
As the JEE Main 2026 Session 2 approaches, students are keen to understand how marks translate into percentiles. While NTA will release the official 2026 percentile after the results are declared, analyzing JEE Main 2025 Session 2 shift-wise data provides a clear understanding of how normalization works and how performance is evaluated.
Since JEE Main is conducted in multiple shifts, the percentile score is calculated using normalization that accounts for the difficulty level of each shift. This makes shift-wise analysis from 2025 highly relevant for students appearing in 2026.
The marks-percentile trend in JEE Main 2025 Session 2 varied across shifts due to differences in difficulty levels. However, a general trend observed was:
Around 190+ marks corresponded to the 99th percentile in easier shifts
Around 170–180 marks corresponded to 98 percentile
Around 150–160 marks corresponded to 97 percentile
Around 135–145 marks corresponded to 96 percentile
These variations highlight the importance of shift-wise normalization in JEE Main.
The exam was conducted from April 2 to April 8, 2025, in multiple shifts. Based on student feedback and expert analysis:
April 2 Shift 1: Moderately easy; Chemistry was scoring
April 2 Shift 2: Moderate; Mathematics was tougher
April 3 Shift 1: One of the easiest shifts
April 3 Shift 2: Among the toughest shifts; lengthy and tricky
April 4 Shift 1: Toughest shift overall; time-consuming
April 4 Shift 2: Moderately difficult
April 7 Shift 1: Tough, especially Mathematics
April 7 Shift 2: Easier compared to Shift 1
April 8 Shift: Moderate and balanced
JEE Main 2025 Session 2: Shift-Wise Marks vs Percentile
182–184 marks → ~99 percentile
160–162 marks → ~98 percentile
148–150 marks → ~97 percentile
138–140 marks → ~96 percentile
April 2 Shift 2
188–190 marks → ~99 percentile
164–168 marks → ~98 percentile
152–154 marks → ~97 percentile
142–144 marks → ~96 percentile
184–186 marks → ~99 percentile
162–164 marks → ~98 percentile
150–152 marks → ~97 percentile
140–142 marks → ~96 percentile
172–174 marks → ~99 percentile
152–154 marks → ~98 percentile
140–142 marks → ~97 percentile
132–134 marks → ~96 percentile
160–162 marks → ~99 percentile
140–142 marks → ~98 percentile
128–130 marks → ~97 percentile
120–122 marks → ~96 percentile
174–176 marks → ~99 percentile
154–156 marks → ~98 percentile
142–144 marks → ~97 percentile
132–134 marks → ~96 percentile
164–166 marks → ~99 percentile
144–146 marks → ~98 percentile
132–134 marks → ~97 percentile
124–126 marks → ~96 percentile
194–196 marks → ~99 percentile
172–174 marks → ~98 percentile
158–160 marks → ~97 percentile
150–152 marks → ~96 percentile
182–184 marks → ~99 percentile
160–162 marks → ~98 percentile
150–152 marks → ~97 percentile
142–144 marks → ~96 percentile
| Category-Wise Percentile Distribution (2025) | |
| Category | Percentile Range |
| UR | 100 – 93.10 |
| EWS | 93.09 – 80.38 |
| OBC | 93.09 – 79.43 |
| SC | 93.09 – 61.15 |
| ST | 93.09 – 47.90 |
Shift difficulty plays a major role in percentile calculation
Easier shifts require higher marks for the same percentile
Tough shifts allow lower marks to achieve a higher percentile
Mathematics was often the most time-consuming section
Chemistry remained scoring and NCERT-based in most shifts