JEE Main 2026: Marks vs Percentile Explained – How NTA Calculates Your Score

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Every year, millions of students are confused when they see their JEE Main results. The scorecard displays percentiles instead of marks, raising numerous questions.

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Many students wonder, "Why is my percentile low despite scoring well?" or "How did someone who scored less than me get a better rank?"

If you're also confused about the JEE Main percentile methodology, this article will clear all your doubts.

We'll explain the difference between marks, percentiles, and ranks, how NTA calculates percentiles, and the score required to achieve your desired rank.

👉 Also Check - JEE Main 2026 Result: What Is a Good Score? Expected Marks vs Percentile – Full Analysis

JEE Main 2026 Marks vs Percentile vs Rank

Here's the comprehensive table showing expected marks, percentile, and All India Rank range for JEE Main 2026.

Raw Score (Out of 300)	Percentile	All India Rank Range
300 to 291	100 to 99.99989	1 to 15
290 to 281	99.99908 to 99.99745	16 to 36
280 to 271	99.99417 to 99.99347	37 to 100
270 to 261	99.99016 to 99.98881	101 to 160
260 to 251	99.97720 to 99.96976	161 to 428
250 to 241	99.95028 to 99.94664	429 to 755
240 to 231	99.91595 to 99.93498	756 to 1,189
230 to 221	99.86623 to 99.90111	1,190 to 1,893
220 to 211	99.80777 to 99.85161	1,894 to 2,720
210 to 201	99.73129 to 99.79506	2,721 to 3,803
200 to 191	99.62402 to 99.71083	3,804 to 5,320
190 to 181	99.48033 to 99.59739	5,321 to 7,354
180 to 171	99.29558 to 99.45693	7,355 to 9,968
170 to 161	99.06985 to 99.27208	9,969 to 13,163
160 to 151	98.77819 to 99.02861	13,164 to 17,290
150 to 141	98.40768 to 98.73238	17,291 to 22,533
140 to 131	97.94047 to 98.31741	22,534 to 29,145
130 to 121	97.35425 to 97.81126	29,146 to 37,440
120 to 111	96.60949 to 97.14293	37,441 to 47,979
110 to 101	95.64338 to 96.20455	47,980 to 61,651
100 to 91	94.39636 to 94.99859	61,652 to 79,298
90 to 81	92.76234 to 93.47123	79,299 to 1,02,421
80 to 71	90.41098 to 91.07212	1,02,422 to 1,35,695
70 to 61	87.06073 to 87.51222	1,35,696 to 1,83,105
60 to 51	81.57582 to 82.01606	1,83,106 to 2,60,722
50 to 41	73.08140 to 73.28780	2,60,723 to 3,80,928
40 to 31	59.84001 to 58.15149	3,80,929 to 5,68,308
30 to 21	40.34692 to 37.69452	5,68,309 to 8,44,157
20 to 10	20.95045 to 13.49584	8,44,158 to 11,18,638
10 to 0	6.59980 to 0.84351	11,18,639 to 12,00,000+

JEE Main 2026: Subject-Wise Marks vs Percentile

NTA also converts your raw score in each subject (Maths, Physics, Chemistry) into percentile. Each subject is of 100 marks.

Note: Subject-wise percentile doesn't directly affect your rank. Your AIR is based only on your overall aggregate percentile.

Maths: Marks vs Percentile

Raw Marks (Out of 100)	Expected Percentile
96 to 100	99.5+
91 to 95	99.0 to 99.4
86 to 90	98.0 to 98.9
81 to 85	97.0 to 97.9
76 to 80	95.0 to 96.9
71 to 75	92.0 to 94.9
66 to 70	88.5 to 91.9
61 to 65	84.0 to 88.4
56 to 60	78.5 to 83.9
50 to 55	72.0 to 78.4

Physics: Marks vs Percentile

Raw Marks (Out of 100)	Expected Percentile
96 to 100	99.5+
91 to 95	99.0 to 99.4
86 to 90	98.0 to 98.9
81 to 85	97.0 to 97.9
76 to 80	95.5 to 96.9
71 to 75	93.5 to 95.4
66 to 70	91.0 to 93.4
61 to 65	88.0 to 90.9
56 to 60	84.0 to 87.9
50 to 55	79.0 to 83.9

Chemistry: Marks vs Percentile

Raw Marks (Out of 100)	Expected Percentile
96 to 100	99.5+
91 to 95	99.0 to 99.4
86 to 90	98.0 to 98.9
81 to 85	97.0 to 97.9
76 to 80	95.0 to 96.9
71 to 75	92.5 to 94.9
66 to 70	89.0 to 92.4
61 to 65	85.0 to 88.9
56 to 60	80.0 to 84.9
50 to 55	74.0 to 79.9

What Is Percentile in JEE Main?

First, let's understand the basic difference. Percentile is NOT the same as percentage.

Percentage tells you how many marks you scored out of the total marks.
Percentile tells you how many candidates you've outperformed in the exam.

In simple words, your percentile score indicates the percentage of candidates who scored equal to or less than you in the exam.

Example: If your percentile is 95, it means you've scored better than 95% of the candidates who appeared in your shift. Only 5% of students scored equal to or more than you.

The topper of each shift gets 100 percentile. NTA calculates percentile up to 7 decimal places to avoid ties among candidates with similar scores.

Why Does NTA Use Percentile Instead of Raw Marks?

JEE Main is conducted over multiple days with two shifts each day. This means different students get different question papers. Some papers may be easier, while others may be tougher.

If NTA simply compared raw marks, it would be unfair. Students who got an easier paper would have an advantage over those who got a tougher one.

To solve this problem, NTA uses a normalization process. Through percentile calculation, students are compared only with others who appeared in the same shift. This makes the evaluation fair for everyone.

How Is JEE Main Percentile Calculated?

The formula for calculating JEE Main percentile is straightforward.

Percentile = (Number of candidates who scored less than you in your shift ÷ Total candidates in your shift) × 100

Example:

Total candidates in your shift: 1,00,000
Candidates who scored less than you: 94,500
Your Percentile = (94,500 ÷ 1,00,000) × 100 = 94.5 Percentile

This means you performed better than 94.5% of candidates in your shift.

Why Do Same Marks Give Different Percentile?

This is where most students get confused. Two students scoring the same marks can have different percentiles. Here's why:

Student A scores 180 marks in Shift 1 (easier paper). Many students in this shift also scored above 180.
Student B scores 180 marks in Shift 2 (tougher paper). Fewer students in this shift could score above 180.

Since Student B outperformed a higher percentage of candidates in their shift, their percentile will be higher than Student A — even though both scored the same marks.

This is why percentile is a fairer measure than raw marks.

What Is NTA Score in JEE Main?

Many students ask — "What is NTA Score?" It's simple. NTA Score is the same as your aggregate percentile score.

Your JEE Main result shows:

Subject-wise percentile (Maths, Physics, Chemistry)
Aggregate percentile (overall NTA Score)

Your All India Rank (AIR) is determined based on your aggregate percentile, not individual subject percentiles.

How Is All India Rank (AIR) Decided?

Once all shifts are completed, NTA compiles the percentile scores of all candidates. Based on this combined data, the All India Rank (AIR) is calculated.

Here's how it works:

Percentile scores from all shifts are merged together.
Candidates are ranked from highest to lowest percentile.
The candidate with the highest percentile gets AIR 1.

Important: Your AIR determines your eligibility for counselling and college admissions — not your raw marks or even your percentile alone.

A student with fewer marks but higher percentile can have a better AIR than someone with more marks but lower percentile.

Why Small Percentile Differences Matter at Top Ranks

At the higher end of the scale, even tiny percentile differences can result in huge rank jumps.

Going from 99 percentile to 99.5 percentile can change your rank by thousands.
Going from 99.5 percentile to 99.9 percentile can push your rank up by several thousand more.

This happens because top scorers are bunched together in a very narrow percentile range. Just one extra correct answer can significantly improve your rank.

Key Takeaways: Understanding JEE Main Percentile

Here are the most important points to remember about JEE Main percentile:

Percentile ≠ Percentage: Percentile shows your relative performance, not your actual score.
Same marks can give different percentile: Depending on your shift's difficulty and topper's score.
Normalization ensures fairness: Students from different shifts are compared fairly.
AIR depends on percentile: Your rank is determined by your aggregate percentile, not raw marks.
Small differences matter at the top: A tiny percentile increase can improve your rank by thousands at higher levels.
NTA Score = Aggregate Percentile: They mean the same thing.

When Will JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Result Be Declared?

NTA will release the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 result by February 16, 2026, at jeemain.nta.nic.in. The result will include:

Subject-wise percentile scores
Aggregate percentile (NTA Score)
All India Rank

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JEE Main Session 1 Memory-Based Paper 2026

Exam Dates	Physics	Chemistry	Maths
21 January 2025	Shift - 1	Shift - 1	Shift - 1
21 January 2025	Shift - 2	Shift - 2	Shift - 2
22 January 2025	Shift - 1	Shift - 1	Shift - 1
22 January 2025	Shift - 2	Shift - 2	Shift - 2
23 January 2025	Shift - 1	Shift - 1	Shift - 1
23 January 2025	Shift - 2	Shift - 2	Shift - 2
24 January 2025	Shift - 1	Shift - 1	Shift - 1
24 January 2025	Shift - 2	Shift - 2	Shift - 2
28 January 2025	Shift - 1	Shift - 1	Shift - 1
28 January 2025	Shift - 2	Shift - 2	Shift - 2

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