The official answer key was released on the 4th of February, 2026, and students have been eagerly waiting for the results. Initially, NTA was expected to release the results on 12th February, 2026, but the results were delayed. Finally, the JEE Main Session 1 2026 results have been officially released by NTA on February 16, 2026. 12 students have scored 100 percentile this year. Checkout the complete JEE Main 2026 Session 1 toppers list released by NTA.
Students can now download their scorecards from the official NTA website. In this blog, candidates can find the direct download link. Along with that, we will also discuss the JEE Main 2026 category-wise qualifying cutoff for JEE Advanced, percentile vs marks and JoSAA counselling. In the end, we will shed light on the next steps a candidate should take once the results are out.
When will NTA release JEE Main 2026 Results?
As per the official notification, NTA has released the official JEE Main 2026 on 16 February 2026. Students can now download their results and view their scorecards. Your JEE Main 2026 scorecard will show your NTA percentile as well as All India Rank. Click on the link to the direct scorecard download link below to access:
Download JEE Main 2026 scorecard now (LIVE)!
JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Exam Overview (Important Dates)
The JEE Main 2026 January Session exam ended on Jan 29, 2026. The official JEE Main Session 1 2026 response sheet and answer key have been released. And NTA has finally declared the JEE Main 2026 results. Below is a summary of all the important events and dates of the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 exams:
| JEE Main 2026 Important Event | Details |
| JEE Main Conducting Body | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| JEE Main 2026 Session 1 dates for Paper 1 and Paper 2 | B.E./B.Tech Paper 1 – Jan 21, 22, 23, 24 and 28. Paper 2A (B.Arch) & 2B (B.Plan) – Jan 29 – conducted in the morning shift. |
| JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Result Date | 16 February 2026 |
| Official Website of NTA JEE Main | jeemain.nta.nic.in |
| Final Merit Rank List Announcement | After Session 2 result (April 2026) |
| JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Response Sheet | 4th February 2026 |
| JoSAA Counselling starts | 2 June, 2026 (Expected) |
How to Check JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Results Online? Complete Guide
The JEE Main 2026 results are finally out now. Students can visit the official website or click the direct scorecard download link in the blog to access their results. Here is a step-by-step guide to check your JEE Main 2026 official results online:
- Firstly, students will have to visit the official NTA website:
- Navigate to the public notices section.
- On the website, choose the option ‘JEE Main 2026 Session 1 results is live’.
- A page will appear – log in using the application number and password.
- Your JEE Main 2026 result will be displayed on the screen with personal details, exam details and scores.
- Students can now download the official scorecard. Make sure to get a printout of the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 scorecard for the admission process.
JEE Main 2026 Scorecard – Details Mentioned in the Result
The JEE Main exam scorecard is the official result released by NTA and is an important document that every JEE aspirant must keep safely. The scorecard gives a proper exam performance analysis of the student. The candidate will find out their subject-wise percentile and also where they stand nationally among lakhs of other aspirants. Here is all the information that will be mentioned on your JEE Main 2026 result scorecard:
- Full name of the candidate.
- Date of birth.
- Parents’ names (both).
- Gender.
- State of eligibility
- Nationality
- Disability status, if applicable
- Category of the candidate
- Application number
- Roll number
- Candidate photo
- Subject-wise percentile
- Overall percentile
- AIR of the candidate based on the NTA score
- Category-wise rank, if applicable.
- Category-wise cut-off for JEE Advanced
- JEE Advanced eligibility status
- Note or instructions section for the candidate.
JEE Main 2026 Results: NTA Normalisation Process Explained
NTA releases the results of JEE Main in percentiles and not marks. The reason behind this is the NTA normalisation process. The JEE Main exam is conducted in multiple shifts on multiple days. The JEE Main 2026 exam Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) was conducted for 5 days in 10 shifts on exam dates: Jan 21, 22, 23, 24, and 28. Every shift has a different difficulty level, and the normalisation process ensures that the results are evaluated fairly.
What is the Normalisation Process?
The normalisation process is the normalises or equalisation of the scores from multiple shifts of an exam to a common level for proper evaluation. Hence, if a student appeared for a more difficult shift, they do not have to worry about scoring low, as their score will be normalised. The final NTA score is the normalised percentile and not the percentage of marks.
NTA Normalisation Formula
Here is the formula used to normalise the scores:
Percentile Score = {(Number of candidates with raw score ≤ your score) ÷ (Total candidates in that session)} × 100
NTA JEE Main Percentile vs Marks
The percentile is defined as the percentage of students who are below or at the same score as the candidate. For example, if a student scores 99 percentile, it will be interpreted as – 99 per cent of students have scored below or the same score as the student. Hence, the student is ahead of 99 per cent of students in JEE Main. In the JEE Main scorecard, the final normalised percentile will be mentioned and not the raw score. Here is the JEE Main 2026 marks vs percentile data based on the results:
| Marks Range (Out of 300) | Expected Percentile Range | Expected Rank Range |
| 280 – 300 | 99.99 – 100 | 1 – 100 |
| 250 – 279 | 99.90 – 99.98 | 101 – 500 |
| 200 – 249 | 99.50 – 99.89 | 501 – 1,500 |
| 180 – 199 | 99.20 – 99.49 | 1,501 – 5,000 |
| 150 – 179 | 98.50 – 99.19 | 5,001 – 10,000 |
| 120 – 149 | 96.00 – 98.49 | 10,001 – 25,000 |
| 90 – 119 | 92.00 – 95.99 | 25,001 – 50,000 |
| 60 – 89 | 85.00 – 91.99 | 50,001 – 1,00,000 |
| 40 – 59 | 70.00 – 84.99 | 1,00,001 – 2,00,000 |
| Below 40 | Below 70 | 2,00,000+ |
JEE Main 2026 Tie-Breaking Rules (Final Rank Merit List)
As we know, the JEE Main exam is conducted in two sessions in January and April. The final merit list is released after Session 2 is concluded in April. The merit list includes all the ranks of the candidates, and we get to know the toppers of the JEE Main exam. Many times, issues occur where many candidates fall in the same percentile, making a tie. NTA follows tie-breaking rules to allot the ranks in such cases in the following priority order:
- Highest percentile in mathematics.
- Highest percentile in physics.
- Highest percentile in chemistry.
- Fewer incorrect attempts in all subjects.
- Fewer incorrect attempts in mathematics.
- Fewer incorrect attempts in physics.
- Fewer incorrect attempts in chemistry.
- If the tie persists, the older candidate will be given the rank.
JEE Main 2026 Qualifying Percentile Cutoff (Category-Wise)
Through JEE Main, students get admissions to top engineering colleges, including NITs, IIITs and GFTIs. The JEE Main exam is a qualifying exam for JEE Advanced to get admission into the IITs of India. Below is the qualifying cutoff for the JEE Advanced exam for all categories. Students can check if they can appear for JEE Advanced by looking at the cutoff below:
| Student Category | JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Expected Percentile Range |
| General category | 93.5 – 95 |
| GEN-EWS | 80.5 – 82.5 |
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) | 79 – 81 |
| SC | 61 – 63 |
| ST | 47.5 – 50 |
Next steps after Downloading the JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Scorecard
The first step students take after downloading their JEE Main 2026 scorecards is to get a printout. As the scorecards will be required during the JoSAA counselling process and the admission process. Based on the results, there are certain decisions that students can take:
- Candidates should be preparing for the counselling process once the results are out.
- The candidates who are eligible for JEE Advanced must start their preparation as soon as possible.
- In case a candidate wants to improve their score, they should start serious preparation for JEE Main 2026 Session 2, which will be held in April.
JEE Main 2026 JoSAA Counselling Process and Dates
JoSAA is a central counselling body that NTA has built for admissions into the top engineering colleges in India through JEE Main and JEE Advanced exams. 120 engineering colleges take part in the counselling process. Students who have cleared the cutoff are eligible for the counselling process.
The JoSAA counselling usually starts after the JEE Advanced results are released. The JoSAA counselling 2026 is estimated to start on June 2nd. The process will be completely online, and there might be 6 rounds in the counselling process.
| Details | Date (Expected) |
| JEE Main Session 2 Result | April 2026 (2nd week) |
| JoSAA Counselling Registration Starts | 2 June 2026 |
| Mock Seat Allocation | Mid to June 2026 |
| JoSAA Round 1 Seat Allotment | Late June 2026 |
| JoSAA Subsequent Rounds (2–6) | June – July 2026 |
| Final Counselling & Closure | July 2026 |
Conclusion
The official JEE Main 2026 results are released on February 16, 2026, on the NTA JEE Main official website. Students can now check their NTA score, overall percentile, subject-wise percentile, category-wise rank, overall All India Rank and whether a candidate cleared the cutoff for JEE Advanced or not. The cut-off for the JEE Main 2026 exam was observed to be 93 to 95 percentile. The JEE Main 2026 Session 2 registration is ongoing, and students who want to improve their score can apply now, as the last date is February 25, 2026. Stay tuned for the latest updates regarding the April session and the JEE Advanced exam.
FAQs
The JEE Main 2026 Session 1 results were out on 16th February, 2026. NTA released the notification on their official website, and students can now find the link to view their results on the website. Candidates are instructed to download and get printouts of their JEE Main scorecards.
NTA delayed the announcement of JEE Main session 1 results from February 12, 2026, to February 16, 2026. This can be due to many reasons. The final answer key has not been released yet, and the results might have been delayed due to that.
NTA releases the JEE Main exam results on the official website itself. Once the results are released, NTA notifies, and students can find the download link on the website itself. To view and download their score, students will have to log in using their JEE Main application number and password, which is their date of birth.
After both sessions of the JEE Main exam are concluded, the JoSAA counselling process will start in June. Students will require their JEE Main 2026 scorecard during the counselling process, college admissions and JEE Advanced registration.
Yes, candidates are instructed to get a printout of their JEE Main 2026 scorecard as this will be needed in the further admission and counselling process. It is advised to take multiple printouts to be on the safe side.
The All India Rank (AIR) is calculated based on the final normalised percentile and not the raw marks. In the list, if there is a situation where two candidates have the same normalised percentile, then NTA applies the tie-breaking rules to allot the rank. Hence, the candidates with the highest percentile with clearing all the ties bag the AIR 1 position.
Now that the results are out, the JEE Main 2026 cutoff has also released. The qualifying cut off for general category students is 93.5 to 95 percentile, for OBC it is 79 to 81 percentile and 50 to 60 percentile for SC, ST candidates.
