Last Updated on December 3, 2025 by amay mathur
JEE Main is a competitive engineering entrance exam in India, which is administered in sessions. Where marks represent the raw scores out of 300, the percentile represents the performance of a candidate in comparison to the performance of other people in the same session. Because exams have different levels of difficulty, percentile levels even out the scores to make equal comparisons across sessions.
- Marks = Actual score obtained.
- Percentile = Percentage of the candidates who scored just as low as or lower than a specific candidate.
The percentiles permit equitable rankings even when there is variation in the difficulty of the exams across sessions.
What is the JEE Main Percentile Score 2025?
The JEE Main percentile score is not the percentage of the questions answered correctly. It, instead, reports the share of applicants who scored lower than or the same as a candidate in his or her session.
- A 95 percentile would mean that the student performed better than 95 per cent of those taking the test during that session.
- Percentiles are computed to seven decimal places, which minimises ties.
- These percentile scores after normalisation are used to obtain the final All India Rank.
How To Calculate JEE Main Percentile Using Marks?
The formula to calculate the percentile is:
Percentile Score = (Number of candidates with score ≤ your score / Total candidates in your session) ×100
For example, if 10,000 students appeared in a session and you scored better than or equal to 9,200 students, then:
Percentile=9,200/10,000×100=92%
This helps estimate your standing relative to peers within the same exam session.
JEE Main Passing Marks 2025
There are no fixed passing marks, but candidates must meet the percentile cutoffs to qualify for JEE Advanced and admission to NITs, IIITs, and other institutes. The expected percentile cutoffs for 2025 are:
| Category | Expected Percentile Cutoff |
| General (UR) | 93.10 |
| Gen-EWS | 80.38 |
| OBC-NCL | 79.43 |
| SC | 61.15 |
| ST | 47.90 |
| UR-PwD | 0.0079 |
Typically, a marks score of around 90–120 (out of 300) aligns with the qualifying percentile, but fluctuations depend on exam difficulty.
IIT Passing Marks 2025
In order to be admitted to IITs in 2025 by JEE Advanced, the minimum qualifying marks (both in aggregate and discipline) are:
Minimum total marks: 35% of total (about 126 out of 360 in the case of General)
Minimum marks per subject:
- General: 10 marks
- OBC-NCL/Gen-EWS: 9 marks
- SC/ST/PwD: 5 marks
Applicants not satisfying these minimums are not included in any IIT ranking regardless of rank.
Expected JEE Main Marks vs Percentile 2026
The relationship between marks scored and expected percentile for JEE Main 2026 is approximately:
| Marks (out of 300) | Expected Percentile Range |
| 300 – 281 | 100 – 99.9999 |
| 271 – 280 | 99.9947 – 99.9974 |
| 250 – 262 | 99.9772 – 99.9888 |
| 201 – 210 | 99.7951 – 99.8452 |
| 151 – 160 | 99.0286 – 99.2397 |
| 101 – 110 | 96.2046 – 96.9782 |
| 51 – 60 | 82.0161 – 86.9079 |
| 0 – 10 | 0.84 – 9.69 |
Top percentile scorers generally have marks above 250, while those in the 90 percentile range score around 100 to 120 marks.
JEE Main Mathematics Marks vs Percentile 2025
Mathematics is usually the toughest section, so percentiles for marks scored are steeper:
| Mathematics Marks | Expected Percentile |
| 60+ | 99.5+ |
| 50 – 60 | 99+ |
| 41 – 50 | 98+ |
| 35 – 41 | 97+ |
| 26 – 35 | 94 – 96 |
| 20 – 26 | 90 – 93 |
| 11 – 20 | 70 – 80 |
| 8 – 11 | 60+ |
JEE Main Physics Marks vs Percentile 2025
Physics is considered to be a conceptual and occasionally difficult part of the JEE Main exam. Mark to percentile distribution in Physics is highly dependent on the level of the examiner and the performance of the pupils in a particular session.
- A Physics score of 90 or higher out of the 100 marks tends to put a student in the 99+ percentile range.
- The score of 65 to 70 is associated with approximately the 90th percentile.
- Mark scores between 50 and 60 have the potential to achieve a 80 to 85 percentile.
- Scores of about 30 to 40 marks may be equated to the 60 to 70 percentile range.
The percentile indicates not only raw scores but also conceptual questions by showing the level of difficulty of the Physics problems the candidate has to solve, as the latter may require more in-depth knowledge and problem-solving skills. In a difficult paper, even mediocre marks can be used to register higher percentiles.
JEE Main Chemistry Marks vs Percentile 2025
Most aspirants tend to score well in chemistry as it is a predictive section and relies on memorization and problem-solving.
- A score of 85 to 90 in Chemistry will be in the 99th percentile and above.
- A score of 70 to 75 normally corresponds to the 90 percentile or above.
- An 80 to 90 percentile can be associated with scores between 60 and 70 marks.
- A 40-50 mark usually places candidates between the 60 and 75 percentile mark.
Faster recall of concepts and better time management improves Chemistry scores, and candidates achieve better percentiles in this subject.
JEE Main Marks vs Percentile: Previous Year’s Statistics
Understanding the previous years’ marks versus percentile data helps students set realistic targets for preparation:
| Marks Range (out of 300) | Approximate Percentile 2024 |
| 270+ | 99.99+ |
| 250 – 269 | 99.7 – 99.9 |
| 200 – 249 | 99.1 – 99.6 |
| 150 – 199 | 97.5 – 99 |
| 100 – 149 | 90 – 97 |
| 50 – 99 | 70 – 89 |
| Below 50 | Below 70 |
Key observations from past trends:
- Every 10-15 marks increase in the higher range can cause significant jumps in percentile.
- The cutoff for the general category usually lies around the 90-95 percentile mark, roughly equating to 90-120 marks.
- Percentile calculations normalize scores across multiple exam sessions, so ranks and percentiles are fair regardless of paper difficulty.
JEE Main Marks vs Percentile 2025: Tie Breaking Rules
In cases where two or more candidates receive identical percentile or marks, JEE Main applies certain tie-breaking rules to give them unique ranks:
- The candidate that gets the highest percentage in Mathematics is ranked higher.
- Should a tie still remain the candidate who passes Physics with the greater percentile is given the higher position.
- Then, when the tie goes on, the person with the higher percentile in Chemistry is ranked higher.
- Where the subject percentiles are the same, the candidate who is older in age is preferred.
- And lastly, in case of a draw, the applicant whose number is lower in the application gets a higher rank.
These regulations make each rank unique and decide on ties in a systemic manner.
FAQs
1. What is the difference between JEE Main marks and percentile?
Marks are the raw scores obtained in the exam, while percentile shows your performance compared to others in the same session.
2. How is the JEE Main percentile calculated from marks?
Percentile is calculated by determining what proportion of the candidates scored at the same mark as or below your marks in your exam session.
3. What is the expected cutoff percentile for JEE Main 2025?
Eligibility to appear in JEE advanced in the general category is approximately 93 percentile.
4. How many marks are needed to get 99 percentile in JEE Main?
Generally, a 99+ percentile can be earned with a score of more than 250 of 300.
5. Can I get admission to IITs by qualifying in JEE Main?
No, you can take the qualifying JEE Main and then you can take the JEE Advanced. Admission to IIT is based on the JEE Advanced.
6. What are the minimum passing marks in JEE Advanced for IIT admission?
Applicants generally require 35 percent aggregate and subject-specific minimum marks depending on category.
7. How important is Mathematics in tie-breaking for JEE Main ranks?
The first criterion which breaks ties between applicants with an equal overall percentile is mathematics percentile.
8. Does paper difficulty affect JEE Main percentile?
Yes, percentile levels the playing field between sessions of different difficulty to allow fair comparison.
9. Can two candidates have the same rank in JEE Main?
No, the rules of tie-breaking guarantee the individual ranking of all candidates.
10. When are JEE Main percentile and rank usually announced after the exam?
The percentile and rank are the most common results that are announced in a month after the exam sessions are over.