5 min readNew DelhiFeb 16, 2026 02:19 PM IST
First published on: Feb 11, 2026 at 04:31 PM IST
By Siddharth Garg
Every year, many students are surprised when they see their JEE Main results because the scorecards can be confusing. One of the most common questions students have is: “Why is my percentile low even though my marks are higher?” Another frequent concern is: “How did someone with fewer marks secure a better rank than me?”
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This confusion stems from a misunderstanding about how the JEE uses percentile rankings to evaluate students. Unlike other entrance tests, the JEE is not simply an examination of students’ abilities based on raw scores; rather, it provides a fair method for assessing student performance across multiple testing sessions.
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A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that a percentile is the same thing as a percentage. Percentiles don’t tell you how many marks you got out of 100. Instead, a percentile tells you what percentage of candidates you beat in performance across all the candidates taking an exam on the same day as you.
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So, when someone has a percentile of 95, that means he/ she got more points than 95 per cent of the students who took that exam that day; that means only 5 per cent got equal points or more. This discrepancy is the main cause of confusion concerning the results of JEE.
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Because JEE Main is given at different times, on different days, and because each time some students will be given one version of the exam and some will be given a different one, there may be what seems like an unfair advantage given to students who get the version with the easiest questions; as such, some would be getting all the high scoring students, some would be getting very few high scoring students.
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To avoid that possibility, the National Testing Agency normalises the exams with regard to percentiles; that way, students are compared only with other students who have taken the same examination.
Percentiles answer the question “What percentage of all students in my shift earned a restricted score?”
The calculation is relatively straightforward: determine the number of students who scored below the restricted cut-off in their shift, then divide that number by the total number of students in that shift, and finally multiply by 100 to achieve the percentile.
For example, if there are 94,500 students who scored below yours out of a total of 1 lakh students in your shift, you will achieve a percentile of 94.5. Percentiles are not an absolute measure of your performance; this statistic indicates where you are comparatively ranked with respect to other students.
For this reason, multiple students who score the same would not necessarily have the same percentiles. Two students might earn 180 points, but if one had a significantly harder paper than the other and had far fewer students in their shift who were able to exceed a score of 180, then their percentile would be higher than the same score from the other student that had a lower difficulty rating and was able to exceed a score of 180 by many other students. Statistically, it is fairer to use a percentile rating, rather than just points.
How is AIR decided?
Rank, rather than percentile, is the relevant statistic during the admissions process. Once all students have their percentiles calculated by shift, all shifts are compiled together, and one cumulative All India Rank (AIR) is created. This AIR determines eligibility for counselling and whether you receive a college/university education, and which branch of study you will receive or select. It is possible for a student with less than 100 per cent of equal points total for that examination to have a better AIR than another student with a higher score because his or her percentile was also higher.
On the high side of the scale, percentile differences can translate into huge jumps in rank. Going from the 99th percentile to the 99.5th percentile or from the 99.5th percentile to the 99.9th percentile can change your rank by thousands. This happens when high scorers are bunched together in a small area of scores. Just one more right answer can have a huge effect on how you will be ranked.
Percentile means relative performance
Keep in mind that percentile means relative performance compared to all others taking the same possible score, not intelligence, creativity, motivation, or even how successful one will be in the future. There is only eligibility for counselling and mentoring once you pass that score.
The JEE percentile system is intended to provide an equitable way to compare performance between two different test administrations of the same test to provide a measure of fairness. It ranks performance based on your test score relative to all others taking the same test, but it does not provide any information about your capabilities in the future. Knowing how to use this system will lessen the confusion about what it conveys, but it should never have anything to do with value.
Garg is an IIT Delhi Alumnus and HOD of Physics at Vidyamandir Classes
This confusion stems from a misunderstanding about how the JEE uses percentile rankings to evaluate students. (Image: AI generated) 
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