The question relating to JEE main score vs percentile is integral to the engineering aspirants right after the declaration of their results. It is important to know the exact percentile for a certain score obtained in the exam. Lots of confusion takes place around the topic JEE Main score vs. percentile. Before making the mistake of assuming the wrong percentile for the right marks, it is more than necessary to understand that your JEE Main score refers to the raw marks whereas your percentile is a relative score.
JEE Main percentile shows how you performed in comparison with others in your exam shift or session. The percentile or score of your session is merged with the scores of the candidates from other shifts to obtain a fair score using the normalization process. Normalization is an important factor to consider when it comes to the JEE Main score vs percentile question. Check the guide below to understand JEE score vs. percentile using a comparison table, examples and some tips.
What is the JEE Main Percentile (NTA Score)?
The JEE Main Percentile score is an estimated score which shows the percentage of candidates that scored the same or less raw marks compared to yours in the same exam session. Here is how NTA defines the JEE Main percentile section-wise.
Percentile =100Number of candidates in the session with raw score ≤ your scoreTotal candidates in that session
JEE Main Percentile Important Factors
The JEE Main percentile is calculated for each shift separately. The JEE Main exam is conducted in 10-12 shifts per session. Main sessions of the JEE Main exam are only two but the shifts are numerous. For each shift, the percentile is calculated.
Your final JEE Main result will comprise the following:
- Subject-wise percentile in Math, Physics or Chemistry
- Overall percentile or the total NTA score applicable for AIR or rank list.
JEE Main Score vs Percentile: How it is Affected Shift-wise
Since the JEE Main exam is conducted in multiple shifts the score can vary. To reduce discrepancies in the central marking system, NTA uses a normalization technique to ensure that the students are not receiving any advantage or disadvantage on the basis of the overall difficulty level of their shifts. A candidate scoring 180 marks in shift 1 of the JEE Main exam may have the same percentile score compared to a candidate scoring 185 marks in JEE Main shift 2. This indicates that shift 1 may have been easier while shift 2 was difficult compared to shift 1.
JEE Main Percentile vs Percentage vs Marks
All three terms have different meanings. JEE Main percentile refers to the percentile score of the JEE Main exam showing relative performance. While the JEE Main percentage is the simple representation of a candidate’s marks converted to percentage. It is not used by the NTA for official rank allocation purposes. Your JEE Main marks is your raw score which is calculated on the basis of the official JEE Main exam marking scheme. It shows the total marks you have scored on the test.
| Difference Between JEE Main Percentile vs. Percentage vs. Marks | ||
| JEE Main Marks | JEE Main Percentage | JEE Main Percentile |
| Raw score out of 300 | Marks300100 | Relative performance from 0 to 100 in a session calculated up to 7 decimal places to reduce ties as per NTA. |
JEE Main Marks vs Percentile
It is important to know that the JEE Main marks to percentile conversion cannot remain fixed for every shift and changes every year. Despite the changing nature of the JEE Main marks to percentile conversion table, the previous year trends help set a clear target to achieve in terms of required marks in the JEE Main exam.
The table given below shows the common expected marks range based on the recent shift-wise analysis for JEE Mains scoring patterns. The below mentioned JEE Main marks to percentile conversions are not final and you must use these conversions to plan your target college, engineering career and so on. JEE Main marks to percentile conversion mentioned in the table below is based on the JEE Main 2025 exam pattern and shows the approximate bands.
| JEE Main 2026 Expected Marks vs Percentile | |
| JEE Main Marks | JEE Main Percentile (Expected) |
| 300-281 | 99.99+ to 100 |
| 250-262 | 99.97+ |
| 231-240 | 99.93 to 99.95 |
| 201-210 | 99.79 to 99.84 |
| 181-190 | 99.59 to 99.68 |
| 151-160 | 99.02 to 99.23 |
| 121-130 | 97.81 to 98.25 |
| 91-100 | 95.00 to 96.06 |
| 71-80 | 91.07 to 93.15 |
How to Set Targets for JEE Main Score vs Percentile
It is important to set targets which are mostly common and pre-fix a goal for the aspirants. These target scores vary from year to year and by shift. Mostly, the target scores which aspirants set in the JEE Main exam are largely influenced by the shift in which they appear.
| Target JEE Main Score vs Percentile 2026 | |
| JEE Main Score (marks) | JEE Main Percentile |
| 150-200+ | 99 |
| 120-150 | 98 |
| 90-110 | 95 |
What is the JEE Main Score vs Percentile for 240 Marks?
The JEE Main score vs percentile for 240 marks will be on a higher scale closer to 100 as the student has scored more marks. Based on a 2026 estimate of the JEE Main score vs marks, it is suggested that the score equals over 99 percentile.
- Your score is 240 marks then your percentile (expected) will be 99.88.
- Based on the estimated rank, your category and qualification status, you may set your target engineering colleges in 2026.
Score vs Percentile vs Rank: How Rank is Decided
The AIR or the All India Rank is decided after merging the total NTA score or overall percentile across the two sessions having multiple shifts. A significant question which students ask is when does the tie-breaking criteria happen or what happens when JEE Main percentile ranks match? Here is what happens when two candidates have the same overall percentile and NTA has to resolve the discrepancy. The table shows that your subject-wise percentile matters a lot even if the main focus is on the total score/percentile.
| How NTA Decides Final Rank When Percentiles Match | ||
| Subject | Condition | Preference Order |
| Math | Higher Percentile | Top preference |
| Physics | Higher Percentile | Second preference |
| Chemistry | Higher Percentile | Third preference |
| Age | Older Candidate | Higher Preference |
How to Use Percentile to Plan Your Next JEE Main Attempt
The first step to learning how to use percentile to plan your next JEE Main attempt is to convert your goal into a buffer marks range. This means that your target percentile, for example, 99 percentile can be converted into a target score range of 180 to 210 marks. Also keep the best case, expected case and worst case scenario in the picture when planning your target percentile.
Another important tip for JEE Main aspirants is to track subject-wise percentile and not only the overall marks. When you land in a tie-breaker situation, your Math score will be given top priority followed by Physics and then Chemistry. Having higher section-wise percentile helps you get the better rank in a rank tie-up situation.
Use the Accuracy-first Rule for JEE Main Preparation
Under this rule, you have to ensure that you target and attempt those chapters or questions which have a high ROI. Here are some tips for adding accuracy to your next JEE Main attempt.
- First, do the high-impact chapters and topics.
- Second, focus on reducing negatives from your strategy like lack of time management
- Lastly, aim to strongly stabilize your performance across 2 subjects while keeping 1 subject performance safely stable.
Scoring and Repeated Topics in JEE Main
Practice the topics mentioned in the scoring section and extensively practice topics in the JEE Main repeated topics section. This table only offers general guidance to the JEE Main aspirants based on a study of the toppers studying pattern for proper structuring.
| Scoring and Repeated Topics to Cover in JEE Main Exam | ||
| Subject | Scoring Topics | Repeated Topics |
| Physics | Modern + Electrostatics + Current | Magnetism, SHM/Waves, Thermal |
| Chemistry | Mole concept + Chemical bonding + NCERT Inorganic | Organic reaction mechanism + named reactions + PYQs |
| Math | Quadratic + Sequence/Series + Straight lines | Calculus (limits, differentiation, AOD, integrals) + vectors/3D |
