JEE Main 2026 January 22 Marks vs Percentile: Check Expected Percentile Marks for Shift 1 & Shift 2

The JEE Main 2026 exam conducted on January 22 had two shifts with noticeable differences in difficulty level. Because percentile in JEE Main is calculated using normalization, it becomes important to look at shift-wise marks vs percentile trends rather than raw marks alone. Based on early expert analysis and student feedback, the JEE Main 2026 Jan 22 marks vs percentile pattern shows that Shift 1 and Shift 2 followed different scoring trends.

This article explains the JEE Main 22 Jan 2026 Shift 1 & 2 marks vs expected percentile and shows why the same marks may lead to different percentiles. Keep reading!

Marks vs Percentile JEE Mains 2026 22 Jan Shift 1

The January 22 Shift 1 paper is being described by most students as easy to moderate. Compared to some of the tougher papers from January 21 and the more difficult shifts expected later, this one felt balanced. Because of that, many students managed to attempt a good number of questions with decent accuracy.

This is exactly why the JEE Main 22 Jan shift 1 percentile vs marks 2026 trend looks slightly higher. When a paper is easier, the average score automatically increases, which means students need more marks to reach the same percentile.

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JEE Mains 2026 22 Jan Shift 2 Marks vs Percentile

According to both experts and students, JEE Main 2026 January 22 Shift 2 is being considered one of the toughest shifts of the entire session so far. Because the paper was tougher, the JEE Main 2026 Jan 22 marks vs percentile trend for Shift 2 is a bit more relaxed. Because the paper was tougher, the overall average score dropped, which directly impacts percentile calculation. When a shift is difficult, NTA normalization usually works in favour of students, meaning higher percentiles can be achieved at comparatively lower marks.

Factors Influencing Your JEE Main 2026 January 22 Percentile

The percentile you get in JEE Main 2026 on January 22 isn’t just about how many questions you answered correctly. Things like which shift you appeared in, how hard the paper was, and how others performed all play a role. Check out below the main factors that decide your percentile and why two students with the same marks can end up with different rankings.

Shift-Wise Difficulty

One of the biggest factors this year was how different the morning and evening shifts were in terms of difficulty. NTA uses normalization to make sure students in tougher shifts aren’t unfairly penalized.

• Shift 1 (Easy to Moderate): This shift was balanced, so more students scored well. To reach a 99th percentile, you needed a higher raw score (around 165+) because the competition was high.
• Shift 2 (Moderate to Tough): This shift had a very long and tricky Mathematics section. Since the overall average score dropped, you could get a higher percentile with slightly fewer marks (around 158-162) compared to Shift 1.

Record Competition in 2026

The January 2026 session saw more than 14.5 lakh registrations, the highest ever for a winter session. With so many students taking the exam, even a single mark can affect your rank by thousands of places. Staying in the top 1% meant you had to be very accurate. This year, the margin for error was smaller than before because the competition was higher and more students scored highly.

Subject-Wise Normalization and Tie-Breaks

If two students have the same total score, subject-wise performance decides who gets the higher rank. For January 2026, the priority order was:

1. Mathematics NTA Score: Most important (especially for Shift 2 on Jan 22).
2. Physics NTA Score
3. Chemistry NTA Score
4. Age: Older candidates get a higher rank if all scores are the same.

Accuracy Over Attempts

With tough competition this year, being accurate mattered more than attempting more questions. In Shift 2, many students guessed in the long Math section, which led to high negative marks. Candidates who attempted fewer questions (around 45-50) but had about 95% accuracy are likely to get a higher percentile than those who attempted 60 questions with only 75% accuracy.
Also Read: Will JEE Main 2026 Jan 28 Shift 1 be Moderate or Tough? Past patterns and expert forecast