JEE Advanced 2026: Check category-wise expected cut-off

JEE Advanced 2026: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has concluded the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2026 for both Paper 1 and Paper 2 on May 17. The institute has also released the question papers on the official website after the examination.

Paper 1 was conducted in the morning shift from 9 am to 12 noon, while Paper 2 took place in the afternoon shift from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm.

According to students and teachers, the overall difficulty level of JEE Advanced 2026 ranged from moderate to difficult. Mathematics was considered the toughest and lengthiest section in both papers, while Physics tested candidates on conceptual understanding and application-based problems. Chemistry, though manageable for some students, was described as tricky and time-consuming.

Paper 2 was especially challenging because of its highly conceptual and calculation-intensive nature, particularly in Mathematics. Based on the initial reactions from candidates and educators, the expected qualifying cut-off this year may witness some changes compared to previous years.

JEE Advanced 2026: Expected category-wise cut-off

According to various education experts and media reports, the expected cut-off for JEE Advanced 2026 is given below:


For candidates belonging to the General category, competition is expected to remain high due to the limited number of seats in the IITs. Meanwhile, slight relaxation is expected for candidates from the General-EWS and OBC-NCL categories.

The cut-off for SC and ST categories is likely to remain comparatively lower. However, experts believe that the tougher Mathematics section and the overall demanding nature of the paper could influence the final qualifying marks this year.

What is the JEE Advanced cut-off?

The JEE Advanced cut-off is the minimum score required for candidates to qualify for inclusion in the Common Rank List (CRL) and become eligible for admission to undergraduate programmes offered by IITs.

The cut-off changes every year depending on several factors, including:

• Difficulty level of the examination
• Number of candidates appearing for the test
• Overall student performance
• Availability of seats across IITs

After the declaration of results, participating IITs release course-wise opening and closing ranks through the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) counselling process.

Please note: The cut-off figures mentioned above are based on media estimates following the examination. These are expected scores only and not the official cut-off released by IIT Roorkee.

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