By: Deepak Nahar
If you feel that you can do better, you should definitely give it one more try. You have the liberty to attempt the exam again in May. A lot can change in these few months. I would suggest preparing a plan. Your focus should be on those topics which are easy to comprehend but are tricky for you.
I got a rank of 80,000+ in JEE Mains when I attempted the exam four years ago. I was expecting much better than this and honestly, I was not in a good state of mind. I desired to complete my engineering under CSE branch and I was sure that I would not get a decent college with that rank. I evaluated my performance and came to the conclusion that I can do much better than this. “I knew I could perform well if I gave it one more try.”
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If you feel that you can do better, you should definitely give it one more try. You have the liberty to attempt the exam again in May. A lot can change in these few months. I would suggest preparing a plan. Your focus should be on those topics which are easy to comprehend but are tricky for you. These topics will help you increase your score quite easily and significantly.
When I re-attempted JEE Mains, I got a rank of around 50,000. Although I still could not get a decent college under CSE stream with this rank through JEE Mains, I had a satisfaction that I gave my best. I do not suggest waiting for the subsequent counselling rounds. Based on what the pattern has been, there won’t be a drastic drop in the cut off between the rounds.
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If you don’t want to drop a year, you still have a few options. I am listing some of the top exams in which you can apply if your JEE Mains score is not good.
- BITSAT - Birla Institute of Technology and Science Admission Test.
- VITEEE - Vellore Institute of Technology Engineering Entrance Exam
- SRMJEEE - SRM Joint Engineering Entrance Exam.
- SNUSAT - Shiv Nadar University Scholastic Aptitude Test
- COMEDK - Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka.
- MUOET - Manipal University Entrance Test.
- UPES - University of Petroleum and Energy Studies.
- MHTCET - Maharashtra Common Entrance Test
- REAP - Rajasthan Engineering Admission Process (through JEE Mains score)
- There are a lot of government colleges which accept JEE Mains score. You can apply for them. Generally, the cutoff for these colleges is low.
You have all the options listed above. It’s on you to decide which one to take. I would personally suggest you sit with your mentors and parents and discuss what your next step should be. If you decide to take a drop, be sincere, stay focused and eliminate all the distractions. It will not be an easy task to increase your score if you follow the same pattern of study. Try to find the improvement spots and work on them. If you decide to apply for a college, don’t feel bad about compromising. We, engineers, have a tendency to bring the best out of us under tough conditions.
About the Author:
Deepak Nahar is a third-year student at Vellore Institute of Technology, pursuing B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering. He is the Digital Marketing & Content Head of Developer Student Club, VIT, powered by Google Developers. He is also a campus representative for Shiksha.com.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 21 hours ago
Yes, the admissions in BTech at BRCM CET are based on JEE Main merit ranks. Students have to register for counseling at HSTES official website. Seats for management quota and NRI wards are allotted by the college. Separate registration for counseling is done on the official website. Seat allotment i
B
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 21 hours ago
The cutoffs for BTech admissions in the institute are not available as per official sources. However, according to data present on Shiksha page the 2025 closing rank for CSE branch was 1202618. Additionally, the JEE Main closing rank for Civil Engineering was 871976. Students can check official HSTE
B
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Yes, JEE Mains has been listed as an accepted entrance exam for MIT Academy of Engineering BTech admission. The institute has also listed MHT-CET as its accepted entrance exam. Thus, candidates with a JEE Mains score can apply directly without appearing for MHT-CET.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
CT Group of Institutions (North Campus) offers scholarships to students who crack the JEE Mains exam. Institution offers various scholarship categories including merit based aid for exceptional JEE Mains performance.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Guru Nanak Institute of Technology accepts JEE Main scores for admission in BTech programme. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants with WBJEE or CE-AMPAI scores can also get admission in BTech provided they also meet the eligibility criteria.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 5 days ago
Students who gave the JEE Main session 2 exam and want to take admission at IITs should start preparing for the JEE Advanced exam. Students with a more than 98th percentile should start to study for the JEE Advanced exam.
Those who have secured a percentile between 95th and 98th should focus more on
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
With a JEE Main percentile of 90.94 and CRL rank ~1.4 Lacs (female, general category), you have realistic chances in mid-tier NITs (later rounds), state government colleges, and strong private universities in Tamil Nadu and Bangalore for ECE/EEE. Top NITs/IIITs are unlikely, but good regional option
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
With a JEE Main 2026 rank of 400,510 (≈ 70 percentile), admission to NITs, IIITs, or top GFTIs through JoSAA counseling is not possible.
Why?
- NITs/IIITs/GFTIs Cutoffs:
- Even for lower-demand branches (Civil, Mechanical, Metallurgy), closing ranks are usually within 2–2.5 Lacs (General category).
- Your r
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
| Branch | General Category Closing Rank | OBC/SC/ST Closing Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science (CSE) | ~12,000–15,000 | Up to ~25,000–30,000 | Most competitive branch |
| Information Technology (IT) | ~15,000 | ~28,000–32,000 | Slightly easier than CSE |
| Electronics & Communication (ECE) | ~18,000–20,000 | ~35,000–40,000 | Balanced demand |
| Electrical Engineering | ~20,000–25,000 | ~40,000–50,000 | Moderate demand |
| Mechanical Engineering | ~25,000–30,000 | ~50,000–60,000 | Higher closing ranks |
| Civil Engineering | ~30,000–35,000 | ~60,000–70,000 | Lower demand |
| Other Core (Textile, Metallurgy, Bio-Tech) | ~35,000–40,000 | ~70,000–80,000 | Easier admission |
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
With a JEE Main CRL rank of ~79,364 and an EWS category rank of ~11,884, you have a realistic chance of securing CSE in several mid-tier NITs, newer IIITs, and some GFTIs. Top NITs (Trichy, Surathkal, Warangal, Allahabad) are out of reach, but options like NIT Jalandhar, NIT Hamirpur, IIIT Kota, III
S
Contributor-Level 10
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