The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2026 was commenced on January 21 and will continue till January 29. The JEE Main is being conducted daily in two shifts and the difficulty level varies shift wise. Analysing the difficulty level of six shifts held till January 23, the experts have provided an expected cutoff percentile. As per experts, the cutoff percentile for general category will be between 91-94, OBC-NCL- 78-81, EWS- 80-83, SC- 63-65, ST- 44-47. JEE Main 2026 (day four) analysis Live Updates
| Category | Cut off percentile |
| General | 91- 94 |
| OBC-NCL | 78-81 |
| EWS | 80-83 |
| SC | 63-65 |
The JEE Main cutoff is the minimum score a student must get to qualify for the next stage, JEE Advanced. It is also called the qualifying percentile and is different from the admission cutoff for colleges. Only candidates scoring above the cutoff can apply for IITs and other top institutes.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) will release the official cutoff after the results in April, but based on today’s exam difficulty and student reactions, here’s an expected cutoff for JEE Main 2026. The cutoff is different for each category and depends on the number of applicants, available seats, and the difficulty level of the exam.
JEE Main 2026 (Shift One) Analysis
As per Ajay Sharma, National Academic Director, Engineering. Aakash Educational Services Limited, JEE Main (shift one) was of moderate difficulty overall. Here's the section-wise analysis of JEE Main morning shift-
Physics
The Physics section was easy to moderate in difficulty. Questions were asked from almost all major chapters, with a greater focus on Mechanics, Electrostatics, and Magnetism, while Optics, Waves, and EMI had comparatively fewer questions. A fair number of questions were also seen from Gravitation. Some statement-based theoretical questions appeared ambiguous, making them slightly tricky to answer, though several were straightforward and direct. A few questions were time-consuming. Topics like Fluids, Oscillations, Electromagnetic Waves, Thermodynamics, Thermal Properties, and Modern Physics were adequately represented. Overall, the section comprised roughly 50% basic and 50% calculation-based questions.
Chemistry
The Chemistry section was easy to moderate. Questions were distributed across Organic, Inorganic, and Physical Chemistry. Among these, Inorganic Chemistry had relatively fewer questions, while Organic and Physical Chemistry were almost equally represented, with Physical Chemistry having slightly more numerical questions. Some of these were calculation-intensive, making the section somewhat time-consuming. Several statement-based questions were directly inspired by NCERT.
Mathematics
The Mathematics section was moderate to difficult. Questions were well-distributed across the syllabus, with greater emphasis on Algebra, Calculus, and Conic Sections. Topics like 2D Geometry, Sets, Determinants, Matrices, 3D Geometry, Vectors, and Complex Numbers had an average presence, while Probability and Permutation & Combination had relatively fewer questions. The lengthy calculations made this section the most challenging and time-consuming.
For details on JEE Main 2026, please visit the official website- jeemain.nta.nic.in.
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