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 |
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 |
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.
Read More:
As per the JEE Main 2023 cutoff data released by the NTA, PwD category has the lowest cutoff of 0.0013527. The highest cutoff is for general category which is 90.7788642. The PwD candidates scoring above 0.0013527 NTA score are eligible to appear in JEE Advanced for admission to IITs. The PwD cutoff has been lowered in 2023 to 0.0013527 which was 0.0031029 in the year 2022.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 18 hours ago
Chamistry
N
Beginner-Level 1
Answered 2 days ago
The Anant National University JEE Main Cutoff 2024 was released for all rounds and categories for students under the Homes State and All India quota who were seeking admission to the BE/BTech and BArch courses.
The JEE Main Cutoff 2024 for the BArch course was 22012 for students belonging to the Gene
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
In 2023, the Dr. D.Y. Patil Institute of Engineering Management and Research, Akurdi JEE Main cutoff ranks varied between 38276 and 208419 for the students belonging to the General AII India quota for BTech admission. Among all the specialisations, the most competitive was Computer Engineering, with
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
No. NTA has not allowed calculators of kind - virtual or physical inside the JEE Main exam hall. Candidates must not carry calculators or any other electronic device in the JEE Main examination centre.
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 days ago
No. NTA has clearly mentioned that ot will not change the dates of JEE Main exam of there is a clash of dates with any other examinations.
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 days ago
Hi.
JEE Main Score Route
If you have a JEE Main 2026 score, you can apply directly using that.
Your All India Rank (AIR) is used for:
Branch allocation (high-demand branches like CSE, AI/ML, IT, etc.)
Merit-based scholarships
No CU-specific entrance exam is required in this case.
CUCET / Direct Admission R
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered 3 days ago
Hi.
There is no fixed “minimum JEE Main percentile/rank” that guarantees admission to Chandigarh University (CU)'s B.Tech/B.E. in Computer Science Engineering (CSE), because admission depends on seat demand, number of applicants, branch popularity, and round of counselling. But we can estimate a roug
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered 3 days ago
Hi.
Yes — at Chandigarh University (CU), it is possible to get a scholarship for B.Tech/B.E. (including CSE with specialisations like AI & ML / “IBM‑program” etc.) based on your JEE Main performance — but only under certain conditions and only for a small fraction of seats.
How CU's JEE‑based scholar
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered 3 days ago
Hi.
1. Admission is primarily through CUCET
Chandigarh University (CU) uses CUCET, its own entrance test, as the primary criterion for seat allotment in all B.Tech/B.E programs — including specialised CSE branches.
Whether you want CSE – Cyber Security, CSE – Cloud Computing, or CSE – Data Science, you
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered 3 days ago
Hi.
For 2024, the “closing cutoff rank” for CSE (General category, all‑India) was ~ 80,940.
For 2023 it was ~ 63,416, and for 2022 about 47,509 — showing demand has been rising year‑on‑year.
For branches like ECE (or general electronics‑type branches), the 2024 closing rank was ~112,216.
For other bran
h
Scholar-Level 17
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.