What is the cut-off score for JEE Mains?

The Joint Entrance Examination Main (JEE Main) is a competitive exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), which candidates are required to successfully complete to qualify for JEE Advanced. The highly competitive entrance exam helps aspiring engineering students to secure a seat in the most prominent and reputed engineering colleges in the country such as the IITs, NITs and IIITs.

Lakhs of students appear for the exam every year in the hope of getting admission to their dream engineering colleges by achieving the JEE Mains cut off. If you are also planning to prepare for the JEE Mains exam, you need to understand some important aspects such as JEE Mains cut off, factors influencing the cut-off and the counselling process.

What is JEE Mains Cut Off?

JEE Mains cut off is the minimum aggregate needed by the candidate to qualify for the next level of the admission process such as JEE Mains counselling and seat allocation. There are various factors which influence the cut-off mark for the exams, which are:

• Difficulty Level of the Exam: The more challenging the exam paper will be, the lower the cut-off while an easier paper can lead to a higher cut-off.

• Availability of Seats: The total number of seats available in the institutions can also impact the JEE Mains cut-off. Fewer seats can lead to a high cut-off whereas more seats can cause a lower cut-off.

• Number of Appearing Candidates:  The level of competition can become stiff if more students appear for the exam, which increases the cut-off.

• Normalization Process: This process ensures fairness by adjusting the scores across different sessions of the JEE Mains exam. The authorities leverage a statistical model to normalise scores, which helps in deciding on the cut-off.

• Reserved categories of the candidates: The cut-off can be different for reserved candidates such as General, SC, ST, OBC, and PwD.

JEE Mains cut off is announced in two rounds:

• Qualifying Cut-off: This refers to the minimum score needed to be eligible for JEE Advanced and JEE Mains counselling.

• Admission Cut-off: This refers to the minimum aggregate required to get admission to a specific engineering institution.

Significance of JEE Mains Cut off

Having a proper understanding of the cut-off scores can be crucial for candidates to enter their preferred college.

Admission Eligibility

The cut-off allows the candidates to be eligible for the next round of the admission process, which makes it a key milestone in their engineering career.

Counselling Shortlist

JEE Mains cut off also assists in the shortlisting process for the JEE Mains counselling where candidates achieving above cut-off scores are invited for the process. This helps them to select their preferred institutions and courses based on the availability of seats.

Benchmark for Preparation

The cut-off also acts as a benchmark for current and future aspirants to measure their preparation level. For instance, the cut-off for 2024 can help candidates understand the trend during JEE Main results 2025 as well and study accordingly to secure admission.

Category Qualifying Cut Off 2024 (%) Expected Cut Off 2025 (%)

General 93.23 91-95

OBC 79.67 77-81

SC 60.09 58-62

ST 50.23 44-48

EWS 80.45 79-83

The qualifying cut-off score can be expected to be within the above range as the exam difficulty level and pattern have not been through major changes. However, the admission cut-off will depend on the availability of seats, courses, location and reputation of the engineering institutions.

JEE Mains Counselling Process

After the JEE Main Result 2025 and cut-off are announced, the qualifying candidates will need to participate in the counselling process. It will be conducted by the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) and the process will be as follows:

• Registration: The candidates will be required to register on the official portal of JoSAA with the necessary details.

• Filling of Choice: This involves selecting the Institutions and courses you prefer as per the cut-off.

• Seat Allotment: Seats are then allocated to the candidate based on their rank, preferences and availability of the seats.

• Document Verification: Candidates will be required to verify their documents at the verification centres.

• Fee Payment: Once the seat allotment is done, candidates will pay the admission fee for the institution to confirm the seat.

• Reporting to the Institute: The candidate will finally report to the assigned institute within the deadline.

Conclusion

By successfully achieving the score within the JEE Mains cut off, candidates can get admission to the top engineering colleges in India. However, preparation is the key along with proper comprehension of the factors that affect the cut-off such as availability of seats, number of appearing candidates, difficulty level, etc.

With JEE Main Result 2025 just around the corner, you can stay focused and be prepared for the JEE Mains counselling process to secure a seat in the most reputed institution and begin your engineering.