JEE Main 2026 Results: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has issued a detailed explanation on the percentile system, raw marks, and normalisation process used in the JEE (Main) 2026 Session 2 examination, citing the need to ensure fairness in a multi-shift testing format.
The agency noted that the examination was conducted across nine shifts between April 2 and April 8, during which significant variation was observed in raw scores required to achieve similar percentile ranks. According to NTA, the raw marks needed to reach the 99th percentile ranged from 165 in the toughest shift to 196 in the easiest shift, a difference of 31 marks out of a total 300. At the 98th percentile, the variation stood at 27 marks, while at the 97th percentile it was 26 marks.
The NTA also stated that only two shifts recorded a perfect score of 300. In one shift, a score of 285 was sufficient to reach the 100th percentile, as it was the highest score obtained in that particular session.
"These numbers are not an anomaly. They are an honest reflection of what happens when lakhs of candidates sit for an examination conducted across multiple shifts and multiple days. No matter how carefully our paper-setting committees work, and they work with extraordinary rigour, applying multiple layers of review and difficulty calibration, two different question papers cannot be perfectly identical in difficulty. That is a law of assessment, not a flaw in execution. Any examining body in the world that conducts a multi-shift examination confronts the same reality," the agency said.
The NTA added that this inherent variation is the primary reason for adopting the percentile-based evaluation system.
Explaining the concept, the agency said a percentile score reflects a candidate's relative performance within a specific shift. For instance, a 99.5 percentile indicates that a candidate has performed better than 99.5 per cent of those who appeared in the same shift, irrespective of raw score differences across sessions.
The agency further stated that each shift effectively becomes a separate competitive group, where raw marks determine ranking within that shift. However, to create a unified national merit list across all shifts, percentile scores are combined.
The NTA cautioned that relying solely on raw marks would create disparities, where candidates with identical scores could end up with significantly different rankings depending on the difficulty level of their respective shifts. This, it said, would make outcomes dependent on chance rather than merit.
To address this, the agency uses a statistical normalisation process. Percentile scores are first calculated within each shift and then merged across shifts to generate the final ranking. According to NTA, the approach is based on established psychometric principles, ensuring that equivalent relative performance is treated equally across different question papers.
The agency further stated that the methodology is widely used by major examination bodies globally and has been reviewed by expert committees constituted by the Ministry of Education. It also added that the system is continuously refined based on data, evidence, and feedback.
"The method rests on a straightforward psychometric principle: equivalent relative performances across different papers should receive equivalent scores. A candidate who outperformed 99.5% of their shift deserves the same treatment as a candidate who outperformed 99.5% of another shift - regardless of the raw marks involved," the NTA specifies.
It also addressed concerns from candidates who may feel disadvantaged due to variation in shift difficulty, stating that the percentile system is designed specifically to eliminate such disparities.
"The number in front of you is the most rigorous measure of your performance we are capable of producing. It was computed with the singular objective of ensuring that the shift you were allotted has no bearing on your rank," the agency said, reiterating its commitment to fairness for every candidate.