The expected percentile for 40 marks in JEE Main 2026 is likely to fall between 65 and 70. It is considered a poor score in the entrance exam for elite college admissions, especially for the General category. Securing a 65 to 70 percentile or 40 marks in JEE Main 2026 is likely to allow students to apply for the newer NITs, private institutions, and state government colleges. A detailed analysis of the expected percentile for 40 marks in JEE Main 2026 can be studied by referring to the
JEE Main Marks vs Percentile vs Rank 2026
. However, students belonging to the SC and ST categories may still stand good chance to get into the mid-tier NITs and IIITs with 40 marks in JEE Main 2026. The expected rank for 65 to 70 percentile in JEE Main 2026 may fall anywhere between 4,00,000 and 6,00,000.
Also Read:
JEE Main Cutoff 2026
40 Marks in JEE Mains Percentile 2026
Students may refer to the expected percentile at 40 marks in JEE Mains analysis from the table below to get an idea of the marks vs percentile data:
Marks | Percentile |
|---|---|
35 - 40 | 65 - 72 |
41 - 45 | 72.8 - 75 |
45 - 50 | 75 - 80 |
Check Also:
| NITs for 96 Percentile in JEE Main 2026 | NITs for 98 Percentile in JEE Main 2026 |
|---|---|
| NITs for 99 Percentile in JEE Main 2026 | NITs for 97 Percentile in JEE Main 2026 |
JEE Main Normalisation Procedure
After the compilation of the raw marks, the NTA applies the normalisation formula to derive the percentile scores of a candidate for each subject – Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry, as well as the total marks. The highest score of each session will receive the same percentile of 100, which is ideal. The percentile score is used for the preparation of the JEE Main merit list. The percentile scores will be calculated up to 7 decimal places to avoid ties among candidates with the same scores. Find out all about JEE Main 2026 Normalisation: How To Calculate Percentile in JEE?
Also Read: List of Colleges Accepting 10,000 to 25,000 Rank in JEE Main 2026Colleges for 40 Marks in JEE Main Percentile
Even though 40 marks in JEE Main cannot land you at NITs or IIITs, some of the other well-known colleges accept this score. The colleges for 40 marks in JEE Main percentile can be checked below:
| Name of the College | Accepted JEE Rank | Admission Chances with 40 Percentile in JEE Main |
|---|---|---|
| Seacom Skills University | Above 8 lakhs | Very easy |
| Terna Engineering College | Above 4 lakhs | Easy |
| Pallavi Engineering College | Above 2 lakhs | Moderate |
| RK University | Above 10 lakhs | Very easy |
| MS Engineering College | Above 15 lakhs | Very easy |
| Geeta Engineering College | Above 7 lakhs | Easy |
| Brindavan College | Above 7 lakhs | Easy |
| Aalim Muhammed Salegh College of Engineering | Above 2.5 lakhs | Moderate |
| Dream Institute of Technology | Above 7 lakhs | Easy |
| Marudhar Engineering College | Above 2 lakhs | Moderate |
| SAGE University Indore | Above 5 lakhs | Easy |
| Visvesvaraya College of Engineering & Technology | Above 7 lakhs | Easy |
| Vellore Institute of Technology | Above 9 lakhs | Easy |
To sum it up, the expected percentile for 40 marks in JEE Main 2026 is around 65 to 70. It is considered a somewhat decent score for the SC and ST categories, while a poor score for the General, EWS and OBC categories in the JEE Mains exam. The official marks vs percentile analysis will be published by the NTA along with the exam results for all students to view. For the latest updates on Engineering (BE/ B.Tech) admission 2026 , stay tuned to CollegeDekho .
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Seacom Skills University, Terna Engineering College, Pallavi Engineering College, RK University, MS Engineering College, and Geeta Engineering College are some of the colleges for 40 Marks in JEE Main.
With a 53 percentile score in JEE Main, it might be challenging for candidates to secure admission across the top-tier engineering colleges or branches, as they generally have higher cutoffs. However, there are many other engineering institutes across the country where candidates may still have chances of securing admission.
A score of 250 or higher in JEE Main is regarded as a good score and therefore a percentile between 85-95 is enough to secure a seat in the NITs or IITs via this exam. However, to be able to secure a place in the NITs or IITs, candidates are required to be in the top 15,000 to 20,000 ranks.
40 marks in the NTA JEE Main 2025 exam will let a candidate get a percentile around 70.
If candidates are aiming for admission into the top-tier colleges such as NIT, IIIT, and GFTI, they need to aim for a higher percentile, definitely above the 45 percentile range. The cutoff for eligibility to take the JEE Advanced is also anticipated to be higher than the 70 to 75 percentile range.
No, 40 is not a very good score in the JEE Main 2025 exam. Since 85 to 95 percentile is considered to be good for securing admission into NITs, and IITs, achieving anything less than that is not considered to be a good score for the General, OBC, and EWS candidates. With a score of 40 in JEE Main 2025, candidates can barely make it through a few engineering colleges across India.
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