January 21, 2026
Summary: Crack the code on JEE Main marks vs percentile for Paper 2 2026! Discover how your JEE Main exam performance helps you into college admissions for B.Arch and B.Planning. Explore our guide to predict your ranking. Ready to see where you stand?
JEE Main 2026 Result for Paper 2 will be published on the official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in/ only after the exam gets concluded. The session 1 of the JEE Main Paper 2 exam is scheduled to take place on 29th January and the session 2 from 2nd to 9th April 2026.
Following are the official dates announced by NTA on the JEE Main website:
|
EVENTS |
DATES |
|
Session 1 (January 2026): JEE (Main) - 2026 |
|
|
Dates of Examination |
Between 21 January 2026 to 30 January 2026 |
|
Declaration of Result |
By 12 February, 2026 |
|
Session 2 (April 2026): JEE (Main) - 2026 |
|
|
Dates of Examination |
Between 02 April 2026 to 09 April 2026 |
|
Declaration of Result |
By 20 April, 2026 |
You can view your results by entering the Application Number, DOB, and Security PIN.
Here is an article to help you calculate the JEE Mains marks vs percentile 2026 to determine if you can obtain a seat in the desired design college.
There are several deciding factors of JEE Main marks vs percentile Paper 2, 2026 cutoff, which are as follows:
Check: JEE Main Previous Year Question Paper With solution
JEE Main Paper 2 marks vs percentile refers to the relationship between the raw marks scored by a candidate in JEE Main Paper 2 (B.Arch or B.Planning) and the percentile score assigned by the National Testing Agency (NTA) after normalization. Since JEE Main is conducted in multiple shifts, NTA converts raw marks into percentiles to ensure fair comparison among candidates across different difficulty levels.
A percentile score indicates the percentage of candidates who scored equal to or below your score in the same session. The JEE Main Paper 2 percentile score is always measured on a scale of 100 to 0 for each examinee session.
For example, a 95 percentile means you performed better than 95% of the candidates who appeared in that paper. Because percentile is a relative ranking measure, the same marks may result in different percentiles each year depending on exam difficulty, number of candidates, and score distribution.
Understanding JEE main paper 2 marks vs percentile helps B.Arch and B.Planning aspirants estimate their expected ranking, predict admission chances, and interpret result trends correctly.
Also check: JEE Main paprer 2 Answer key
Since the National Testing Agency (NTA) uses a normalization process across multiple shifts, exact percentile values are released only after result declaration. However, trend-based estimates from previous years provide a reliable prediction range.
Use this table to estimate your JEE Main marks vs percentile vs rank 2026 position before official results.
|
Paper 2 Raw Marks (Out of 400) |
Expected Percentile Range |
Expected Rank |
|
350 – 400 |
99.9+ percentile |
|
|
310 – 349 |
99.5 – 99.9 percentile |
|
|
270 – 309 |
98.5 – 99.5 percentile |
|
|
230 – 269 |
96.0 – 98.4 percentile |
|
|
190 – 229 |
92.0 – 95.9 percentile |
|
|
150 – 189 |
88.0 – 91.9 percentile |
|
|
Below 150 |
Below 88 percentile |
These ranges help aspirants estimate JEE main paper 2 marks vs percentile 2026 before official results.
Important Disclaimer
These marks vs percentile 2026 estimates are based on historical JEE Main trends and normalization behavior. The actual JEE Main marks vs percentile 2026 mapping will be released officially by NTA after result declaration.
Read more: List of Best Books for JEE Main Paper 2 Preparation
The JEE Main Paper 2 marks vs percentile 2026 mapping applies to candidates appearing for:
Unlike Paper 1 (Engineering) which is conducted out of 300 marks, JEE Main Paper 2 is conducted out of 400 marks, making it important to interpret percentiles separately. However, the percentile normalization logic remains the same across all papers, since NTA ranks candidates based on relative performance within each paper and session.
The percentile in JEE Main Paper 2 (B.Arch / B.Planning) is calculated using:
Your performance relative to other candidates appearing in the same paper and shift.
Important clarifications:
✔ A score of 250/400 in Paper 2 does NOT equal the same percentile as 250/300 in Paper 1
✔ Percentile depends on competition density and score distribution
✔ Architecture and Planning candidates are ranked within their own paper group
✔ Normalization is applied within Paper 2 sessions
Also Check: JEE Main Paper 2 Marking Scheme 2026
|
Percentile Range |
What It Means |
|
99.5+ percentile |
Strong chance for top SPAs / NITs |
|
97–99 percentile |
Competitive government colleges |
|
92–96 percentile |
Mid-tier institutions |
|
Below 92 percentile |
Mostly private colleges |
Expected cutoff marks for JEE Main for the reserved and unreserved categories is given in the table below -
| Category | JEE Main 2026 Expected Cutoff |
| Common Rank List | 90-91 |
| Gen-EWS | 75-76 |
| OBC-NCL | 73-74 |
| SC | 51-52 |
| ST | 37-38 |
| PwD | 0.0013527 |
Check: JEE Mains Paper 2 Seat Allotment Process
Based on the percentage calculated through the JEE Main Marks vs Percentile analysis, you can have a rough idea of the rank secured. An approximate estimation is as follows:
| Percentile | Ranking |
| 70.66-75.88 % | 61000 - 65000 |
| 75.99 - 80.75 % | 50000 - 60000 |
| 80.23 - 83.89 % | 25000 - 45000 |
| 84.22-87.87 % | 15000 - 20000 |
| 88.00-90.12 % | 10000 - 14000 |
| 91.32 - 95.00 % | 9000 - 10000 |
| 95.66- 97.32 % | 8000 - 9000 |
| 97.99-98.55 % | 5000 - 6000 |
| 98.88-98.91 % | 3500 - 4500 |
| 99.22-99.65 % | 1200 - 3000 |
| 99.88-99.91 % | 800 - 1000 |
| 99.95-99.98 % | 250 - 600 |
| 99.99 % | <100 |
Check: Eligibility criteria for JEE Mains
Yes. The percentile calculation logic is the same, but the marks-to-percentile relationship is different for Paper 2 and Paper 1.
Key Differences Between Paper 1 and Paper 2 Percentile
|
Parameter |
Paper 1 (B.E / B.Tech) |
Paper 2 (B.Arch / B.Planning) |
|
Total Marks |
300 |
400 |
|
Candidate Pool |
Very large |
Smaller, specialized |
|
Competition Pattern |
Dense |
Niche |
|
Marks Distribution |
Physics-heavy scoring |
Aptitude + Drawing heavy |
|
Percentile Curve |
Steep |
Slightly wider spread |
|
Rank Type |
CRL Rank |
Paper 2 Rank |
Even if two candidates score the same raw marks numerically, their percentile outcome may differ because the candidate pool and paper structure are different. Therefore, always refer to Paper 2 specific marks vs percentile tables when estimating results for architecture and planning admissions.
Also Check: JEE Mains Paper 2 Aptitude Weightage 2026
Below are the steps to calculate the rank based on the JEE Main marks vs percentile for Paper 2 -
Step 1: Distribute the Examinees in two days and two daily shifts.
Candidates would be distributed in 4 sessions with approximately equal numbers of candidates.
Learn More: How to fill JEE Mains Application Form Step by Step Guide
Step 2: Preparation of Results for each Session
The examination results for each session will be prepared in the form of raw scores and percentage scores for each subject, aptitude, maths, and drawing, in JEE Main paper 2 and the total.
The following 4 % must be calculated for each candidate in the Session:
Let T1, M1, A1, and D1 be the raw scores in Total, Mathematics, Aptitude, Drawing of a candidate and
T1P, M1P, A1P, and D1P are the percentile scores of the candidate's Total, Mathematics, Aptitude, and Drawing.

Step-3: Compilation of NTA score and Preparation of Overall Merit/ Rank List :
As part of the JEE Main Marks vs Percentile process, The Percentile scores for the Total Raw Score for all four sessions (Session-1: Day-1 Shift-1, Session2: Day-1 Shift-2, Session-3: Day-2 Shift-1, and Session-4: Day-2 Shift-2) as calculated in Step-2 above will be merged and called the NTA scores, which are used for preparing the overall Merit List/ Ranking.
Know more: Salary After Passing JEE Mains
In JEE Main 2026, the result is not declared in raw marks alone. The National Testing Agency (NTA) converts raw scores into percentiles using a normalization process to ensure fairness across multiple exam shifts.
This process is applicable for both:
✔ JEE Main Paper 1 (Engineering)
✔ JEE Main Paper 2 (B.Arch / B.Planning)
Understanding this method is essential when interpreting any JEE Main marks vs percentile 2026 table.
A percentile score indicates the percentage of candidates who scored equal to or below your score in a particular session.
Example:
If your percentile is 95, it means you scored better than 95% of the candidates who appeared in that session.
Percentile is a relative ranking metric, not a direct measure of marks.
NTA calculates percentile separately for each session using the following principle:
Percentile Score = (Number of candidates in the session who scored equal to or less than you ÷ Total number of candidates in that session) × 100
This ensures that candidates are ranked fairly even when question difficulty varies between shifts.
The highest scorer in each session gets a percentile close to 100.
JEE Main is conducted in multiple shifts across different days. Each shift may have slight variations in difficulty.
|
Without Normalization |
With Normalization |
|
Hard shift candidates disadvantaged |
Fair comparison across shifts |
|
Raw marks dominate ranking |
Relative performance matters |
|
Inconsistent merit |
Standardized percentile ranking |
Normalization ensures fairness.
Many students assume:
“X marks always equals Y percentile.” This is incorrect.
Percentile depends on:
|
Factor |
Impact |
|
Number of candidates |
Higher competition changes percentile curve |
|
Paper difficulty |
Tough paper lowers raw scores |
|
Shift normalization |
Equalizes difficulty |
|
Top score distribution |
Compresses percentiles |
That’s why JEE Main marks vs percentile 2026 estimates are indicative, not exact.
Use the tables to:
✔ Estimate approximate percentile range
✔ Compare performance trend
✔ Shortlist expected colleges
Do NOT use them as absolute guarantees.
This percentile calculation method is defined in the official JEE Main Information Bulletin published by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and available on the official portal: https://jeemain.nta.nic.in
Mastering the JEE Main marks vs percentile is essential for future B.Arch and B. Planning students.
This guide has provided the tools to estimate your rank and navigate your college admission journey effectively.
Armed with this knowledge, you can confidently approach your results and strategically plan your next steps toward achieving your academic goals.
Preparing for JEE Main Paper 2 for B.Arch program at IITs in 2026? We can help you with exact strategic roadmap, study material and crucial feedback required to ace this exam.
Join the best JEE B.Arch Crash Course and get expert guidance on all JEE Mains Paper 2 subjects.
Frequently Asked Questions
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