The National Testing Agency has published the JEE Main 2026 Session 2 results and cut-off percentiles in terms of categories to be eligible to attend JEE Advanced. More than 2.5 lakh candidates have passed this year with statistics indicating a significant positive change of cut-offs in most categories.
Although the growth is not dramatic, it indicates a rather competitive environment in comparison to the previous year.
Comparison of Categories by Cut-Off (2025 vs 2026)
Recent statistics indicate that nearly all the categories have been registering an improvement in the number of qualifying percentiles with Scheduled Tribe (ST) category registering the biggest improvement.
| Category | 2025 Cut-Off Percentile | 2026 Cut-Off Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| UR (General) | 93.1023262 | 93.4123549 |
| EWS | 80.3830119 | 82.4164528 |
| OBC | 79.4313582 | 80.9232583 |
| SC | 61.1526933 | 63.9172792 |
| ST | 47.9026465 | 52.0174712 |
| PwBD | 0.0079349 | 0.0023186 |
The category with the largest change this year was the ST category which increased more than 4 percentile points. SC and EWS categories had significant increases whereas the general category had only a slight increase.
What the Numbers Signify
The general pattern indicates that there is a slight increase in competition in 2026. This could be due to:
- Better performance by candidates.
- Increased participation levels.
- Minor difference in the difficulty of the exams between sessions.
The changes are however within a stable range which means that there is no significant disruption to the exam pattern or evaluation system.
Interestingly, the PwBD category continues to show a very wide percentile range, with a slight drop in the minimum qualifying percentile compared to last year.
Next step, JEE Advanced 2026 will be presented
The students who have passed the cut- off can now appear in the JEE Advanced 2026, which will be conducted on May 17.
The cut-off percentile is an important factor since it is the one that decides admission to the best engineering colleges in India, including the IITs. Such minor variations in cut-off may have substantial effect on the number of eligible candidates.
Another Competitive, but Stable Year
The JEE Main 2026 is a continuum of trends compared to the past years, not a breaking point. The average increase in cut-offs is a sign of a balanced level of competition, performance has increased moderately but not drastically.
To applicants, the message is evident that competition is fierce and slight increases in scores can count when it comes to being eligible to proceed to the next round.
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