Complete shift-wise breakdown for April 2026 (all 9 shifts) and January 2026 (all 10 shifts). Apr 6 S2 is the easiest April shift (195 marks for 99%ile). Apr 8 S2 is the toughest (160 marks). Jan easiest: 21 S2 (171 marks). Includes AIR, JEE Advanced qualifying cutoffs, and 2025 comparison data.
195
Apr 6 S2 (Easiest)
189
Apr 5 S1 (Easy)
160
Apr 8 S2 (Toughest)
~182
Apr Average
171
Jan 21 S2 (Easiest)
155
Jan 22 S2 (Toughest)
~162
Jan Average
+19 marks
Apr vs Jan Gap
| %ile | Approx AIR | 2 S1 | 2 S2 | 4 S1 | 4 S2 | 5 S1 | 5 S2 | 6 S1 | 6 S2 | 8 S2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | ~15,500 | 176 | 178 | 176 | 185 | 189 | 185 | 173 | 195 | 160 |
| 98 | ~31,000 | 159 | 156 | 159 | 163 | 168 | 165 | 150 | 175 | 141 |
| 97 | ~46,500 | 145 | 141 | 147 | 148 | 151 | 150 | 135 | 159 | 128 |
| 96 | ~62,000 | 137 | 130 | 139 | 140 | 144 | 142 | 125 | 149 | 120 |
| 95 | ~77,500 | 130 | 121 | 132 | 132 | 135 | 133 | 117 | 141 | 113 |
| 94 | ~93,000 | 123 | 114 | 126 | 125 | 126 | 125 | 110 | 133 | 106 |
| 93 | ~1,08,500 | 116 | 107 | 120 | 119 | 118 | 119 | 103 | 125 | 101 |
| 92 | ~1,24,000 | 111 | 101 | 114 | 112 | 111 | 111 | 95 | 118 | 95 |
| 91 | ~1,39,500 | 105 | 94 | 108 | 106 | 103 | 105 | 91 | 113 | 89 |
| 90 | ~1,55,000 | 98 | 87 | 103 | 101 | 97 | 99 | 85 | 107 | 84 |
All marks out of 300. AIR based on ~15.5L candidates.⚠ Disclaimer: Difficulty assessments based on student reviews and public opinion only — not official NTA data. Actual results may vary.
Ranked from hardest to easiest based on marks required for 99 percentile.
| Rank | Shift | Marks for 99%ile | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 8 Shift 2 | 160 | Toughest |
| 2 | Apr 6 Shift 1 | 173 | Hard |
| 3 | Apr 2 Shift 1 | 176 | Hard |
| 4 | Apr 4 Shift 1 | 176 | Moderate-Hard |
| 5 | Apr 2 Shift 2 | 178 | Moderate |
| 6 | Apr 4 Shift 2 | 185 | Moderate |
| 7 | Apr 5 Shift 2 | 185 | Moderate-Easy |
| 8 | Apr 5 Shift 1 | 189 | Easy |
| 9 | Apr 6 Shift 2 | 195 | Easiest |
January 2026 average 99%ile: ~162 marks. April 2026 average 99%ile: ~177 marks. The ~15 mark difference confirms student reports that April was easier than January. This is consistent with historical patterns where April tends to be slightly easier than January.
If you appeared in both sessions: NTA takes your best percentile. A student who scored 155 marks in Jan 22 S2 (99%ile) and 166+ marks in Apr (also ~99%ile) keeps 99%ile. April's easier paper means more students scored high — expect slightly more competition at top percentile bands in the final merit list.
| %ile | Jan Avg Marks | Apr Avg Marks | Difference | Approx AIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | 162 | 181 | +19 | ~15,500 |
| 98 | 138 | 160 | +22 | ~31,000 |
| 97 | 126 | 145 | +19 | ~46,500 |
| 95 | 107 | 128 | +21 | ~77,500 |
| 93 | 92 | 112 | +20 | ~1,08,500 |
| 90 | 79 | 95 | +16 | ~1,55,000 |
Final rank is calculated after combining both sessions — best percentile is used. Based on ~15.5 lakh unique candidates:
| Percentile | Approximate AIR | JEE Advanced Eligible? |
|---|---|---|
| 99.9+ | < 1,550 | Yes — top NIT CSE zone |
| 99.5 | ~7,750 | Yes — comfortably eligible for NIT CSE |
| 99.0 | ~15,500 | Yes — NIT CSE safe zone |
| 98.5 | ~23,250 | Yes |
| 98.0 | ~31,000 | Yes (General) / Yes (OBC-NCL) |
| 97.0 | ~46,500 | Yes (General) / Yes (EWS) |
| 95.0 | ~77,500 | Yes (General/OBC/SC) |
| 93.0 | ~1,08,500 | Maybe - depending on cutoff |
| 90.0 | ~1,55,000 | Most Probably No |
Top ~2.5 lakh candidates in JEE Main qualify for JEE Advanced 2026. Expected cutoffs by category:
| Category | Expected Percentile | Approx Rank |
|---|---|---|
| General (UR) | ~93.5 – 94.0%ile | ~90,000 – 95,000 |
| EWS | ~82.0 – 83.5%ile | ~2,25,000 |
| OBC-NCL | ~80.0 – 81.5%ile | ~2,30,000 |
| SC | ~55.0 – 58.0%ile | ~2,40,000 |
| ST | ~40.0 – 45.0%ile | ~2,45,000 |
| PwD | ~0.11%ile | N/A |
Based on April 2026 average shift difficulty (~177 marks for 99%ile):
| Target Admission | General | OBC-NCL | SC | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 NIT CSE (Trichy, Warangal) | 99.9%ile+ | 99.8%ile+ | 99.5%ile+ | 99%ile+ |
| Tier 1 NIT ECE | 99.7%ile+ | 99.4%ile+ | 99%ile+ | 98%ile+ |
| Tier 2 NIT CSE | 98.5 – 99%ile | 97.5 – 98.5% | 96 – 97% | 93 – 95% |
| Tier 2 NIT ECE / Core | 97 – 98%ile | 95 – 96% | 92 – 94% | 88 – 91% |
| Tier 3 NIT CSE | 96 – 97.5%ile | 93 – 95% | 88 – 91% | 82 – 86% |
| Top IIIT CSE (Hyd, Allahabad) | 98.5 – 99%ile | 96.5 – 98% | 94 – 96% | 90 – 93% |
| Tier 4 NIT / Any branch | 90 – 95%ile | 85 – 90% | 75 – 85% | 65 – 75% |
| Session | Avg Marks | Range | Spread | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | ~170 | 148 – 200 | 52 marks | Harder than Jan 2024 |
| Apr 2025 | ~182 | 173 – 203 | 30 marks | Harder than Jan 2025 |
| Jan 2026 | ~162 | 155 – 171 | 16 marks | Much Harder + More Balanced ✓ |
| Apr 2026 | ~177 | 166 – 193 | 27 marks | Easier than Jan 2026 ↑ |
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