How Many Marks Are Required in JEE Main 2026 to Appear for JEE Advanced?
To qualify for JEE Advanced 2026, candidates should aim for approximately 105–115 marks in JEE Main. Category-wise cutoffs are: General 90–92 percentile, OBC ~75–80 marks, SC/ST ~65–70 marks. Meeting these marks improves chances but doesn’t guarantee a seat.
As the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 exams conclude, the focus of over 15 lakh engineering aspirants has shifted toward one critical number: the qualifying cutoff. With the number of unique candidates expected to hit a record 15.5 lakh, the competition for a spot in the top 2,50,000 to qualify for JEE Advanced 2026 is fiercer than ever.
Based on current paper analysis and historical trends, here is your definitive guide to the expected marks, percentiles, and eligibility rules for 2026.
Required Marks Update for JEE Advanced
The marks required depend on exam difficulty and the number of candidates. Aim for 105–115 marks to stay safe. Approximate cutoffs by category:
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General: 90–92 percentile (~105–115 marks)
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OBC: ~75–80 marks
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SC/ST: ~65–70 marks
Meeting these marks doesn’t guarantee a seat, but it puts you in a strong position to qualify for JEE Advanced.
JEE Main 2026 Expected Cutoff: Category-Wise Percentile & Marks
The National Testing Agency (NTA) will release the official qualifying percentile after Session 2. However, experts from major coaching institutes anticipate a 3–5% rise in cutoffs due to the high volume of students and improved access to digital prep tools.
Qualifying Cutoff Predictions for JEE Advanced 2026
| Qualifying Cutoff Predictions for JEE Advanced 2026 | ||
| Category | Expected 2026 Percentile | Estimated Marks (Out of 300) |
| General (UR) | 93.5 – 95.0 | 100 – 115 |
| Gen-EWS | 81.5 – 83.5 | 80 – 85 |
| OBC-NCL | 80.0 – 82.5 | 75 – 82 |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 62.0 – 65.0 | 50 – 58 |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 48.0 – 52.0 | 40 – 48 |
| PwD (All Categories) | 0.001 – 0.010 | 1 – 5 |
JEE Main 2026 vs. Previous Years: The Upward Trend
Analyzing the last three years shows a clear "cutoff inflation." While 90.7 percentile was enough for General candidates in 2023, that number jumped to 93.2 in 2024 and hovered around 93.1 in 2025. For 2026, 94 percentile is considered the "Safe Zone" for General aspirants to guarantee a JEE Advanced hall ticket.
Historical Qualifying Percentiles (2023-2025)
| JEE Main 2026 vs. Previous Years: The Upward Trend | |||
| Category | 2025 Cutoff | 2024 Cutoff | 2023 Cutoff |
| General | 93.1023 | 93.2362 | 90.7788 |
| OBC-NCL | 79.4313 | 79.6757 | 73.6114 |
| Gen-EWS | 80.3830 | 81.3266 | 75.6229 |
| SC | 61.1526 | 60.0923 | 51.9776 |
| ST | 47.9026 | 46.6975 | 37.2348 |
JEE Advanced 2026 Eligibility: Are You Qualified?
Cracking JEE Main is only half the battle. To sit for JEE Advanced 2026, you must clear these five strict eligibility pillars set by the Joint Admission Board (JAB).
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JEE Main Rank: You must be among the top 2,50,000 successful candidates in Paper 1 (BE/B.Tech).
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Attempt Limit: Maximum of two attempts in two consecutive years.
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Class 12 Timeline: You must have appeared for your Class 12 exams for the first time in either 2025 or 2026.
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Subjects: Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics are compulsory.
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No Prior IIT Admission: If you have ever been admitted to an IIT before (even if you withdrew), you are ineligible.