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For admission into the B.E./B.Tech courses in one of the IITs, NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs, you must take the JEE Main exam. Scoring high JEE Main marks is important because they play a big role in determining which branch you can get, in which institute. Let’s learn more about JEE Main marks here!
JEE Main Exam Structure and Marking Scheme
JEE Main (Paper 1) exam consists of a total of 90 questions, where each subject (Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics) is allotted 30 questions. Each correct answer is awarded 4 marks and each wrong answer carries a penalty of -1 marks.
An unanswered question is 0 marks. Filling up more than 1 response to any question is treated as a wrong answer and marks are deducted accordingly. The total, highest marks possible in the JEE Main exam are 360.
Validity of JEE Main Marks
JEE Main marks are valid for only 1 year. In other words, if you want admission to B.E./B.Tech course in an institute that accepts JEE Main marks/rank in a particular year, you’ll have to give the JEE Main exam in the same year. The rank you get is used for your admission for that particular year.
Tie-Breaking Criteria
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What if multiple candidates score equal aggregate marks in the JEE Main exam? Well, the following criteria (in the given order) are used for their ranking:
- A candidate who scores higher in Mathematics gets a better rank.
- The candidate who scores higher in Physics gets a better rank.
- A candidate who has the higher absolute value of the ratio of positive marks to negative marks obtained gets a better rank.
- If a tie still persists, the candidates get the same JEE Main rank.
JEE Main Cutoff Marks
To be eligible for the JEE Advanced exam, you must score minimum cutoff marks in JEE Main for that particular year. The following trend for cutoff marks has been observed over the years.
| Category | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 81 | 100 | 105 | 115 | 113 |
| OBC | 49 | 70 | 70 | 74 | 70 |
| SC | 32 | 52 | 50 | 53 | 50 |
| ST | 27 | 48 | 44 | 47 | 45 |
As we can see in the table, the cutoff JEE Main marks reached a minimum in the year 2017. This is due to the increase in the number of candidates who are shortlisted for JEE Advanced, and higher difficulty level of question paper.
Board Exam and JEE Main
There is no weightage given to your class 12 marks in the JEE Ranking from 2017 forward.
However, if you are aiming for one of the IITs, NITs, IIITs and CFTIs, you need at least 75% marks in the class 12th board examination. Alternatively, you could rank in the top 20 percentile in the class 12th examination of your respective board. Any SC/ST candidates need to secure at least 65% marks in their class 12th board examination to be eligible for admission into one of the IITs, NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs.
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