The JEE Main Exam is one of the most important competitive exams for the students who want to enter in the top engineering institutes in India such as IITs, NITs, IIITs along with various CFTIs. The basic eligibility criteria to appear for JEE Advanced is to clear JEE Mains first.
Every year lakhs of engineering aspirants appear for the JEE Main and most of them are confused about the JEE Main eligibility criteria and especially about the class 12 percentage required for JEE Mains. There is a major question that arises in mind: Is the class 12th marks required for appearing in JEE Mains or for the admissions in IITs, NITs or IITs?
In this blog we will be talking about the class 12th percentage required for JEE Mains, qualifying marks in class 12th for admission in IITs, NITs or IITs, along with the common mistakes that students make regarding class 12 marks in the exam.
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JEE Main Eligibility Criteria (Overview)
Before moving to the class 12th percentage requirement, it is important to cover the basic JEE Main eligibility criteria 2026 first and the detailed information about that mentioned in the table below.
| Criteria | JEE Main 2026 |
| Eligibility | Indian citizens, NRIs, OCIs, PIOs, and foreign nationals |
| Age Limit | No upper age limit. Candidate must have passed Class 12 exam in 2024, 2025, or appearing in 2026 |
| Attempts Allowed | 3 consecutive years from passing Class 12 is allowed |
| Year of Passing Class 12 | 2024, 2025, or candidate appearing in 2026 |
| Subjects Required | Physics, Mathematics (compulsory) + 1 subject from Chemistry/Biotechnology/Biology/Technical Vocational subject are required. |
Class 12 Percentage Required for JEE Mains 2026
There are many students who always remain confused regarding the JEE Main eligibility with admission criteria. So there are two major points that every JEE aspirant has to focus on.
- To appear for the JEE Main 2026 it is only required to pass class 12th along with the required subjects.
- For admission into engineering institutes like IITs, NITs & IIITs you require 75 % marks if you belong to the General and OBC category. The candidates who are coming from the SC/ST background required 65% marks in class 12th exam.
| Category | Class 12 Percentage Required for Admission |
| General & OBC | 75 % |
| SC/ST | 65 % |
Can I Give JEE Mains in Class 12?
Students who are appearing for their class 12th board examination are eligible to take the JEE Main 2026 and doing so can offer several advantages. Attempting JEE Main 2026 while still in class 12th gives candidates the actual exam environment which helps them to be familiar with the exam pattern, able to handle the pressure and time, identifying their own weak areas.
The early exposure of the competitive exams enables candidates to focus on their weak topics and areas that later will move to improvement as well. Moreover candidates will gain confidence while facing the national level competitive exam early. Giving JEE Main exam during class 12th not only increases the performance but also improves the preparation for the future attempts of the exam.
Many students strategize their preparation in the next attempt while appearing for the exam during class 12th board exams.
JEE Main Qualifying Marks in Class 12 for NITs, IIITs & IITs
| Category | Minimum % in Class 12 for IIT/NIT/IIIT Admission |
| General and OBC | 75% |
| SC / ST | 65% |
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Subject Requirement in Class 12th exam for JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026
The are some mandatory subjects that should be there in class 12 to applying for the courses like B.E./B.Tech, B.Arch and B.Planning and entire details about the mandatory subjects in 12th is mentioned in the table below.
| Course Applying For | Mandatory Subjects in Class 12 | Description |
| B.E. / B.Tech | Physics, Mathematics | One of Chemistry / Biology / Biotechnology / Technical Vocational Subject is required as the third subject |
| B.Arch | Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry | Candidates must have studied Mathematics compulsorily in Class 12 |
| B.Planning | Mathematics | Mathematics must be a compulsory subject in Class 12 |
JEE Main Cutoff vs Class 12 Marks
Many candidates mix up the JEE Main qualifying marks with the class 12th marks but both are very different. It is important for the engineering aspirants to understand these concepts along with qualifying JEE Main 2026.
- The class 12 marks criteria is required for the admission of engineering institutes
- Whereas, the JEE Main cutoff marks is the minimum marks required to qualify for JEE Advanced.
Past Year JEE Main Cutoff Percentiles
| Year | General | OBC-NCL | SC | ST | EWS |
| 2023 | 90.77 | 73.61 | 51.97 | 37.23 | 75.62 |
| 2022 | 88.41 | 67.00 | 43.08 | 26.77 | 63.11 |
| 2021 | 87.89 | 68.02 | 46.88 | 34.67 | 66.22 |
Conclusion: 12th Marks for JEE Main 2026
You can easily appear for JEE Main 2026 even if you have just passed your class 12th. But if you are aiming for the admission in the top engineering colleges like IITs, NITs and IITs you will need to undergo with some basic criteria for class 12 percentage in JEE Mains which includes 75% if you are a candidate from the unreserved or OBC category whereas aspirants from the SC/ST background required at least 65% marks in your class 12th board examination.
Your JEE score actually gets you shortlisted but your class 12th percentage actually decides whether you are able to grab the seat or not. So balance between both the eligibility to prepare smartly for the exam so that you will able to grab your dream engineering college.
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FAQs: Class 12 Percentage for JEE Mains
 Q1: What is the minimum class 12 percentage required for JEE Mains?
There is no as such percentage required to appear for JEE Mains as it is only required for the admission in engineering college.
Q2: Can I give JEE Main if I have less than 75% in Class 12?
Yes you can appear for the JEE Main exam but for the admission you required minimum percentage criteria in class 12th category-wise.
Q3: Do class 12 marks affect your JEE Main 2026 rank?
No the class 12 marks does not affect your rank in JEE Main 2026.
