JEE Main percentile vs rank
Expected Common Rank List (CRL) rank for each percentile, using JEE Main 2026's 15,38,468 candidates, and the 2027 figure if about 5% more candidates sit the exam.
| Percentile | Rank (2026 count) | Rank (2027, +5%) |
|---|---|---|
| 99.99 | 154 | 162 |
| 99.95 | 770 | 808 |
| 99.9 | 1,539 | 1,616 |
| 99.8 | 3,077 | 3,231 |
| 99.5 | 7,693 | 8,077 |
| 99 | 15,385 | 16,154 |
| 98.5 | 23,078 | 24,231 |
| 98 | 30,770 | 32,308 |
| 97 | 46,155 | 48,462 |
| 96 | 61,539 | 64,616 |
| 95 | 76,924 | 80,770 |
| 94 | 92,309 | 96,924 |
| 93.41 | 1,01,386 | 1,06,455 |
| 92 | 1,23,078 | 1,29,232 |
| 90 | 1,53,847 | 1,61,540 |
| 88 | 1,84,617 | 1,93,847 |
| 85 | 2,30,771 | 2,42,309 |
| 82 | 2,76,925 | 2,90,771 |
| 80 | 3,07,694 | 3,23,079 |
| 75 | 3,84,618 | 4,03,848 |
| 70 | 4,61,541 | 4,84,618 |
| 65 | 5,38,464 | 5,65,387 |
| 60 | 6,15,388 | 6,46,157 |
| 50 | 7,69,235 | 8,07,696 |
93.41 is the 2026 Open-category cutoff for JEE Advanced. Ranks are estimates; ties and shift normalisation move real ranks slightly.
How percentile becomes rank
Your NTA percentile is not your marks. It is the percentage of candidates in your shift who scored the same as you or less, so 98 percentile means 2% of candidates were ahead of you. NTA works out a percentile for every shift separately, so a hard shift doesn't hurt you, and then ranks everyone on one list using each candidate's better session.
That makes rank easy to estimate: rank ≈ (100 − percentile) × total candidates ÷ 100. With 15,38,468 candidates in 2026, every 1 percentile below 100 is about 15,385 ranks.
JEE Advanced 2026 cutoff percentiles
The top 2,50,182 JEE Main candidates, split by category, could register for JEE Advanced 2026. The lowest qualifying NTA score in each category was:
| Category | Cutoff percentile |
|---|---|
| Open (General) | 93.4123549 |
| EWS | 82.4164528 |
| OBC-NCL | 80.9232583 |
| SC | 63.9172792 |
| ST | 52.0174712 |
Once you have a JEE Advanced rank, our IIT college predictor shows every IIT and branch you could get. For past IIT closing ranks, see JoSAA 2026 IIT cutoffs.
Questions
How is JEE Main rank calculated from percentile?
NTA's percentile tells you what share of candidates scored at or below you. So the number of candidates ahead of you is roughly (100 − percentile) ÷ 100 × total candidates, and your rank is one more than that. In 2026, 15,38,468 unique candidates sat Paper 1, so 99 percentile works out to about rank 15,385.
How accurate is this for JEE Main 2027?
It is a close estimate, not your official rank. The two things that move it are the number of candidates (it has risen every year, which is why we show a range) and ties: NTA calculates percentiles shift by shift and then merges sessions, so two people with the same percentile can end up a few ranks apart. Your official rank comes only with the Session 2 result.
Which percentile should I enter if I wrote both sessions?
Your better one. NTA uses the best of your two NTA scores for the final rank list, and your result shows it as your overall NTA score.
Does this give my category rank?
No, this is your Common Rank List (CRL) rank, where every candidate is counted. NTA also publishes EWS, OBC-NCL, SC and ST ranks, which are much smaller numbers, but it does not publish how many candidates are in each category, so they cannot be calculated reliably from percentile. The eligibility check below uses NTA's category cutoffs, which do not need a category rank.
What percentile do I need for JEE Advanced?
In 2026 the top 2,50,182 candidates qualified. The lowest qualifying NTA score was 93.41 for Open, 82.42 for EWS, 80.92 for OBC-NCL, 63.92 for SC and 52.02 for ST. These move a little every year.
Can I get an IIT with my JEE Main rank?
No. IIT seats go only by JEE Advanced rank. JEE Main rank decides whether you can sit JEE Advanced, and is what NITs, IIITs and GFTIs use in JoSAA.
Related reading
JEE Main 2027 registration guide · IIT college predictor · JEE Advanced 2026: what actually worked
Source: NTA's JEE Main 2026 Paper 1 result notice of 20 April 2026 (unique candidates across both sessions, and JEE Advanced cutoff scores). IITian Vibes is a student merch brand run by IIT alumni. We are not affiliated with NTA, JoSAA or any IIT. Corrections to hello@iitianvibes.com.