New Delhi, January 25: The JEE Main 2026 Expected Cutoff has become a key point of discussion among aspirants as the National Testing Agency (NTA) prepares to declare the results after the completion of both examination sessions, with the ongoing session concluding on January 29. While the official cutoffs will be announced only with the results, early estimates based on expert analysis and previous trends offer candidates a fair idea of what to expect and how to plan ahead.

The JEE Main cutoff refers to the minimum qualifying percentile a candidate must secure to be eligible for JEE Advanced 2026 and to participate in the counselling process conducted through JoSAA for admission into NITs, IIITs and other Government Funded Technical Institutions (GFTIs). Since the exam is held in multiple shifts, the cutoff is released in percentile form rather than raw marks to ensure fairness through normalisation. JEE Mains 2026 Paper: 1st Shift of Session 1 of Joint Entrance Examination Ends, Know How To Raise Objections at jeemain.nta.nic.in Once Answer Key Is Released.

Based on recent difficulty levels and competition trends, the expected qualifying cutoffs for JEE Main 2026 are likely to remain close to previous years. For the General (UR) category, the cutoff is expected to fall between 93 and 95 percentile. OBC-NCL candidates may see a cutoff between 79 and 81, while EWS candidates could expect it between 80 and 82. For SC candidates, the expected range is 60 to 63 percentile, and for ST candidates, it is likely to be between 47 and 50. The PwD category across all groups may see cutoffs ranging from as low as 0.001 to 1 percentile. JEE Main 2026 Admit Card Out at jeemain.nta.nic.in: NTA Releases Hall Ticket for Joint Entrance Examination Session 1 for January 21 to 24 Examinations, Know Steps To Download.

Looking at past trends, cutoffs have largely stabilised since 2024, after a sharp rise from 2023 due to increased participation and stronger overall performance. In 2025, the General category cutoff stood at 93.23 percentile, similar to 2024, indicating sustained high competition.

Several factors influence the final cutoff, including the number of candidates, exam difficulty, shift-wise performance normalisation and seat availability. Candidates are advised to treat expected cutoffs as indicative and rely only on official NTA announcements, while beginning early preparation for JoSAA counselling based on their anticipated percentile.

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