In the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Main) system, a candidate’s raw marks (out of 300) are not directly used to determine ranking or admission eligibility. Instead, the National Testing Agency (NTA) converts these marks into a percentile score using a standard formula to balance differences in difficulty across multiple sessions and days.
What Is the Difference Between Marks and Percentile in JEE Main?
- Marks refer to the actual score a candidate gets out of 300 based on correct and incorrect answers using the standard +4, –1, 0 scoring system.
- Percentile is a relative measure that shows what percentage of candidates scored equal to or below a candidate in a particular session.
For instance, a 95 percentile means the candidate scored better than 95% of the examinees in that session. This does not translate directly to a percentage of marks.
How Is JEE Main Percentile Calculated?
NTA uses the following formula on the raw score to compute percentile:
Percentile = (Number of candidates with raw scores ≤ you ÷ Total candidates in that session) × 100.
Key points about percentile:
- It is based on relative position among session candidates.
- The highest scorer in a session gets a 100 percentile.
- Significant normalisation is done to adjust for shift-wise difficulty differences.
Example: JEE Main 2026 Marks vs Percentile Trends
Based on past pattern analysis, here’s an approximate idea of how scores might convert to percentiles (these trend estimates apply generally and can vary yearly):
Such tables help aspirants estimate their expected percentile before official results are published, but should be treated as indicative ranges, not fixed conversions.
Why Normalisation Matters in JEE Main?
The JEE Main exam is held in several sessions and shifts across different days, which means the paper difficulty level can vary. To ensure fairness, NTA uses normalisation, converting all raw marks into percentile scores that adjust for shift differences. For example, if one shift is harder than another, a score of ~150 marks could fetch a higher percentile in that shift versus a session with easier questions even though the marks are identical.
From Percentile to Rank and College Prospects
Once percentiles are calculated per session, candidates receive an All India Rank (AIR) based on the best percentile across sessions (January and April). Higher percentiles almost always equate to better ranks and enhance admission chances through JoSAA counselling. Aspiring engineers must understand that percentile reflects competition and relative performance, not absolute mastery of topics, making it a key metric for admissions in NITs, IIITs and GFTIs.