Experts believe the JEE Main 2026 cutoff percentile may drop slightly this year. This comes after many students found the Session 1 exam, held in January 2026, to be harder than expected, especially in Chemistry and Mathematics. Vijay Kanth, a JEE expert, told the GMU team that about three out of the four exam sessions were rated as moderate to difficult. This unexpected difficulty is the main reason for the expected drop in the cutoff marks needed to qualify for the next stage.
The JEE Main exam is usually seen as moderately difficult. However, this year's first session, particularly Shift 1, was surprisingly tough for many. Other subject experts also agreed that certain shifts, like those on January 21 and January 22, were challenging. These difficulties are likely to directly affect the JEE Main 2026 cutoffs. Experts predict a small decrease, possibly between 0.1 and 0.2 percentile points for all categories.
Expected Cutoff Percentiles for JEE Main 2026
Here's a look at the expected cutoff percentiles for different categories for JEE Main 2026, based on expert analysis. These are compared to the 2025 cutoffs.
| Category | Cutoff Percentile 2025 | Expected Cutoff Percentile 2026 |
| General | 93.102 | 93 |
| General EWS | 80.383 | 80.2 |
| OBC | 79.431 | 79.3 |
| SC | 61.152 | 61 |
| ST | 47.902 | 47.8 |
Reasons for Expected Cutoff Decline
Several factors suggest the JEE Main 2026 cutoff percentile might go down:
- Harder Exam Papers: Students reported that subjects like Mathematics and Chemistry were more difficult this year. When tough subjects are included, overall scores usually drop, leading to lower qualifying cutoffs.
- Scoring Adjustments (Normalization): The exam uses a system to adjust scores based on the difficulty of different exam sessions. If many students score lower due to a difficult paper, the percentile needed to get into the top 2.5 lakh candidates might decrease.
- More Applicants, More Seats: This year, a record number of students applied for JEE Main. To manage this, institutions might increase the number of seats available. More seats can make it easier for students to get admitted, which can also lead to a drop in cutoffs.
