Scoring 96 percentile in JEE Main 2026 typically requires around 141+ marks and places you within the top 60,000 ranks. This score can get you seats in many NITs, IIITs, and top private colleges. Check expected marks, rank range, and realistic college options here.
A 96+ percentile in JEE Main 2026 is considered a respectable performance, especially given the huge number of students appearing every year. If you’re wondering how many marks is 96 percentile in JEE Mains, the short answer is around 107-141 marks, depending on the shift difficulty.
Many students also wonder if 96 percentile is good in JEE Mains, and what rank does 96 percentile gets. The answer depends on several factors, like paper difficulty, shift normalization, and the overall performance of candidates in that session. Still, based on previous years’ trends, we can make fairly accurate predictions for marks, ranks, and college options for candidates scoring in the 96 to 96.9 percentile range in JEE Mains 2026.
Keep reading to learn about expected marks, rank range, subject-wise score expectations, and college options for students targeting or scoring 99.6+ percentile in JEE Main 2026 . All predictions are based on recent JEE Main trends (2023-2025) and expected paper difficulty in 2026.
96+ Percentile in JEE Main 2026 Expected Marks & Rank
The marks required for 96 percentile in JEE Mains vary depending on whether the paper was easy, medium, or tough. The table below shows expected marks and rank ranges based on normalization trends from recent JEE Main sessions.
Percentile | Expected Marks for Easy Paper | Expected Marks for Medium | Expected Marks for Tough | Expected Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
96.9 percentile | 150.6+ | 138.7+ | 116+ | ≲ 46,500 |
96.8 percentile | 149.4+ | 137.5+ | 115+ | ≲ 48,000 |
96.7 percentile | 148.3+ | 136.5+ | 114+ | ≲ 49,500 |
96.6 percentile | 147.1+ | 135.3+ | 113+ | ≲ 51,000 |
96.5 percentile | 146+ | 134.3+ | 112+ | ≲ 52,500 |
96.4 percentile | 145+ | 133.2+ | 111.1+ | ≲ 54,000 |
96.3 percentile | 144+ | 132.2+ | 110.2+ | ≲ 55,500 |
96.2 percentile | 143+ | 131.1+ | 109.3+ | ≲ 57,000 |
96.1 percentile | 142+ | 130.1+ | 108.4+ | ≲ 58,500 |
96 percentile | 141+ | 129+ | 107.5+ | ≲ 60,000 |
Also Read JEE Main Marks vs Rank 2026
96+ Percentile in JEE Main 2026 Subject-Wise Expected Marks
Many students don’t just want an overall score estimate. They also want to know how their marks should be distributed across Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. The table below gives a rough subject-wise expectation, assuming a balanced performance. These are not fixed cutoffs, but they give a realistic idea of how toppers usually score at each JEE Main percentile level.
Percentile | Expected Marks Required in Physics | Expected Marks Required in Chemistry | Expected Marks Required in Mathematics |
|---|---|---|---|
100 percentile | 90+ marks | 85+ marks | 75+ marks |
99 percentile | 85+ marks | 75+ marks | 65+ marks |
98 percentile | 83+ marks | 68+ marks | 57+ marks |
97 percentile | 78+ marks | 63+ marks | 53+ marks |
96 percentile | 74+ marks | 58+ marks | 48+ marks |
Is 96 percentile good in JEE Mains?
Yes, 96 percentile is definitely good in JEE Mains.
A 96 percentile places you in the top 4% of all candidates, which is a strong relative performance considering that over 10 lakh students appear for JEE Main every year. Many students mistakenly think percentile equals marks, but that’s not true. A percentile is basically your position relative to others, adjusted for paper difficulty. So, a 96 percentile means that the candidate has scored higher than 96% of all students who appeared in JEE Main that session.
With a 96 percentile in JEE Mains, you have a realistic chance of getting admission into many NITs and IIITs, especially in core engineering branches such as Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, Chemical, and Production Engineering.
However, for top NITs like NIT Trichy, Warangal, Surathkal, Rourkela, and Calicut, CSE, IT, and ECE usually close at much lower ranks (usually under 15,000). So, those branches may be difficult at this percentile under the All India Quota.
Home state quota can significantly improve your chances. For EWS, OBC, SC, and ST categories, a 96 percentile can be very competitive, even for CSE and ECE in several NITs and IIITs.
A 96 percentile is also well above the cutoff for JEE Advanced eligibility, meaning you can appear for JEE Advanced. But admission to IITs depends entirely on JEE Advanced rank, not JEE Main percentile alone.
Read:
Expected Colleges for 96+ Percentile in JEE Main 2026
A 96+ percentile in JEE Main 2026 can get you into multiple government and private engineering colleges across India. Below is an expected college list:
Type of College | Institute Name | Possible Branches |
|---|---|---|
NITs (Mid to Lower Tier) | NIT Agartala | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile |
NIT Hamirpur | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
NIT Raipur | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
NIT Jamshedpur | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
NIT Silchar | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
NIT Jalandhar | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
NIT Jaipur (MNIT) | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
NIT Allahabad (MNNIT) | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
NIT Rourkela | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
NIT Calicut | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
NIT Srinagar | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
NIT Patna | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
NIT Durgapur | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
NIT Surat (SVNIT) | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
NIT Goa | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
NIT Nagaland, NIT Mizoram, NIT Sikkim, NIT Arunachal Pradesh | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Textile | |
IIITs (Newer / Mid Tier) | IIIT Agartala | CSE, IT, ECE, AI & ML, Data Science |
IIIT Manipur | CSE, IT, ECE, AI & ML, Data Science | |
IIIT Ranchi | CSE, IT, ECE, AI & ML, Data Science | |
IIIT Dharwad | CSE, IT, ECE, AI & ML, Data Science | |
IIIT Bhagalpur | CSE, IT, ECE, AI & ML, Data Science | |
IIIT Kalyani | CSE, IT, ECE, AI & ML, Data Science | |
IIIT Bhubaneswar | CSE, IT, ECE, AI & ML, Data Science | |
IIIT Surat | CSE, IT, ECE, AI & ML, Data Science | |
IIIT Una | CSE, IT, ECE, AI & ML, Data Science | |
IIIT Kottayam | CSE, IT, ECE, AI & ML, Data Science | |
Top Private Colleges | VIT Vellore / Chennai | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, Mechanical, Civil, Biotech, Data Science |
SRMIST Chennai | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, Mechanical, Civil, Biotech, Data Science | |
Shiv Nadar University (Delhi NCR) | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, Mechanical, Civil, Data Science | |
Thapar Institute (Patiala) | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, Mechanical, Civil, Biotech | |
Manipal Institute of Technology | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, Mechanical, Civil, Biotech | |
Amity University (Noida/Delhi) | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, Mechanical, Civil, Biotech | |
Bennett University (Greater Noida) | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, Mechanical, Civil, Data Science | |
KIIT Bhubaneswar | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, Mechanical, Civil, Biotech | |
LPU (Phagwara) | CSE, IT, ECE, EE, Mechanical, Civil, Biotech, Data Science |
Check:
| IIITs for 96 Percentile in JEE Main 2026 | NITs for 96 Percentile in JEE Main 2026 |
|---|
For most students, 96 percentile in JEE Mains is a very respectable score and is definitely considered good because it opens doors to many decent engineering colleges. Whether to take a drop or move ahead with admission mainly depends on personal goals and circumstances.
If a student is targeting only top NITs (CSE/ECE) or IITs, a higher percentile (around 98-99+) is usually required, so dropping for another attempt can be considered. However, for students with reserved category benefits or home state quota, a 96 percentile can still be competitive for good branches in many NITs and IIITs.
Lastly, personal comfort matters. If a student feels confident about improving significantly with one more year of preparation, dropping can make sense. Otherwise, taking admission now in a good college is often the safer choice.
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