many marks are required to clear JEE Main.

Understanding Marks vs Percentiles

There is a distinction between marks and percentiles. Many aspirants assume that marks are the final cut-offs. But NTA releases the final cut-off in percentiles. Let us get an idea of how NTA calculates the scores and percentiles.

• Marks: The actual marks scored in the exam out of the total 360 marks.
• Percentiles: The relative performance of the candidate compared to all other candidates.

For example, if you score 100 marks and the highest score in JEE Main is 120 marks. Then your percentile is 91-92. This simply means you scored better than 91% of candidates who took the exam. Overall, 91%ile means you scored the same or higher than 91% of people out of the total candidates who appeared for the exam.

How does NTA calculate the percentile score?

The NTA score is used for normalisation of the scores. Normalization is done when the exam happens in different shifts. The formula to calculate the percentile given by NTA –

Percentile = (100* No. Of candidates who score less than or equal to your raw score)/(Total Candidates who appeared in the exam)

JEE Main 2026 Exam Framework

To understand the marks criteria better, let us get a grasp on the JEE Main exam structure. JEE Main comprises three subjects: Maths, Physics, and Chemistry. The total marks are 360, and this information is helpful while targeting scores and calculating normalised scores. JEE Main exam framework explained below:

Pro tip from our Mentors: If you focus on maintaining accuracy with 60-70 attempts, the possible marks are 150-180, which is a safe score.

Why Do Cutoff Marks Vary Every Year?

The cut-off marks for JEE Main 2026 change every year and are not fixed. Many factors contribute to these fluctuating changes in the final cutoff. A small change or variation in these factors can make a huge impact on the overall cutoff trends. Hence, understanding these factors can help students make better target scores. The important factors affecting the overall cut-off for the JEE Main exam:

• • Number of candidates who attempt the exam: The more the candidates, the more the competition. This pushes the cutoff to the higher side. The same applies if the number of candidates appearing for the exam decreases. This will lower the overall cutoff.
  • Exam difficulty level: The tougher the paper, the lower the cut-off. For example, if JEE Main 2026 is tougher than the 2025 paper, the cut-off will decrease and vice versa.
  • The overall performance of the students: The overall performance of the students directly influences the cut-off scores. If the average score is higher, the cut-off increases and vice versa.
  • Number of seats available in college: The total number of seats available in the institute will increase or decrease the cutoffs. There is an inverse impact. The more the number of seats, the lower the cutoff. The fewer the seats, the higher the cutoff.

How Many Marks will be Required To Clear JEE Main 2026?

To just clear JEE Main 2026, scoring around 100+ marks is usually sufficient, but for top colleges, you should target 180+ marks. You must be among the top 2.5 lakh candidates across all categories. Our experts suggest channeling this information to create a winning strategy by making your goal clear. Along with setting a target for yourself, consistency and perseverance will prove to bridge the gap between planning and executing. Cutoffs and percentiles are not just numbers but the gateway between potential and winning. These passing marks decide who qualifies and who becomes eligible to crack their IIT dream.

After reading this blog, a student will get clarity on how many marks do I need to clear the JEE Main exam.

FAQs

Question 1: How many marks do I need to score to qualify for JEE Advanced?

Answer: NTA releases qualifying percentiles and not scores for JEE Advanced. The qualifying percentile to give JEE Advanced 2026 is expected to be 90-95%ile based on past year trends. This is for the general category candidates. For reserved category students like OBC-NCL, the percentile to qualify is around 80%ile. Whereas for the SC/ST category, it is around 40-60%ile.

Question 2: How can one predict the expected JEE cutoff marks?

Answer: The expected percentile for JEE 2026 depends on the number of applicants, seats reserved by institutions, and the difficulty level of the exam. Review the past year’s trends and set a safe target score of 200+ marks for tier-1 institutes and 150+ marks for mid-tier institutes.

Question 3: Where to check for the official JEE Main 2026 cutoff marks?

Answer: The official cut-off marks for JEE 2026 will be officially released by NTA after the JEE Main exam. Check the official website: jeemain.nta.nic.in. for more accurate details. Check for the cut-off according to your category.

Question 4: Can normalisation reduce the chances of qualifying even after scoring high?

Answer: Normalisation is for fairness in the exam. And it does not reduce the qualifying chances for high scorers. The exam difficulty is a big factor in normalisation. If your shift was easy, then the qualifying percentile cutoff will be lower. So no injustice as such happens. It is a fair estimation of percentiles, and top performers are on the safe side.

Question 5: Can I still get admission if I score below the qualifying marks?

Answer: Scoring below the qualifying marks and percentiles can get admissions in private engineering colleges and state-level universities that accept JEE scores. But you won’t be eligible for admission into IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs as they require qualifying marks. 

Question 6: How do I calculate my percentile from the raw score?

Answer: NTA has set a formula to calculate the percentile from the raw scores. The percentile is calculated based on the relative performance of other candidates. The formula is 100*(total candidates with raw scores less than or equal to your score) divided by total candidates who appeared.

Question 7: With low Class 12 marks, can I still qualify for JEE Advanced if I score high in JEE Main 2026?

Answer: Regardless of the marks in Class 12, one can still qualify for JEE Advanced if they meet the JEE Main 2026 qualifying criteria. But to secure admissions in IITs, NITs, you need a minimum 75% marks in class 12 or be in the top 20%ile of the board. For SC/ST candidates, the minimum requirement is 65%ile in Class 12.

Question 8: Are there any sectional cutoffs for JEE Main 2026?

Answer: Fortunately, there is no sectional cut-offs in JEE Main. The total marks are considered even if you score unevenly in each section. Only your total marks are considered for the qualifying marks.

Question 9: For someone who belongs to the SC/ST category, what should be a realistic passing mark target?

Answer: The qualifying percentile usually ranges from 40-50%ile for SC/ST categories. If converted to marks, this becomes 40-55 marks. This is not the exact cutoff score for JEE Main 2026. These expected cut-offs are based on previous year trends. But to be on the safe side, scoring 70+ marks is advised.

Question 10: Why do some students who score the same end up having different percentiles?

Answer: JEE Main happens in different shifts. And for this reason, normalisation of scores is done. If two students score the same in two different shifts, they might end up with different percentiles. This is because each shift paper differs in difficulty and questions.