JEE Main Passing Marks For 28 And 29 January, 2026 : Check Category Wise Cut off

JEE Main Passing Marks 2026 (Session 2) are crucial for aspirants as they determine eligibility for JEE Advanced 2026 and play a key role in admissions to NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs. With JEE Main 2026 Session 2 being conducted from 1 April to 10 April 2026, candidates appearing in the April attempt must know the expected passing marks out of 300 to assess their performance and plan their next steps.

It is important to understand that JEE Main does not have fixed passing marks. Instead, the National Testing Agency (NTA) releases a category-wise qualifying cutoff percentile after the exam. Since the examination is conducted in multiple shifts with varying difficulty levels, raw marks are normalised to calculate the final percentile score.

JEE Main Passing Marks 2026 

The passing marks in JEE Main are not fixed. They depend on the exam level and category. The passing marks for general category in JEE Main 2026 are expected to be similar to last year, but final cutoff will come only after the exam. The Passing Marks of JEE Main Category wise also differ because each category has separate qualifying scores. Students must understand category-wise trends to know what score is safe.

Also Read: JEE Mains 2026 Deleted Syllabus

Expected Passing Marks Out of 300 in JEE Mains 2026 

The NTA declares the official cutoff only after the exam, but historical trends suggest:

• General category: 90–93 percentile

• OBC-NCL / EWS: 78–82 percentile

• SC: 60–65 percentile

• ST: 45–50 percentile

Note: Percentile, not raw marks, is used to determine eligibility for JEE Advanced and JoSAA counselling. Raw marks corresponding to these percentiles can vary by session due to normalization.

Passing Marks in JEE Mains 2025

Last year’s cutoff helps understand the expected JEE Main Passing Marks Year wise. Below is the previous year passing marks:

These marks show how different categories have different passing marks. It also shows how performance of students affects cutoff.

Passing Marks for General Category in JEE Main 2026

The passing marks for general category in JEE Main 2026 on 28 and 29 January would be expected to be closer to the past years’ cutoff. The JEE Main cutoff for general category usually remains above 85 percentile. The students who are aiming to get seats in NIT or IIIT should be going for a score more than the cutoff. The JEE Main 2026 Passing Marks for the general category helps in giving students an idea of the minimum qualifying score needed for JEE Advanced.

Also Read: JEE Main 2026 Do's And Don'ts For Exam Day

Passing Marks of JEE Main Category-wise

The table below indicates the Passing Marks of JEE Main Category wise from previous years. It also helps in keeping track of the JEE Main Passing Marks Year wise.

These scores show why students should understand category-wise cutoffs. It helps in setting goals for JEE Main Passing Marks 2026.

Factors Affecting Passing Marks in JEE Mains

Many reasons decide the final cutoff. The factors affecting passing marks in JEE Mains include exam difficulty, number of candidates, seat availability and performance trend. When the paper is tough, the cutoff becomes lower. When more students score high, the cutoff increases. So, students should aim for a higher score and not depend only on cutoffs.