JEE Main cutoff is the next topic of discussion among the candidates as the session 1 exam has ended. The cutoff is crucial for those aiming to join top engineering colleges like IITs, NITs, and IIITs. It helps them understand the marks required to secure their desired rank and college. Based on the previous year’s analysis, it is expected that those who score 276 – 300 marks in JEE Main 2025, will fall in the rank range 1-20, for 266 – 275 marks the rank range is 24 – 80. For those who score below 200 and above 100, the ranks are expected to fall between 1888 – 26321. For marks below 100, the rank is expected to be below 34966. This article explains in detail the JEE Main Marks vs Rank, how it is determined as well as the concept of percentile and its calculation. Further, it includes the expected JEE Main cutoff 2025.
JEE Main Cutoff: Marks vs Rank
When it comes to cutoff, there is a confusion between marks, rank and how it is determined. To understand it, candidates must understand percentile and its calculation.
Here is a simplified explanation of the same:
JEE Main Marks
Marks are the raw scores you get in the JEE Main exam by adding the positive marks from the correct answers and subtracting the negative marks for wrong answers. For example, if a candidate attempts 90 questions and scores 180 marks, that’s called the raw score.
JEE Main Percentile
Percentile shows a candidate’s performance compared to other aspirants. It tells what percentage of candidates scored less than or equal to you. Percentile doesn’t depend on the raw score directly but on the candidate’s position among all test-takers. The percentile is normalized and is also called the NTA score. This is because JEE Main is conducted in multiple shifts, and difficulty levels of shifts may vary. If a candidate’s percentile is 95, it means he/she performed better than 95% of students.
JEE Main Rank
The rank in JEE Main is determined by the candidate’s percentile. It signifies that higher the percentile, better the rank. Ranks are published after all sessions of JEE Main are over. If 10 lakh students appeared, and a candidate scored 99.5 percentile, his/her rank would be approximately 5,000.
Know Your JEE Main Score and Percentile Even Before JEE Results
JEE Main Cutoff
The cutoff is the minimum percentile or marks required to qualify for JEE Advanced or admissions to NITs, IIITs, etc. Cutoff varies every year based on factors like the number of students, difficulty level, and seats available. The cutoff is released after the scores of both the sessions of JEE Main are released.
Relationship between JEE Main Mark Vs Percentile Vs Rank
JEE Main Percentile or NTA Score is also the minimum eligibility candidates need to score to qualify for JEE Advanced. Based on the mark obtained by the candidate the percentile is determined and based on the percentile, they are allotted All India Ranks. Percentile is the normalisation score.
Here’s the step-by-step procedure for normalization and preparation of results explained in simple terms:
Step 1: Distributing Candidates Across Shifts
Candidates are divided into different sessions (morning and evening shifts on different days).
Example:
Session-1: Day 1, Shift 1
Session-2: Day 1, Shift 2
The division is done randomly, ensuring that both sessions have nearly equal numbers of candidates. This method avoids any bias because students are spread evenly, making it fair for all. If there are more or fewer shifts or days, candidates will be adjusted across the available slots.
Step 2: Calculating Results for Each Session
For every session, the following are calculated:
- Raw Score: Actual marks obtained by the candidate.
- Percentile Score: A normalized score showing how well a candidate performed compared to others in the same session.
How JEE Percentile Score is Calculated:
Total Percentile (T1P) : 100 x No. of candidates in a session with a raw score equal to or less than T1 score) / Total No. of candidates who appeared in that particular session.
Example:
If 2,000 students appeared in your session and 1,800 scored less than or equal to you, your percentile is: 100×1800/2000 = 90%
This means you performed better than 90% of students in your session.
Step 3: Compiling Final Results of JEE
Once percentile scores are calculated for each session, they are merged together for all sessions. These merged percentile scores are used to prepare the final merit list.
Why Normalization is Needed?
- Since different shifts might have different difficulty levels, comparing raw scores directly isn’t fair.
- Percentiles normalize the scores across all shifts, ensuring that candidates are judged on the same scale.
Know Your JEE Main Score and Percentile Using JEE Main Percentile Calculator
JEE Main 2025 ranks are determined based on marks scored by candidates. Those scoring between 276-300 can expect ranks between 1-20, while 266-275 corresponds to ranks 24-80. As scores decrease, ranks increase significantly; for instance, 175-184 fetches ranks from 2700-3710, and 95-104 falls between 26,500-34,966. Those scoring below 25 will likely rank beyond 2,64,383. Candidates can have a look at expected JEE Main 2025 cutoff: Marks vs Ranks in the table below:
| JEE Main 2025 Marks | JEE Main 2025 Ranks |
| 276 – 300 | 20 – 1 |
| 266 – 275 | 80 – 24 |
| 257 – 265 | 83 – 55 |
| 245 – 256 | 210 – 85 |
| 235 – 244 | 367 – 215 |
| 225 – 234 | 599 – 375 |
| 215 – 224 | 911 – 610 |
| 205 – 214 | 1367 – 920 |
| 195 – 204 | 1888 – 1375 |
| 185 – 194 | 2664 – 1900 |
| 175 – 184 | 3710 – 2700 |
| 165 – 174 | 5003- 3800 |
| 155 – 164 | 6706 – 5100 |
| 145 – 154 | 8949 – 6800 |
| 135 – 144 | 11678 – 9000 |
| 125 – 134 | 15501 – 11800 |
| 115 – 124 | 20164 – 15700 |
| 105 – 114 | 26321 – 20500 |
| 95 – 104 | 34966 – 26500 |
| 85 – 94 | 46076 – 35000 |
| 75 – 84 | 60147 – 46500 |
| 65 – 74 | 82249 – 61000 |
| 55 – 64 | 115045 – 83000 |
| 45 – 54 | 165679 – 117000 |
| 35 – 44 | 246089 – 166000 |
| 25 – 34 | 385534 – 264383 |
| 1 – 24 | 264383+ |
JEE Main Cutoff 2025 Marks vs Percentile (Expected)
Candidates scoring 276-300 fall within the 100-99.99989 percentile range, while 266-275 corresponds to 99.99468-99.99739. As marks decrease, the percentile gradually drops; for instance, 175-184 gets 99.59739-99.68857, while 95-104 falls between 96.20455-96.97827. Scores below 25 correspond to a percentile range of 0.8435-56.5693. The JEE Main Cutoff 2025 Expected Marks vs Percentile list is provided below:
| JEE Main 2025 Marks | JEE Main 2025 Percentile |
| 276 – 300 | 100 – 99.99989145 |
| 266 – 275 | 99.994681 – 99.997394 |
| 257 – 265 | 99.990990 – 99.994029 |
| 245 – 256 | 99.977205 – 99.988819 |
| 235 – 244 | 99.960163 – 99.975034 |
| 225 – 234 | 99.934980 – 99.956364 |
| 215 – 224 | 99.901113 – 99.928901 |
| 205 – 214 | 99.851616 – 99.893732 |
| 195 – 204 | 99.795063 – 99.845212 |
| 185 – 194 | 99.710831 – 99.782472 |
| 175 – 184 | 99.597399 – 99.688579 |
| 165 – 174 | 99.456939 – 99.573193 |
| 155 – 164 | 99.272084 – 99.431214 |
| 145 – 154 | 99.028614 – 99.239737 |
| 135 – 144 | 98.732389 – 98.990296 |
| 125 – 134 | 98.317414 – 98.666935 |
| 115 – 124 | 97.811260 – 98.254132 |
| 105 – 114 | 97.142937 – 97.685672 |
| 95 – 104 | 96.204550 – 96.978272 |
| 85 – 94 | 94.998594 – 96.064850 |
| 75 – 84 | 93.471231 – 94.749479 |
| 65 – 74 | 91.072128 – 93.152971 |
| 55 – 64 | 87.512225 – 90.702200 |
| 45 – 54 | 82.016062 – 86.907944 |
| 35 – 44 | 73.287808 – 80.982153 |
| 25 – 34 | 58.151490 – 71.302052 |
| 0 – 24 | 0.8435177 – 56.569310 |
JEE Main 2025 Cutoff Percentile vs Ranks (Expected)
A 100-99.99989 percentile secures a top rank between 1-20, while 99.99468-99.99739 corresponds to ranks 24-80. As the percentile drops, ranks increase significantly; for instance, 99.45693-99.57319 gets 2,700-3,710, while 96.20455-96.97827 falls between 26,500-34,966. Percentiles below 56.5693 correspond to ranks beyond 2,64,383. The complete list is tabulated below:
| JEE Main 2025 Percentile | JEE Main 2025 Ranks |
| 100 – 99.99989145 | 1-20 |
| 99.994681 – 99.997394 | 80 – 24 |
| 99.990990 – 99.994029 | 83 – 55 |
| 99.977205 – 99.988819 | 210 – 85 |
| 99.960163 – 99.975034 | 367 – 215 |
| 99.934980 – 99.956364 | 599 – 375 |
| 99.901113 – 99.928901 | 911 – 610 |
| 99.851616 – 99.893732 | 1367 – 920 |
| 99.795063 – 99.845212 | 1888 – 1375 |
| 99.710831 – 99.782472 | 2664 – 1900 |
| 99.597399 – 99.688579 | 3710 – 2700 |
| 99.456939 – 99.573193 | 5003- 3800 |
| 99.272084 – 99.431214 | 6706 – 5100 |
| 99.028614 – 99.239737 | 8949 – 6800 |
| 98.732389 – 98.990296 | 11678 – 9000 |
| 98.317414 – 98.666935 | 15501 – 11800 |
| 97.811260 – 98.254132 | 20164 – 15700 |
| 97.142937 – 97.685672 | 26321 – 20500 |
| 96.204550 – 96.978272 | 34966 – 26500 |
| 94.998594 – 96.064850 | 46076 – 35000 |
| 93.471231 – 94.749479 | 60147 – 46500 |
| 91.072128 – 93.152971 | 82249 – 61000 |
| 87.512225 – 90.702200 | 115045 – 83000 |
| 82.016062 – 86.907944 | 165679 – 117000 |
| 73.287808 – 80.982153 | 246089 – 166000 |
| 58.151490 – 71.302052 | 385534 – 264383 |
| 0.8435177 – 56.569310 | 264383+ |
JEE Main Cutoff 2025 Expected: Marks vs Rank – FAQs
A safe score in JEE Main 2025 depends on the college and branch you want. For admission into top NITs, a score of 180-200+ is considered safe. If you’re aiming for IITs through JEE Advanced, scoring 90+ percentile (150+ marks) is a good target. However, for lower-ranked NITs and IIITs, 120-150 marks can be sufficient.
To clear JEE Mains and qualify for JEE Advanced 2025, the minimum marks needed vary yearly based on the cutoff. Generally, the cutoff for the General category ranges between 96.204550 – 96.978272 percentile, which translates to about 90-100 marks. For reserved categories, the cutoff is lower.
Based on past trends, scoring around 150 marks in JEE Main 2025 should give you a percentile between 98.5 and 99.2. However, the exact percentile depends on factors like exam difficulty and the number of candidates. This percentile can qualify you for good NITs and IIITs, but admission depends on category and branch preference.
To achieve a 99 percentile in JEE Main 2025, you need to score around 180-190 marks. However, this may vary depending on the difficulty level of the exam. A 99 percentile ensures a strong rank (around 8,000-9,000), increasing your chances of admission to top NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs, and eligibility for JEE Advanced.
To score 95 percentile in JEE Main 2025, you need approximately 85-94 marks. This percentile is usually enough for securing a seat in mid-ranked NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs, though branch selection might be limited. However, if you are targeting core branches in top colleges, a higher score is recommended.