The National Testing Agency (NTA) is set to release the JEE Main 2026 results today, April 20, on its official website. Every year, the declaration of results brings a mix of excitement and confusion among aspirants, especially when it comes to understanding how their marks translate into percentiles.
Many students are surprised to find that even with strong scores, their position on the merit list may not match expectations.
This happens because the NTA does not rely solely on raw marks. Since the exam is conducted in multiple sessions with varying levels of difficulty, a normalisation process is used to ensure fairness.
According to officials, this system is designed to balance out any advantage or disadvantage caused by easier or tougher question papers across different shifts.
UNDERSTANDING RAW SCORE VS PERCENTILE
A raw score simply refers to the total marks a candidate earns after accounting for correct answers and negative marking. While it reflects individual performance, it does not consider how others performed in the same session.
In contrast, a percentile score is a relative measure. It shows the percentage of candidates who scored equal to or less than a particular student in a given shift. For example, securing a 95 percentile means performing better than 95 per cent of the candidates who appeared in that session.
HOW PERCENTILES ARE CALCULATED
To maintain uniformity, the NTA converts raw scores into percentiles using a statistical formula:
Percentile = (Number of candidates with scores equal to or less than yours Total candidates in the session) 100
The percentile is calculated up to seven decimal places, reducing the chances of ties and ensuring a precise ranking system.
WHY SIMILAR MARKS CAN LEAD TO DIFFERENT PERCENTILES
A frequent concern among students is why identical scores sometimes result in different percentiles. The reason lies in the relative nature of the metric. Since percentiles depend on the performance of candidates within a specific session, the same score can correspond to different percentiles if one session is easier or more competitive than another.
IMPACT OF ALL INDIA RANK (AIR)
Percentile scores play a crucial role in determining the All India Rank (AIR), which ultimately decides admission to top engineering institutes. Even a minor variation in percentile, especially at the higher end, can significantly impact a candidate’s rank.
In cases where candidates obtain identical percentiles, the NTA follows a defined tie-breaking process:
Higher percentile in Mathematics
Followed by Physics
Then Chemistry
Lastly, the candidate’s age
