The National Testing Agency (NTA) has issued a detailed clarification on the percentile-based scoring system used in JEE Main 2026, addressing long-standing concerns among aspirants about variations in scores and ranks across different exam shifts. In an official note shared on its social media platform, the agency explained how raw marks, percentiles, and the normalisation process work together to ensure fairness in a multi-shift examination.
Drawing from data of the April 2026 session, conducted between April 2 and April 8 across nine shifts, NTA highlighted noticeable variations in the marks required to achieve top percentiles. For instance, candidates needed approximately 165 marks to secure the 99th percentile in the most challenging shift, whereas in the easiest shift, the same percentile required as high as 196 marks. This reflects a difference of 31 marks out of a total of 300, underlining how paper difficulty impacts raw scores.
The variation was not limited to the top percentile alone. For the 98th percentile, the difference in marks across shifts stood at 27, while for the 97th percentile, it was 26 marks. The data also revealed that only two shifts witnessed candidates achieving a perfect score of 300. In another shift, the highest score recorded was 285, which still translated into a 100 percentile as no candidate scored higher in that session.
According to NTA, such discrepancies are expected in large-scale examinations conducted over multiple days, as it is practically impossible to ensure identical difficulty levels across all question papers despite rigorous moderation processes. This is where the percentile system becomes essential.
The agency explained that a percentile score represents a candidate’s relative performance within a specific shift. For example, a 99.5 percentile indicates that the candidate has performed better than 99.5% of the candidates who appeared in the same session. While rankings within a shift are based on raw marks, combining results from different shifts requires a more standardised approach.
To address this, NTA employs a normalisation process, wherein percentiles are calculated separately for each shift and then used to create a unified merit list. This method ensures that candidates performing at a similar level relative to their peers are treated equally, regardless of the difficulty of their respective question papers.
The agency further illustrated that relying solely on raw marks could lead to unfair outcomes. For example, a candidate scoring 180 in a tougher shift might be ranked lower than someone with the same score in an easier shift, thereby giving undue advantage based on luck rather than merit.
Reassuring aspirants, NTA emphasised that the percentile-based normalisation system is well-established and widely used in large-scale assessments globally. It has also been reviewed by expert committees under the Ministry of Education and is periodically refined using data analysis and candidate feedback.
Addressing concerns from students comparing scores across shifts, the agency reiterated that the allotted shift does not influence a candidate’s final rank. The percentile system, it stated, effectively neutralises variations in paper difficulty and remains the most reliable indicator of performance in JEE Main.