JEE Main is a national-level engineering entrance exam for admission to undergraduate programs like B.E., B.Tech, B.Arch, and B.Planning in colleges across India.
What is JEE Main?
The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts JEE Main twice a year as a computer-based test. The exam consists of three papers for B.E./B.Tech.Tech, B.Arch, and B.Planning. JEE Main syllabus includes Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, along with aptitude and drawing sections, depending on the paper you choose.
JEE Main uses a percentile-based NTA score instead of raw marks to prepare the merit list and ranks.
Why JEE Main Important?
JEE Main is the primary gateway for admission to NITs, IIITs, and many Government-funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs) for B.Tech and B.E. courses.
It is also a qualifying exam for JEE Advanced, which is required for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
Many state engineering colleges and top private universities also accept JEE Main scores, so a good NTA percentile opens a wide range of options.
JEE Main Participating Colleges
JEE Main scores are accepted by 32 NITs, 26 IIITs and 47 GFTIs that participate through the JoSAA counselling process.
In addition, several state universities and reputed private institutes accept JEE Main ranks for their B.Tech admissions.
Top 20 JEE Main Participating Colleges
The table shows the Top 20 JEE Main colleges as per the NIRF Ranking 2025:-
| S. No | College Name | NIRF Engg Ranking 2025 | NIRF Score 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NIT Tiruchirappalli | 9 | 68.14 |
| 2 | NIT Rourkela | 13 | 66.62 |
| 3 | NIT Surathkal | 17 | 64.59 |
| 4 | NIT Calicut | 21 | 63.05 |
| 5 | Siksha `O` Anusandhan | 22 | 62.58 |
| 6 | Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham | 23 | 62.46 |
| 7 | NIT Warangal | 28 | 61.05 |
| 8 | Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology | 29 | 60.97 |
| 9 | Delhi Technological University | 30 | 60.85 |
| 10 | Chandigarh University | 31 | 60.46 |
FAQs
Ques. What is the difference between JEE Main and JEE Advanced?
Ans. JEE Main is the first-level exam for entry to NITs, IIITs, and other institutes, while JEE Advanced is the second-level exam used only for admission to IITs.
Only top JEE Main performers who meet the cut-off and other eligibility criteria can appear for JEE Advanced.
Ques. What is the syllabus of JEE Main?
Ans. The JEE Main syllabus covers Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics from Class 11 and 12 for B.E./B.Tech, plus aptitude, drawing, and planning topics for B.Arch and B.Planning papers.
The JEE Main syllabus covers Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics from Class 11 and 12 for B.E./B.Tech, plus aptitude, drawing, and planning topics for B.Arch and B.Planning papers.
Ques. What is the 75 percent criteria for JEE Main?
Ans. For admission to NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs, candidates generally need at least 75 percent marks in the Class 12 exam (65 percent for reserved categories) or be in the top 20 percentile of their board, along with a valid JEE Main rank.
Ques. What is NTA score in JEE Main?
Ans. The NTA score is a percentile score from 0 to 100 that shows the percentage of candidates who scored equal to or below a candidate in the exam.
It is calculated using a normalisation process across all shifts and is different from the percentage of marks obtained.
Ques. What is the total marks of JEE Main?
Ans. For the B.E./B.Tech paper, JEE Main has a total of 300 marks, with questions from Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
Ques. What is the cut-off for JEE Main?
Ans.The qualifying cut-off is the minimum NTA percentile needed to be eligible for JEE Advanced and varies every year based on difficulty level and number of candidates.
Colleges also use separate closing ranks or cut-offs during JoSAA and state counselling for different branches and categories.
JEE Main 2025 Qualifying cutoff is as follow:-
| Rank List | Minimum Marks in Each Subject | Minimum Aggregate Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Common Rank List (CRL) | 7 | 74 |
| OBC-NCL Rank List | 6 | 66 |
| GEN-EWS Rank List | 6 | 66 |
| SC Rank List | 3 | 37 |
| ST Rank List | 3 | 37 |
| Common-PwD Rank List (CRL-PwD) | 3 | 37 |
| OBC-NCL-PwD Rank List | 3 | 37 |
| GEN-EWS-PwD Rank List | 3 | 37 |
| SC-PwD Rank List | 3 | 37 |
| ST-PwD Rank List | 3 | 37 |
| Preparatory Course (PC) Rank List | 1 | 18 |