The National Testing Agency (NTA) is expected to release the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) results 2026 on the official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in, today, April 20, 2026. The release of results for JEE Main routinely triggers confusion among candidates, many of whom struggle to reconcile their raw scores with the percentiles displayed on their scorecards. Despite scoring high marks, several students find themselves pushed down the merit ladder, a consequence of the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) normalisation-driven evaluation system.The NTA does not rank candidates solely on the basis of raw marks. Given that the examination is conducted across multiple sessions with varying difficulty levels, the agency deploys a normalisation process to ensure parity. This system compares a candidate’s performance with others who appeared in the same session rather than across the entire pool.Officials have maintained that this method eliminates any advantage or disadvantage arising from an easier or tougher question paper.

Raw Score vs Percentile: The Key Distinction

A raw score is the total marks obtained after factoring in correct responses and negative marking. However, it reflects only individual performance and does not account for how others performed in the same shift.Percentile, on the other hand, is a relative metric. It indicates the proportion of candidates who scored equal to or less than a particular candidate in a given session. For instance, a 95 percentile means the candidate has outperformed 95% of test-takers in that specific shift.

The Formula Behind Percentile Calculation

The NTA converts raw scores into percentiles using a standard statistical formula:Percentile=Number of candidates with raw score ≤candidate’s scoreTotal number of candidates in the session×100\text{Percentile} = \frac{\text{Number of candidates with raw score } \leq \text{candidate’s score}}{\text{Total number of candidates in the session}} \times 100Percentile=Total number of candidates in the sessionNumber of candidates with raw score ≤candidate’s score×100The percentile is calculated up to seven decimal places to minimise ties and ensure precision in ranking.

Why Candidates With Similar Marks Get Different Percentiles

A recurring concern among aspirants is the variation in percentiles despite identical raw scores. This occurs because percentiles are session-specific. A candidate scoring a certain mark in a difficult shift may secure a higher percentile than someone with the same score in an easier session, where a larger number of candidates may have scored higher.

Impact on All India Rank

Percentiles form the basis for determining the All India Rank (AIR), which is crucial for admissions to premier engineering institutes. Even marginal differences at the higher end of the percentile scale can significantly alter rankings, intensifying competition among top scorers.

Tie-Breaking Criteria

In cases where candidates secure identical percentiles, the NTA applies a structured tie-breaking mechanism: