Cracking JEE 2026 is the most important priority for aspirants like you now. Admission in IIT is your dream milestone and qualifying JEE Advanced is the entry point. Prior to that you need to crack JEE 2026. With lakhs of aspirants registering for JEE, only the top 2.5 lakh rank holders qualify for JEE Advanced. Therefore, as of now, you need to aim to get a safe score in JEE for IIT 2026. This article will help you understand what a safe score looks like, how the ranks and percentiles work and what you should target to maximize your chances.
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What is a Safe Score in JEE 2026 for IIT?
A safe score means a score that increases the chances of you qualifying JEE Advanced with a decent percentile despite the difficulty level of the question paper. However, only a limited number of candidates qualify for JEE Advanced. Therefore, you must get a score that is good enough to fall within that range. Here’s a breakdown:
Estimated Safe Score in JEE for IIT 2026 by Category (Based on Previous Years)
| Category | Safe Percentile | Safe Score (out of 300) |
| General (UR) | 99 – 88+ percentile | 280 – 180+ |
| EWS | 77+ percentile | 170 – 155 |
| OBC-NCL | 74+ percentile | 150 – 140 |
| SC | 45+ percentile | 130 – 110 |
| ST | 38+ percentile | 100 – 90 |
Need to Have a Safe Score in JEE for IIT
- Qualification for JEE Advanced: Without qualifying JEE , you can’t appear for JEE Advanced. A safe score helps ensure your seat in the exam hall.
- Mental Confidence: Knowing that your score is safely above the cutoff gives you mental peace, which is crucial during JEE preparation.
- Focus Shift: Once you’re confident about qualifying, you can focus more seriously on JEE Advanced, which is tougher and more conceptual.
Safe Score in JEE 2026 for IIT – JEE Cutoff Trends (Previous Years)
Let’s look at category-wise cutoff trends for the last three years:
| Year | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
| General | 89.4 | 90.8 | 88.4 |
| EWS | 78 | 75 | 63 |
| OBC-NCL | 74 | 73 | 67 |
| SC | 44 | 51 | 43 |
| ST | 37 | 37 | 26 |
Analysis: As you can see, the cutoffs vary slightly every year. A safe percentile is generally 3-5 percentile higher than the actual cutoff.
What Percentile Equals What Score in JEE?
| JEE 2026 Marks | JEE 2026 Percentile | Ranks |
| 276 – 300 | 100 – 99.99989145 | 1-20 |
| 266 – 275 | 99.994681 – 99.997394 | 80 – 24 |
| 257 – 265 | 99.990990 – 99.994029 | 83 – 55 |
| 245 – 256 | 99.977205 – 99.988819 | 210 – 85 |
| 235 – 244 | 99.960163 – 99.975034 | 367 – 215 |
| 225 – 234 | 99.934980 – 99.956364 | 599 – 375 |
| 215 – 224 | 99.901113 – 99.928901 | 911 – 610 |
| 205 – 214 | 99.851616 – 99.893732 | 1367 – 920 |
| 195 – 204 | 99.795063 – 99.845212 | 1888 – 1375 |
| 185 – 194 | 99.710831 – 99.782472 | 2664 – 1900 |
| 175 – 184 | 99.597399 – 99.688579 | 3710 – 2700 |
| 165 – 174 | 99.456939 – 99.573193 | 5003- 3800 |
| 155 – 164 | 99.272084 – 99.431214 | 6706 – 5100 |
| 145 – 154 | 99.028614 – 99.239737 | 8949 – 6800 |
| 135 – 144 | 98.732389 – 98.990296 | 11678 – 9000 |
| 125 – 134 | 98.317414 – 98.666935 | 15501 – 11800 |
| 115 – 124 | 97.811260 – 98.254132 | 20164 – 15700 |
| 105 – 114 | 97.142937 – 97.685672 | 26321 – 20500 |
| 95 – 104 | 96.204550 – 96.978272 | 34966 – 26500 |
| 85 – 94 | 94.998594 – 96.064850 | 46076 – 35000 |
| 75 – 84 | 93.471231 – 94.749479 | 60147 – 46500 |
| 65 – 74 | 91.072128 – 93.152971 | 82249 – 61000 |
| 55 – 64 | 87.512225 – 90.702200 | 115045 – 83000 |
| 45 – 54 | 82.016062 – 86.907944 | 165679 – 117000 |
| 35 – 44 | 73.287808 – 80.982153 | 246089 – 166000 |
| 25 – 34 | 58.151490 – 71.302052 | 385534 – 264383 |
| 0 – 24 | 0.8435177 – 56.569310 | 264383+ |
Tips to Achieve a Safe Score in JEE for IIT
- Take up iQuanta’s JEE Crash Course: Get concept videos on important topics, quality mock tests full syllabus and topic wise, live application classes, 24/7 doubt solving sessions, personalised expert mentorship and many more.
- Master the NCERTs: Especially for Chemistry. Questions directly come from NCERT.
- Revise Class 11 Thoroughly: Many students ignore Class 11 after Class 12 starts. Don’t make that mistake.
- Attempt Mock Tests Regularly: Simulate the exam environment to improve speed and accuracy.
- Focus on High-Weightage Topics:
- Physics: Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Modern Physics
- Chemistry: Organic, Coordination Compounds, Physical Chemistry
- Math: Calculus, Algebra, Coordinate Geometry
- Time Management in Exam: Don’t get stuck on one question. Attempt easy ones first.
As a take away, remember that aiming for IITs is a journey that demands hard work, consistency, and smart planning. Your first checkpoint is JEE , and securing a safe score here sets the tone for success in JEE Advanced.
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Safe Score in JEE for IIT 2026 FAQs
If you’re targeting IIT admission in 2026, aim for at leastt 250+ for general category, 170+ for EWS, 150+ for OBC and 100+ for SC and ST categories.
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