What is Percentile in JEE, How to Calculate Percentile Score?
Percentile in JEE is an important score used to compare how well a student performed in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main exam. The JEE Main is a national-level engineering entrance test conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Unlike a percentage score that shows marks obtained, the percentile shows the rank of a student compared to others.
Percentile helps to fairly compare students across different exam sessions or shifts. The NTA releases the percentile score along with the JEE Main results. Students who want to learn about what is percentile in JEE should check the complete details below, including how to calculate percentile and more.
What is Percentile in JEE Exam?
Percentile in the JEE Main exam shows how well a student performed compared to others in the same exam session. It is different from percentage marks. While percentage tells how many marks you scored out of the total, percentile tells how many students scored the same or less than you.
Since the JEE Main is held in multiple shifts and the difficulty level may change, the National Testing Agency (NTA) uses percentile scores to make the results fair for all students. For example, if a student has a 90 percentile, it means they did better than 90% of students in that shift. The highest scorer gets 100 percentile, no matter the raw marks.
Percentile scores are calculated very precisely to reduce ties. These scores are very important because they help decide your All India Rank (AIR), eligibility for JEE Advanced, and admission to top engineering colleges like NITs and IIITs.
Also Read: JEE Main Mock Test Analysis: How To Perform Mock Test Analysis?
How to Calculate JEE Main Percentile Scores?
The percentile score for each candidate is calculated using this formula:
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Percentile Score = (Number of candidates scoring equal to or less than the student ÷ Total candidates in the session) × 100
This calculation is done separately for each subject and for the total score. Percentile scores are given up to seven decimal places to reduce ties and make ranks more accurate.
Once percentile scores for all sessions are calculated, they are combined to create the final NTA scores. These scores are used to prepare merit lists, decide eligibility for JEE Advanced, and allocate seats in colleges.
If percentile scores differ between sessions, the lowest percentile among them is used as the cutoff for all candidates to keep the process fair. For example, if the cutoff percentile is 78 in one session and 79 in another, the cutoff of 78 applies to both.
Also Read: How Indian Students In UAE Apply For JEE Main 2026?
JEE Main Percentile Calculator Formula
NTA uses this JEE Main percentile calculator formula to calculate the percentile score in UAE:
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Percentile Score = (Number of candidates who scored equal to or less than you ÷ Total number of candidates in your session) × 100
This formula is used separately for each subject and for the total score:
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Mathematics Percentile (M1P)
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Physics Percentile (P1P)
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Chemistry Percentile (C1P)
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Total Percentile (T1P)
Scores are calculated up to seven decimal places to avoid ties and give precise ranks.
Also Read: How to Score 250+ in JEE Main 2026
Why is JEE Percentile Important for Students?
JEE Percentile score is one of the most significant scores in the JEE Main examination. It allows the students to know about their performance, choose college, and determine JEE Advanced eligibility. The following are the key reasons as to why it is important:
1. Shows Relative Performance
The percentile score indicates how many candidates scored equal to or below a student’s score in the exam. For example, a 95 percentile means the student performed better than 95% of all test-takers.
2. Used in Engineering College Admissions
JEE percentile score is considered by top colleges like NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs in their admission procedure. It also applies in the distribution of branches and campuses on All India Rank (AIR).
3. Determines Eligibility for JEE Advanced
JEE advanced is an entrance test to IITs and only those who score high percentile in JEE Main are eligible to write JEE advanced.
4. Promotes Fairness in Multi-Session Exams
JEE Main is over many shifts and hence the degree of difficulty of papers could be differing. The percentile based normalization method comparatively has the advantage of ensuring that equal evaluation is offered among sessions.
5. Helps in Ranking and Resolving Tie-Breaks
The All India Rank is prepared based on the percentile score. In case of a tie between students, subject-wise marks are used to decide the final rank.
Also Read: JEE Main Application Form 2026
Normalization in JEE Main Exam Based on Percentile Score
Normalization in JEE Main is a process used to adjust scores from multiple sessions to account for variations in difficulty across different exam shifts. Since different sets of questions are given in each session, normalization ensures fairness by converting raw scores into percentile scores.
How it works:
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For each session, candidates’ raw scores are converted into percentile scores, which reflect the percentage of candidates who scored equal to or less than a particular score in that session.
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The highest scorer in every session receives a percentile score of 100.
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These percentile scores, rather than raw marks, are used to compile the final merit list.
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This method ensures that no candidate is unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged due to the difficulty level of the question paper in their session.
JEE Percentile vs Marks vs Rank
In JEE Main, your marks, percentile, and rank are closely connected but different.
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Marks are your actual score out of 300 based on correct answers.
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Percentile shows how well you performed compared to other candidates in your session.
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Rank is your overall position among all test-takers across India, which is important for college admissions and eligibility for JEE Advanced.
Below is a clear comparison of estimated JEE marks, percentiles, and ranks for 2025:
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JEE Percentile vs Marks vs Rank |
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|
Marks (Out of 300) |
Percentile Range |
Estimated Rank Range |
|
290 – 280 |
99.997 – 99.999 |
15 – 36 |
|
280 – 250 |
99.970 – 99.997 |
36 – 428 |
|
250 – 240 |
99.947 – 99.970 |
428 – 755 |
|
240 – 230 |
99.916 – 99.947 |
755 – 1189 |
|
230 – 220 |
99.866 – 99.916 |
1189 – 1893 |
|
220 – 210 |
99.808 – 99.866 |
1893 – 2720 |
|
210 – 200 |
99.731 – 99.808 |
2720 – 3803 |
|
200 – 190 |
99.624 – 99.731 |
3803 – 5320 |
Percentile in JEE FAQs
Q: What is the JEE percentile?
Ans: JEE percentile indicates your ranking performance in relation to other students. It shows what is the percentage of the candidates scoring below or equal to you.
Q: Is 75 percentile good in JEE Mains?
Ans: A 75 percentile is considered average. It may not be enough for top NITs but can help secure seats in many private or state colleges.
Q: Does 100 percentile mean full marks?
Ans: Not necessarily. A 100 percentile means you scored better than all other candidates, but it does not always mean you got full marks.
Q: How is percentile calculated?
Ans: Percentile is calculated by dividing the number of candidates who scored equal to or below your score by the total number of candidates, then multiplying by 100.
Q: Is a lower percentile better in JEE?
Ans: No, a higher percentile is better because it shows better performance compared to other candidates and improves chances of admission.
