What to Expect in JEE Main 2026 Exam: Safe Score for Top NITs, Expected Cutoff, Marks vs Percentile
Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main 2026 ( JEE Main )
Exam On - 21 Jan '26 - 30 Jan '26
What is the expected JEE Main cutoff 2026? Or are you wondering what the exam difficulty level will be? In this article, we have provided an analysis of the competition that you might be facing this year in JEE Mains exam, including expected JEE Mains 2026 marks vs percentile, safe score NIT admission, difficulty level and more. Read below.
What to Expect in JEE Main 2026 Exam?
The National Testing Agency will hold JEE Main 2026 in January and April. Candidates preparing for the exam are recommended to know what competition they will be facing this year. Preparing for the JEE Main 2026 exam is one part of the journey, however, the candidates who do crack the exam also keep track of the competition and have a reality check on what is coming next. Therefore, to give you an overview of what is coming your way, here is the detailed breakdown of what to expect in the JEE Mains 2026 exam.
Upcoming: NTA will release JEE Main city intimation slip 2026 soon.
- 14.5 Lakh Registrations for JEE Main 2026 Session 1
- 2.5 Lakh Candidates to be Eligible for JEE Advanced 2026
- Expected JEE Main Difficulty Level 2026
- Probable JEE Main 2026 Marks vs Percentile
- Expected JEE Main 2026 Safe Score for Top NITs
- Key Takeaways
14.5 Lakh Registrations for JEE Main 2026 Session 1
Around 14.5 lakh candidates have registered for JEE Main 2026 session 1 exam, as per unofficial reports. If this report is confirmed to be true, then this is the highest number of registrations that NTA has received for JEE Main in the history of the exam.
Check the number of registered candidates and appeared candidates in JEE Main over the years below:
| Year |
No. of Registered Candidates |
No. of Candidates Appeared |
|---|---|---|
| 2025
|
January - 13,11,544 |
January - 12,58,136 |
| April - 10,61,840 |
April - 9,92,350 |
|
| 2024
|
January - 1231874 |
January - 1170036 |
| April - 1179569 |
April - 1067959 |
|
| 2023 |
January - 860064 |
January - 823967 |
| April - 931334 |
April - 883367 |
|
| 2022 |
June - 872970 |
June - 769604 |
| July - 622034 |
July - 540242 |
|
| 2021 |
February - 652628 |
February - 621033 |
| March - 619641 |
March - 556248 |
|
| July - 709611 |
July - 543553 |
|
| August - 767700 |
August - 481419 |
|
| 2020 |
8,58,000 |
8,00,532 |
2.5 Lakh Candidates to be Eligible for JEE Advanced 2026
Out of all the candidates who will have JEE Main 2026 ranks, the top 2.5 lakh candidates will be allowed to register for JEE Advanced 2026 for IIT admissions.
IIT Roorkee is conducting JEE Advanced 2026, and it has released the category wise number of top JEE Main 2026 candidates who will be allowed to appear in the exam this year. Check below:
| Category |
Number of "Top" JEE Main 2026 candidates |
|
|---|---|---|
| OPEN |
96187 |
101250 |
| OPEN-PwD |
5063 |
|
| GEN-EWS |
23750 |
25000 |
| GEN-EWS-PwD |
1250 |
|
| OBC-NCL |
64125 |
67500 |
| OBC-NCL-PwD |
3375 |
|
| SC |
35625 |
37500 |
| SC-PwD |
1875 |
|
| ST |
17812 |
18750 |
Note: The total number of candidates may be slightly greater than 2,50,000 in the presence of “tied” ranks / scores in any category.
Expected JEE Main Difficulty Level 2026
Experts believe that JEE Main 2026 difficulty level will stay in line with the previous year's difficulty levels, that is, moderate to difficult.
- Maths: Maths will be the most challenging subject and the toughest. It is expected to have time consuming calculations and tricky questions.
- Physics: The numerical in physics can be on the tougher side. Candidates should have a crystal clear understanding of concepts in physics to ace this section. The overall subjects are expected to be balanced and moderate in difficulty.
- Chemistry: Chemistry will be easy for candidates who complete NCERT books. This section is balanced, and questions carry equal weightage from inorganic, physical, and organic chemistry.
Probable JEE Main 2026 Marks vs Percentile
As per the previous few years trends, following is the JEE Main marks vs percentile for 2026.
| Marks out of 300 |
Expected Percentile |
|---|---|
| 230 to 160 |
99 percentile |
| 170 to 100 |
95 percentile |
| 150 to 90 |
93 percentile |
Expected JEE Main 2026 Safe Score for Top NITs
As per previous year trends, a raw score of 250+ out of 300 that would translate to 98 to 99 percentile will be considered safe for JEE Main 2026 for admission in top NITs.
Check below top NITs and courses with high JEE Main cutoffs:
| NIT |
Academic Program Name (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) |
|---|---|
| Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur |
Computer Science and Engineering |
| Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad |
Computer Science and Engineering |
| National Institute of Technology Calicut |
Computer Science and Engineering |
| National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal |
Artificial Intelligence |
| National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal |
Artificial Intelligence |
| National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal |
Computational and Data Science |
| National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal |
Computational and Data Science |
| National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal |
Computer Science and Engineering |
| National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal |
Computer Science and Engineering |
| National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal |
Electronics and Communication Engineering |
| National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal |
Information Technology |
| National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal |
Information Technology |
| National Institute of Technology, Rourkela |
Artificial Intelligence |
| National Institute of Technology, Rourkela |
Computer Science and Engineering |
| National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli |
Computer Science and Engineering |
| National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli |
Computer Science and Engineering |
| National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli |
Electronics and Communication Engineering |
| National Institute of Technology, Warangal |
Computer Science and Engineering (Artificial Intelligence & Data Science) |
| National Institute of Technology, Warangal |
Computer Science and Engineering (Artificial Intelligence & Data Science) |
| National Institute of Technology, Warangal |
Computer Science and Engineering |
| National Institute of Technology, Warangal |
Computer Science and Engineering |
| National Institute of Technology, Warangal |
Electronics and Communication Engineering |
| National Institute of Technology, Warangal |
Electronics and Communication Engineering (VLSI Design and Technology) |
| National Institute of Technology, Warangal |
Mathematics and Computing |
| National Institute of Technology, Warangal |
Mathematics and Computing |
Key Takeaways
The above analysis is based on previous year trends, hence, candidates should consider them to understand the competition they will be facing in JEE Mains 2026.
Do not consider them the final analysis of the JEE Main exam. The JEE Main cutoff and percentile are dependent on various factors, which are subject to change.
Conclusion: NTA JEE Main 2026 exam is held twice every year. The registered candidates are issued the JEE Main admit card 2026 to appear for the exam. All candidates who appear for the exam get their NTA percentile scores and ranks with the final JEE Main result 2026 announced after the session 2 exam in April. To ace the exam, candidates have to compete among more than 10 lakh candidates. Out of the candidates who appear in the exam, only 18% qualify on average for the JEE Advanced exam for IIT admission. For top NITs, IIITs and GFTIs, candidates need 95 percentile or more to get a seat of their choice.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 days ago
NTA will release the JEE Main 2026 question papers a few days after the exam on the official website. Candidates can download the question papers PDFs and the answer keys from the website under their logins.
Y
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 4 days ago
COEP Pune JEE Main cutoff 2025 has been released for all rounds and categories belonging to the All India quota. The JEE Main cutoff 2025 ranged from 3867 to 28286 for the students belonging to the General AI category in the first and the last round closing ranks. Students who are aiming for admissi
N
Contributor-Level 9
Answered a week ago
Nirma University JEE Main cutoff 2024 has been released for admission to BE/BTech and BArch courses. In 2024, the cutoff for the General AI category was 22002 in the last round for admissions at Nirma University for the BArch programme. For the BE/BTech course, the cutoff for the General AI category
N
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 weeks ago
If candidates are facing issue in live photo capture, it can be due to mismatch from photo uploaded in Aadhar. For this, they need to visit the Aadhar update centre and get their current photo updated in the Aadhaar database.
The issue can also be due to any servor error/slow internet connectivity fo
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Well, becoming a rocket scientist is a long-term commitment, and it depends on your education path and goals It takes almost 5 to 6 years with a bachelor's and 8 to 12 years if you want to study higher. Here below is how long it usually takes:
- Bachelor's degree: You have to study aeronautical enginee
Beginner-Level 4
Answered a month ago
Who work on the rocket-propelled vehicles, they apply the principles of Mathematics, Physics, and Material Science to solve challenges related to these vehicles. Rocket Scientists are involved in the process of design and development of the vehicles such as small drones, satellites, and commercial a
L
Beginner-Level 2
Answered a month ago
Yes, this field is considered hard. It is complex and demands high precision. There can be extreme consequences for minor errors. The overall field is extremely challenging as it requires to apply the basic scientific principles to design and develop rockets. It requires sophisticated engineering wi
P
Beginner-Level 2
Answered a month ago
The following are the qualification which can help you to become a rocket scientist:
· Bachelor's Degree such as B.Tech/B.E can take up to four years to complete.
· You can do a two years Master's Degree M.Tech/M.E./M.S. after graduation.
· For advanced level study in this field, you
C
Beginner-Level 2
Answered 2 months ago
Marksheet and Adhaar details must be matched. So you have to approach to 10th passing school with relevant documents. The school will submit the application to CBSE regional office for correction.
Scholar-Level 18
Answered 2 months ago
No. The JEE Mains emphasizes on deep knowledge and quote challenging with negative marking whereas KCET is moderately difficult which emphasizes on direct factual questions with no negative markings.
M
Contributor-Level 7
Where can I check JEE Main 2026 question papers?