JEE Main 2023 Marks vs. Percentile vs Rank: How to Interpret Your Score

JEE (Joint Entrance Exam) Main is administered by the NTA (National Testing Agency) as the official qualifying examination for candidates who wish to seek admission for engineering programs at top Indian universities. According to the NTA, there were a total of 8.6 lakh registrations for JEE Main 2023, out of which 8.2 lakh students appeared for the exam, marking an all-time high attendance of 95.8%. Both sessions of the exam – Paper 1 (B.Tech and B.E) and Paper 2 (B.Arch or B.Plan) have been conducted and the NTA compiles the rank list by analyzing JEE Main marks vs percentile.

In this blog, we help you understand what the JEE percentile is and how marks vs percentile vs rank are calculated.

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Why are JEE Main Results Announced in Percentile?

The JEE Main exam is conducted over a period of three to six days with morning and evening shifts on each day. This could lead to some differences in the difficulty level of sessions. That is why the normalization formula is used to determine a comparative score and arrive at a percentile for three subjects – Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. This percentile score is calculated based on the relative performance of all the candidates who appeared for the exam, which essentially assures a fair scoring system.

What is the JEE Main Percentile Score?

A student’s percentile score is calculated by converting the marks secured on a scale of 100 to 0, 100 being the highest score in a subject. It determines the percentage of candidates who scored equal to or below a specific percentile in JEE Main. This is the normalized score, based on the relative performance of other students. In order to avoid any tie-breaks between two students, the percentile score is calculated up to 7 decimals. The NTA uses this percentile score to create the JEE Main merit list.

JEE Main Marks vs Percentile vs Rank

It is important for every JEE candidate to learn how to interpret their JEE scores, percentile and rank. This is not only to evaluate their overall performance but also to determine which colleges they are eligible to apply to.

The following table has been created based on the trends from previous years. Please do note that the percentile and ranks have been calculated using the number of candidates as 10,00,000 (10 lakh). A lower number of candidates will give you a higher rank with the same score. Also, these are projections and are in no way to be considered definitive or exact. A lot of factors determine your rank and so this should only be used as a guide. Use this chart to see your progress, as you prepare for JEE-Main (April 2023).

Projected Percentile and Rank Ranges for JEE Main Scores

Score Range	Percentile Range	Probable Rank Range*
280 – 300	99.995 – 100	80 – 1
260 – 280	99.981 – 99.995	260 – 80
240 – 260	99.942 – 99.981	850 – 260
220 – 240	99.82 – 99.942	2210 – 850
200 – 220	99.684 – 99.82	4350 – 2210
195 – 200	99.362 – 99.684	8540 – 4350
160 – 180	98.829 – 99.362	14820 – 8540
140 – 160	98.062 – 98.829	25060 – 14820
120 – 140	97.182 – 98.062	39410 – 25060
100 – 120	95.55 – 97.182	62290 – 39410
80 – 100	92.993 – 95.55	104860 – 62290
Less than 80	Less than 92.993	More than 104860

*The progressively widening range in ranks is due to the percentile being considered up to the third decimal. In the examination, NTA considers up to seven decimal places to calculate your percentile or the NTA score. Ranking will also depend on your individual subject scores, in case of ties.

How to Calculate JEE Percentile?

The NTA releases the JEE Main rank list in the form of percentile scores and not raw scores secured by candidates. They use the normalization process to create the ranking list, which ensures fair scoring despite the difficulty level of the exam. As per this process, the percentile score is calculated on top of all four sessions – Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and overall percentile score.

If you’ve just appeared for JEE Main and want to understand how to calculate JEE Main marks vs percentile, here’s the formula:

(Total number of candidates who appeared for the session with a raw score less than or equal to your scores/total number of candidates who appeared for the session) X 100

So for example, if a candidate has scored 70 percentile, it means that 30% of students who appeared for the JEE Main session scored more than them.

It is essential for all JEE aspirants to understand how the JEE main scores are analyzed and what are the contributing factors to their percentile scores and ranking. They must also keep a check on the previous years’ cut-off marks to get an idea of the average qualifying score. If your preparation for JEE Main is currently underway, enroll for the Extramarks JEE Preparation Pack – your one-stop solution for unlimited practice resources and immersive learning modules offered by expert faculty.

FAQs

1. How is the JEE Main final rank list prepared?

The JEE final merit list is prepared by combining your JEE Main scores (whichever session has higher scores) and your class 12 scores in a 60:40 ratio.

2. What is the process to check JEE Main 2023 results?

Students can visit NTA’s official website where the JEE Main 2023 results are declared. You will need to enter your application number, security pin and date of birth to access your results.

3. Is 50 marks good enough in JEE Main?

JEE Main is conducted out of 300. A score of 50 translates to a percentile between 60 and 70 and a rank in the range of 3,00,000 to 4,00,000. Cut-off varies from 85-100 percentile (Gen Category), 70-80 (OBC Category), and 30-50 (For SC/ST and PwD). Thus scoring 50 marks will not lead to a selection in premium technical colleges of India under the General and OBC Categories.

4. What is the expected percentile for 40 marks?

For a score of 40, the percentile can range from the upper 40s to the upper 50s (depending on a range of factors). For a 40% score, which is 120, the percentile can hover around 95%.

Last Updated on August 1, 2024