What is a good score in JEE Main 2026: Marks Vs Percentile, JEE Main Score for IITs and NITs
Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main 2026 ( JEE Main )
Exam On - 21 Jan '26 - 30 Jan '26
What is a good score in JEE Main 2026? JEE Main aspirants preparing for the exam always look for what is a "good score in JEE Mains 2026". Why knowing it can make all the difference between your college and opportunities. Check the article for more.
Searching for what is a good score in JEE Mains 2026? It is the total marks secured to get admission to top IITs and NITs. In this article, we have discussed about the cutoff trends, analysis based on toppers marks, and more. Read below.
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As per experts, it is said that a JEE Main score of 250 or above is excellent to secure any seat in top colleges.
Last year, a total of 12,58136 in session 1, and 9,92,350 aspirants in session 2 had appeared for JEE Mains.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) will declare the JEE Mains result 2026 in the form of percentile scores. Candidates can check here the previous year JEE Main marks vs percentile data to understand how much is 120 marks in JEE Main percentile.
As per the last year JEE Main marks vs percentile analysis, 120 marks would be around 95 to 97 percentile. However, the exact JEE Main 2025 percentile marks 120 would vary depending upon the highest number scored by the candidate in a particula shift and the total number candidates appeared in that particular shift.
Candidates who do not score above JEE Main cutoff marks are eligible to take admissions in NITs, IIITs and GFTIs but not IITs. To appear in the admission process for IITs, candidates need to get marks above than the JEE Main cutoff and appear in JEE Advanced exam.
What Exactly Makes a Score "Good" in JEE Main 2026?
JEE Main Paper 1 is conducted for 300 marks. Based on past year analysis, 280+ marks in JEE Main are considered good marks. While 300 marks is an excellent mark. Many toppers have secured full marks in the Joint Entrance Examination Main. To secure good marks, prepare according to the JEE Main syllabus. Here we have provided the good JEE Main rank.
| Category |
JEE Main rank range |
|---|---|
| Excellent |
1 to 15000 |
| Good |
15000 - 30000 |
| Average |
30000 - 50000 |
| Low |
Above 50000 |
What is a good rank in JEE Main 2026?
| Rank type | JEE Main Rank range |
|---|---|
| Good | Upto 25000 |
| Average | 50000 |
| Above average | 25000 to 50000 |
NTA JEE Main 2026 Cutoff Predictions: Expected Percentile and What Does It Mean?
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Based on the past cutoff trends, analysis and JEE Mains marks vs percentile, here is an estimated percentile and where you stand in the JEE Main 2026 admissions -
| Score Range (out of 300) |
Estimated Percentile |
What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 280+ |
99.99 to 100% |
Top 1 to 200 AIR |
| 250–279 |
97 to 99.99% |
Top-tier IIIT/NIT branches |
| 200–249 |
90 to 96.9% |
Strong candidate for NITs and IIITs |
| 150–199 |
82–89.9% |
Upper-mid GFTIs and mid-level NITs/IIITs |
NOTE:
- Candidate securing a score of 280 or above can expect a percentile within 100 to 99.99989145
- A JEE Main score of 250 above is good as it opens opportunities into IITs in CS and other popular branches
Also read:
- How to achieve 100 percentile in JEE Main as a repeater?
- Intelligent guessing tricks for JEE Mains 2026: how to spot the right option wisely
- JEE Mains 2026 preparation tips and hacks for repeaters and droppers: a practical roadmap to secure a seat in IITs and NITs
JEE Mains Marks Vs Percentile
Candidates can refer to the JEE Main marks vs percentile (as per the last year) to tally and understand where they stand with their JEE Main scores -
| JEE Main Score | JEE Main Percentile |
|---|---|
| 300-281 | 100 - 99.99989145 |
| 271 - 280 | 99.994681 - 99.997394 |
| 263 - 270 | 99.990990 - 99.994029 |
| 250 - 262 | 99.977205 - 99.988819 |
| 241 - 250 | 99.960163 - 99.975034 |
| 231 - 240 | 99.934980 - 99.956364 |
| 221 - 230 | 99.901113 - 99.928901 |
| 211 - 220 | 99.851616 - 99.893732 |
| 201 - 210 | 99.795063 - 99.845212 |
| 191 - 200 | 99.710831 - 99.782472 |
| 181 - 190 | 99.597399 - 99.688579 |
| 171 - 180 | 99.456939 - 99.573193 |
| 161 - 170 | 99.272084 - 99.431214 |
| 151 - 160 | 99.028614 - 99.239737 |
| 141 - 150 | 98.732389 - 98.990296 |
| 131 - 140 | 98.317414 - 98.666935 |
| 121 - 130 | 97.811260 - 98.254132 |
| 111 - 120 | 97.142937 - 97.685672 |
| 101 - 110 | 96.204550 - 96.978272 |
| 91 - 100 | 94.998594 - 96.064850 |
| 81 - 90 | 93.471231 - 94.749479 |
| 71 - 80 | 91.072128 - 93.152971 |
| 61 - 70 | 87.512225 - 90.702200 |
| 51 - 60 | 82.016062 - 86.907944 |
| 41 - 50 | 73.287808 - 80.982153 |
| 31 - 40 | 58.151490 - 71.302052 |
| 21 - 30 | 37.694529 - 56.569310 |
| 20 - 11 | 13.495849 - 33.229128 |
| 0 - 10 | 0.8435177 - 9.6954066 |
JEE Main Cutoffs for NITs & IIIT
Admission to NITs and IIITs is based on JEE Main rank. JoSAA releases the admission cutoff on the official website. Students whose rank in JEE Main is within the cutoff are considered for admission. Factors like the number of students who appeared for the exam, the total number of seats available in the institution, the exam difficulty level, and previous year cutoff trends are considered to prepare the JEE Main cutoff.
NIT Andhra Pradesh BTech admission is based on candidates' performance in the JEE Main entrance exam, followed by the JoSAA counselling process. The Round 1 of JEE Main cutoff 2025 has been released for different categories of students belonging to the AI and HS quotas. For students belonging to the OBC category, the JEE Main closing ranks ranged between 5741 and 14452. For branch-wise Round 1 cutoff details, check out the table below:
| Course | JEE Main Round 1 Cutoff 2025 (OBC AI Quota) |
|---|---|
| B.Tech. in Biotechnology | 14191 |
| B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering | 13555 |
| B.Tech. in Civil Engineering | 14452 |
| B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering | 5741 |
| B.Tech. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering | 10155 |
| B.Tech. in Electronics and Communication Engineering | 7400 |
| B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering | 12259 |
| B.Tech. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering | 14368 |
The cutoff for NITs vary for various branches and also category of students. Specialised branches like computer Science and electronics engineering has higher cutoff in comparison to other branches. Similarly, JEE Main cutoff for general category candidates is higher in comparison to OBC-NCL and SC, ST candidates. Candidates can check the previous year JEE Main cutoff below for some top NITs and branches. For detailed cutoff report, candidates can check Shiksha page.
- MNNIT Allahabad CSE Closing Rank Open Category: 5627 (Home State)
- MNNIT Allahabad CSE Closing Rank Open Category: 4254 (Open)
- MNIT Jaipur CSE Closing Rank Open Category: 5610 (Home State)
- MNIT Jaipur CSE Closing Rank Open Category: 4631 (Open)
- For admission at NITs, students need to obtain a JEE Main percentile between 86 and 93. The eligible students must register on the JoSSA official website.
- For IIITs admission, students' JEE Main rank must be within 80000.
Qualifying for JEE Advanced: What’s Required?
General category candidates typically must achieve between the 90th to 95th percentile to become eligible for JEE Advanced 2026. Candidates can check the last year's cutoff eligibility for JEE Advanced below.
Category-Wise Cutoff of NTA score eligible for JEE Advanced 2025 - Paper 1 (B.E/BTech)
| Category | Percentile | Total number of candidates |
|---|---|---|
| UR-ALL | 100 - 93.1023262 | 97,321 |
| UR- PwBD | 93.0950208 - 0.0079349 | 3950 |
| EWS-ALL | 93.0950208 - 80.3830119 | 25009 |
| OBC-ALL | 93.0950208 - 79.4313582 | 67614 |
| SC-ALL | 93.0950208 - 61.1526933 | 37519 |
| ST-ALL | 93.0950208 - 47.9026465 | 18,823 |
Also read:
- Minimum JEE Main marks required to qualify for JEE Advanced
- JEE Main 2026 exam predictions: Will JEE Main 2026 be tougher than 2025?
How to Improve your JEE Main Score 2026?
Focus on the core concepts and fundamentals
JEE Main 2025 topper Manomay, who secured a percentile of 99.98 and AIR 306, prioritised standard books, followed by mock tests and JEE Main previous question papers, as it help in enhancing time management and accuracy. Read here.
His mantra? Stick to basics, stay consistent, work hard, and stay mentally and emotionally resilient.
Practice Realistically
Regular mock tests and solving JEE Main question papers using the actual marking scheme (4 for correct, -1 for wrong). This will help in improving time management and building accuracy to attempting questions.
Get tips on how to review JEE Main mock tests like PRO
Revise Smartly
Begin with clearing your fundamentals. Solve JEE question papers of last 15 years to build accuracy and understand difficulty level. If you are targetting for a good score in JEE Main 2026, start with a clear goal. Try to achieve a 99 percentile to qualify for JEE Advanced.
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