JEE Main 2026 Cutoff for JEE Advanced: Minimum Marks Required to Qualify

If you are preparing for JEE Main 2026, one of your primary goals is to score enough to qualify for JEE Advanced. This qualification opens the door to IITs, the dream destination for lakhs of engineering aspirants across India.

Understanding the expected cutoff helps you set realistic targets and plan your preparation accordingly. Let's break down what you need to know about the JEE Main 2026 cutoff for JEE Advanced qualification.

Understanding JEE Main Cutoff for JEE Advanced

The JEE Main cutoff for JEE Advanced qualification is different from the admission cutoff. The qualifying cutoff determines who can appear for JEE Advanced, while the admission cutoff decides who gets into specific colleges and branches.

For JEE Advanced 2026, approximately 2.5 lakh top candidates from JEE Main will be eligible to appear for the exam. These candidates are selected based on their percentile scores in JEE Main, distributed across different categories.

Expected JEE Main 2026 Cutoff Percentiles

Based on previous years' trends and expert analysis, here are the expected cutoff percentiles for JEE Advanced qualification:

These cutoffs represent the minimum percentile you need to achieve in JEE Main to be eligible for JEE Advanced. The actual marks corresponding to these percentiles vary each year depending on the difficulty level of the exam.

How Many Candidates Qualify for JEE Advanced?

The 2.5 lakh rule governs JEE Advanced eligibility. This means the top 2.5 lakh candidates across all categories are allowed to appear for JEE Advanced. The distribution follows a fixed pattern:

• 40.5% for the Open category
• 27% for OBC-NCL
• 15% for SC
• 10% for EWS
• 7.5% for ST

Importantly, all candidates who score at least 30 marks in JEE Advanced will be considered qualified. Due to tied percentiles, the total number of qualified candidates may exceed 2.5 lakh slightly.

Qualifying for JEE Advanced Does Not Guarantee IIT Admission

This is a point many students miss. Qualifying for JEE Advanced is just the first step. Out of the 2.5 lakh candidates who appear for JEE Advanced:

• Only about 13,000 to 16,000 IIT seats are available across all branches and categories
• This means roughly 0.5% to 1% of JEE Advanced examinees secure an IIT seat
• The remaining candidates can participate in JoSAA counselling for NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs

So while the JEE Main cutoff gets you into the exam hall for JEE Advanced, your performance in JEE Advanced determines whether you get into an IIT.

Previous Year Cutoff Trends

Looking at historical data helps you understand the trend and predict future cutoffs. Here is the official category-wise qualifying cutoff data for the past four years:

Notice how the cutoffs have been gradually increasing for most categories. This reflects the growing competition and the improving performance of candidates.

What Factors Affect the JEE Main Cutoff?

Several factors determine the final cutoff each year:

• Difficulty level of the exam
• Total number of candidates appearing for the examination
• Total number of seats available in IITs and participating institutes
• Reservation criteria for different categories
• Overall performance of candidates

If the exam is easier, more candidates score higher marks, which pushes the cutoff up. Similarly, if the number of candidates increases without a corresponding increase in seats, the competition intensifies and cutoffs rise.

Why Knowing the Expected Cutoff Matters

Understanding the expected cutoff serves several purposes in your preparation journey:

Sets Clear Goals: When you know the target percentile, you can work backwards to determine the marks you need to score.

Helps in Time Management: You can allocate your preparation time to different subjects and topics based on their weightage and your current performance.

Reduces Exam Anxiety: Having a clear benchmark helps you assess where you stand and what needs improvement, reducing last-minute panic.

Assists in College Planning: Even before the exam, you can research which colleges you might be eligible for based on your expected performance.

Setting Your Target Score

While the cutoff percentile gives you a baseline, you should aim higher than the minimum qualifying marks. Here is why:

If the cutoff for your category is expected to be around 93 percentile, aiming for 95 to 97 percentile gives you a buffer. This approach accounts for any unexpected difficulty in the exam or calculation errors during the test.

Moreover, a higher score in JEE Main can also help you secure better colleges through the JoSAA counselling process, even if your JEE Advanced performance is not as strong as expected.

Making the Most of Both Attempts

JEE Main 2026 will have two sessions, typically held in January and April. Both attempts give you opportunities to improve your score.

If you take both attempts, your best percentile score will be considered for JEE Advanced qualification. This means you can use the first attempt as a learning experience and improve in the second attempt.

Many students perform better in the second attempt because they have more clarity about the exam pattern, have identified their weak areas, and have had more time to prepare.

What Happens After Qualifying for JEE Advanced

Once you clear the JEE Main cutoff and qualify for JEE Advanced, your focus shifts entirely to the advanced exam. JEE Advanced has a different pattern, higher difficulty level, and tests conceptual understanding more deeply.

Your JEE Main score will still be useful for admission to NITs, IIITs, and other participating institutes through JoSAA counselling. But for IIT admission, only your JEE Advanced rank matters.

The JEE Advanced exam typically happens in May, giving you about a month or two to prepare specifically for it after JEE Main results are announced.

Preparing with the Cutoff in Mind

Knowing the cutoff should inform your preparation strategy. Focus on building a strong foundation in all three subjects: Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.

Work on accuracy along with speed. A few careless mistakes can cost you precious percentile points. Practice with previous year papers and mock tests to get comfortable with the exam pattern.

Identify your strong and weak areas. Sometimes, improving your weakest subject by even 10 to 15 marks can significantly boost your overall percentile.

Remember that the cutoff represents the minimum qualification. To have a realistic chance at IIT admission, you need to perform well in JEE Advanced, which requires deeper preparation than just clearing the JEE Main cutoff.

The journey from JEE Main to JEE Advanced to finally securing an IIT seat is challenging but achievable with focused effort, smart preparation, and consistent practice.