JEE Main 2026 Percentile: The JEE Main 2026 result has been declared and candidates have started checking their JEE Main scorecard 2026. Along with marks, students can see an NTA Score (percentile) in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and overall. However, many aspirants are confused because the scorecard does not show percentage, instead it shows percentile.
Since the terms percentage and percentile sound similar, students often assume they mean the same thing. In reality, they are completely different. JEE Main does not prepare rank using marks or percentage. The merit list is prepared only using percentile through a statistical process called normalization conducted by National Testing Agency.
This article explains in a clear way:
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Difference between percentage and percentile in JEE Main
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Meaning of NTA Score
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Why normalization is done
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How rank is actually calculated
Why JEE Main Does Not Use Marks for Ranking
JEE Main is conducted across multiple days and shifts to accommodate lakhs of candidates. Every shift has a different difficulty level - some papers are easier, some harder.
If ranks were decided using marks only, students who got an easier paper would automatically secure better ranks. A student attempting a tougher shift would be unfairly disadvantaged even if their performance level was actually better.
To remove this inequality, the exam authority compares students relative to the competition in their shift, not absolute marks. That comparison number is called the percentile score.
So in JEE Main:
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Marks measure performance in the paper
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Percentile measures performance among competitors
Only the second one matters for rank.
What is Percentage in JEE Main
Percentage simply represents how much of the total 300 marks you scored. It is a straightforward academic calculation and does not consider how other students performed.
Formula: Percentage = (Marks obtained ÷ 300) × 100
For example, scoring 150 marks means 50 percent of the paper was correct. But this number is only informational, it is not used anywhere in admission, cutoff, or rank preparation. That is why two students with the same percentage can still get completely different ranks.
What is Percentile Score (NTA Score)
Percentile indicates your performance compared to all students who appeared in the same shift.
It tells:
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What percentage of candidates scored equal to or less than you.
So a percentile is not about the paper, in fact, it is about competition.
Key understanding
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90 percentile → You performed better than 90% students
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99 percentile → You performed better than 99% students
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99.9 percentile → You are among the top 0.1% students
Because percentile measures relative standing, even moderate marks can produce a high percentile in a tough shift, and high marks can produce a lower percentile in an easy shift.
How Percentile is Calculated in JEE Main
The percentile score in JEE Main represents a candidate’s relative performance among all candidates who appeared in the same shift. Instead of using raw marks, the system evaluates how many students scored equal to or less than a particular candidate.
It is calculated using the formula:
Percentile=100 × (Number of candidates with score ≤ your score/ Total candidates in the shift)
For instance, if 80,000 candidates appeared in a shift and 76,000 students scored equal to or below your marks, your percentile would be 95. This means you performed better than 95 percent of the candidates in that shift.
Because the calculation depends on relative performance, two students with the same marks in different shifts can have different percentiles, and students with fewer marks may sometimes obtain a higher percentile if their shift was more difficult.
Subject-wise and Overall Percentile in JEE Main - How the Scorecard is Prepared
The examination result of each session is prepared in two forms:
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Raw Scores (actual marks obtained in the paper)
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Percentile Scores (NTA Scores) calculated separately for Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Total
Thus, every candidate receives four percentiles:
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Mathematics Percentile
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Physics Percentile
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Chemistry Percentile
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Total/Overall Percentile
These percentiles are calculated using the formulas shown below:
The overall percentile (Total NTA Score) represents the candidate’s overall performance in the entire paper and is the only value used for preparing the All India Rank and admission merit list. Raw marks and individual subject percentiles do not directly determine rank — they only support the ranking process.
Why Students with Lower Marks Get Higher Percentile
JEE Main is conducted in multiple shifts over several days. Each shift has a different difficulty and different competition strength. A student solving a harder question paper may score fewer marks but still outperform most students in that shift.
Hence, the percentile depends on:
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Difficulty of the paper
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Performance of other candidates
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Distribution of marks in that shift
It does not depend only on how many questions you solved. This is the reason students should never compare raw marks with friends from another shift, only percentile comparison is meaningful.
What is Normalization in JEE Main
Normalization by NTA is the statistical process used to make scores fair across multiple shifts. Since lakhs of candidates appearing for JEE Mains cannot be examined in a single sitting, multiple sessions are conducted. The difficulty level cannot be perfectly identical every time. Normalization balances this variation so that no candidate gains advantage or disadvantage due to shift allocation.
In simple words: Normalization converts marks from different papers into a common performance scale.
How Normalization is Carried Out
First, each shift is treated as a separate mini-exam. Percentile scores are calculated independently within that shift based on how students performed against each other. After that, all shifts are merged together using percentile instead of marks. Since percentile already represents relative performance, candidates from easy and difficult papers can be compared fairly. Finally, an All India Rank list is prepared using the overall percentile.
So the ranking flow becomes:
Marks → Percentile → Common Scale → All India Rank
Rank Calculation When You Attempt Both Sessions
JEE Main is conducted in multiple sessions in a year. If a candidate appears in more than one attempt, the system does not average the scores. Instead, the best percentile among all attempts is considered for final ranking. This ensures students can improve without risk.
Understanding the normalization process and percentile score in JEE Mains removes most of the confusion students face after downloading the JEE Main result 2026 scorecard. Their final score after normalization will be used for preparing the All India Rank and determining eligibility for counselling and admissions.
JEE Main 2026 Toppers: Check Complete List of Candidates with 100 Percentile and Marks Obtained
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