{"id":73925,"date":"April 08, 2026","title":"How NTA Calculates Percentile in JEE Main?","content":"

NTA calculates the JEE Main percentile using a normalisation process to ensure fairness across different exam shifts. A candidate\u2019s raw marks are compared only with the candidates who appeared in the same session, and the percentile is then calculated based on the number of students who scored equal to or less than that candidate. The formula used is: Percentile Score = (Number of candidates in the session with raw score equal to or less than the candidate \u00f7 Total number of candidates in that session) \u00d7 100. This means the percentile reflects relative performance, not actual percentage marks, and helps adjust for variations in difficulty across shifts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once the candidates get their percentile score, they can check their expected rank with <\/span>JEE Mains rank predictor tool.<\/span><\/a> The rank predictor tool uses percentile score to show the expected rank to the candidates which will help them in deciding the probable colleges.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Is a Percentile Score in JEE Main?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A percentile score in JEE Main represents the percentage of candidates who scored equal to or less than you in the examination. For example, if your percentile is 95, it means you performed better than 95 out of every 100 candidates appeared in that session.<\/span><\/p>\n

Importantly, the percentile is not the same as percentage marks. A student scoring 120 out of 300 may still hold a high percentile if the majority of candidates scored below 120 in that particular session.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"percentile<\/span><\/h3>\n

Why NTA Uses Percentile Instead of Raw Scores?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

JEE Mains 2026 is conducted in multiple sessions across different days and shifts. Since each session has a different question paper, there is a natural variation in difficulty level. A raw score of 150 in Session 1 may not be directly comparable to a raw score of 150 in Session 2 if one paper was harder than the other.<\/span><\/p>\n

NTA Calculates uses normalisation through percentile scoring to solve this. This method makes the evaluation fair for every candidate by accounting for the difficulty variation across sessions and shifts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The JEE Mains Percentile Formula Explained<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The JEE Mains percentile formula method used by NTA is:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Percentile Score = <\/b>100 \u00d7 (Number of candidates in the session who scored equal to or less than the candidate \u00f7 Total number of candidates who appeared in that session)<\/span><\/p>\n

This percentile reflects a candidate\u2019s relative performance within that session and is used for normalisation across shifts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Example:<\/b> Suppose <\/span>1,00,000 candidates<\/b> appeared in a particular JEE Main session, and <\/span>92,500 candidates scored equal to or less than<\/b> a student\u2019s raw marks. Then the percentile will be calculated as:<\/span><\/p>\n

Percentile Score = 100 \u00d7 (92,500 \u00f7 1,00,000) = 92.5000000<\/b><\/p>\n

This means the student performed better than <\/span>92.5% of the candidates<\/b> who appeared in that session.<\/span><\/p>\n

Candidates can use this Percentile score to check their ranks in the JEE Mains Rank Predictor tool.<\/span><\/p>\n

Important Terms Used in JEE Main Percentile Calculation\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before understanding how NTA determines the JEE Main percentile through the normalisation process, students should become familiar with a few essential terms related to score calculation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Key Term\u00a0<\/b><\/td>\nExplanation\u00a0<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Percentile \/ Percentile Score\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\nA percentile score reflects a candidate\u2019s performance relative to others who appeared in the same exam session. It is calculated by converting raw marks into a scale ranging from 0 to 100 based on comparative performance. It should not be confused with percentage marks.\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Normalisation\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\nNormalisation is the process used to compare candidate performance across multiple exam shifts with varying difficulty levels. It ensures fairness by adjusting scores based on relative performance in each session.\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Highest Raw Score and Percentile\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\nThe candidate(s) with the highest raw marks in a particular session are assigned a percentile score of 100 for that session after normalisation.\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lowest Raw Score and Percentile\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\nCandidates with the lowest raw marks receive percentile scores based on the number of candidates in their session. Therefore, the lowest percentile may vary from one session to another.\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

How Ties Are Broken in JEE Main Rankings?<\/span><\/h2>\n

When two or more candidates obtain the same overall percentile, NTA applies a tie-breaking process to determine merit order. If the tie still remains unresolved after all criteria, candidates may be assigned the same rank as per NTA policy.
\nThe ranking is decided in the following sequence:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n