JEE Advanced 2026 Cut Off: What You Need to Know

The wait is finally over for lakhs of JEE aspirants. IIT Roorkee wrapped up the JEE Advanced 2026 exam on May 17, with Paper 1 in the morning and Paper 2 in the afternoon. Now comes the hard part: waiting for results and wondering if your score will make the cut.

If you've been refreshing your browser every five minutes looking for cut off predictions, you're not alone. Let's break down what experts are saying about this year's expected cut offs and what they mean for you.

How Did the Exam Go?

Before we dive into numbers, let's talk about how students and teachers felt about the papers. According to most who appeared for the exam, Paper 1 was moderate to tough. Mathematics turned out to be the longest and most challenging section. Physics demanded strong conceptual understanding, while Chemistry threw some tricky questions that caught many off guard.

Paper 2 was no walk in the park either. It was highly conceptual and ate up a lot of time. Mathematics again proved to be the toughest nut to crack. This overall difficulty level will play a big role in determining where the cut offs land.

What Exactly Is the JEE Advanced Cut Off?

Think of the cut off as the minimum score you need to get your name on the rank list. Without crossing this threshold, you won't qualify for admission to undergraduate programmes at the IITs.

The cut off changes every year. It depends on three main things: how tough the exam was, how many students appeared, and how many seats are available. Each IIT sets its own cut offs for different courses during JoSAA counselling. These appear as opening and closing ranks, along with subject wise marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.

Expected Cut Offs for 2026

Different coaching institutes have released their predictions. Let's look at what Allen, PhysicsWallah, and Infinity Learn are expecting:

General Category

For General category students, Allen predicts a minimum of 20.6 per cent overall marks. PhysicsWallah expects the qualifying percentile to be between 93.2 and 94.1. Infinity Learn suggests students should aim for 90 to 100 marks overall, with around 9 marks per subject. The competition remains fierce for this category.

GEN-EWS and OBC-NCL

Both these categories get some relaxation. Allen pegs the minimum at 18.5 per cent for both. PhysicsWallah expects percentiles around 81 to 82 for GEN-EWS and 79 to 80 for OBC-NCL. Infinity Learn suggests 80 to 90 marks overall with about 8 marks per subject should do the trick.

SC Category

SC category students need to score 10.3 per cent according to Allen. PhysicsWallah's prediction is more optimistic, with percentiles between 60 and 62. Infinity Learn estimates 45 to 55 marks overall, with around 6 marks per subject.

ST Category

ST category follows similar numbers to SC. Allen says 10.3 per cent minimum marks. PhysicsWallah predicts percentiles from 47 to 49. Infinity Learn also suggests 45 to 55 marks overall with 6 marks per subject.

PwD Category

For PwD candidates, Allen maintains the 10.3 per cent mark. PhysicsWallah shows a near zero percentile requirement (0.001 to 1), which indicates significant relaxation for this category.

Why Do These Numbers Vary So Much?

You might notice that Allen's percentages look quite different from PhysicsWallah's percentiles. Here's why: Allen is showing the baseline percentage of total marks you need to score. PhysicsWallah is showing where you need to stand compared to other test takers (percentile). They're measuring different things, so both can be right.

The sharp contrast, especially in the General category, shows just how competitive the exam is. You need to score relatively high marks, and you also need to perform better than a large chunk of other candidates.

What Happens After Cut Offs Are Announced?

Once IIT Roorkee declares the results, the official cut offs will be released. These are the final numbers that matter. After that, JoSAA counselling begins. During counselling, each IIT will display opening and closing ranks for every course. You'll also see aggregate percentage requirements and subject wise minimum marks.

Remember, clearing the JEE Advanced cut off gets you on the rank list. But getting into your dream IIT and branch depends on the specific cut offs of that institute and programme. A good rank gives you more options during seat allocation.

What Should You Do Now?

First, stop stressing about things you can't control. The papers are done. These predictions are just educated guesses based on exam difficulty and past trends. The actual cut offs might be higher or lower.

Keep an eye on the official JEE Advanced website for result announcements. Meanwhile, start researching which IITs offer the programmes you're interested in. Look at previous years' opening and closing ranks to get a realistic idea of where you might have a shot.

If you're on the borderline according to these predictions, don't lose hope. Cut offs can surprise everyone. They've dropped unexpectedly in the past when papers were particularly tough. And if this wasn't your year, remember that many successful engineers took more than one attempt to crack JEE Advanced.

Good luck with your results. You've worked hard to get here, and that effort counts for something regardless of the outcome.