Candidates can check what 40 marks are in the percentile for JEE Mains 2026. NTA has released the JEE Main answer key for session 1 on the official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in. Candidates can now download the answer key PDF to calculate their raw marks (40 marks). And then normalise the marks into percentiles for ranking across JEE Main exam sessions. As per the latest trends, the JEE Main 40 marks fall under the percentile range between 68 and 70. The percentile range is not enough for top or mid-tiers IITs, NITs, or IIITs. One can expect to get admission into private colleges (for GEN) and lower-tier NITs/IIITs (for SC/ST).
With as many as 13 lakh candidates competing for JEE Main 2026, the safe target scores for CSE as per the experts and previous year trends are likely to be:
Top 5 NITs: around 230 to 250+ marks
Other well-ranked NITs/IIITs: approximately 180 to 210+ marks
Newer NITs: roughly 150 to 170+ marks
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Further, candidates can also check the JEE Main college predictor to find which colleges are based on their JEE scores. Read the article below to find out what 40 marks in the JEE Main Percentile.
NTA has released the JEE Main 2026 answer key online. Candidates can check their raw marks and convert them into a percentile. Use the JEE Main normalisation formula to calculate the raw scores and convert them into percentiles and ranks. Candidates will be able to download the JEE Main answer key and raise objections against the provided answers. Here is the formula to calculate JEE Main percentile 2026.

Candidates can check the JEE Marks vs percentile trends based on the latest trends. Through the expected trends, candidates will be able to find out what 40 marks stand in the JEE Main percentile.
JEE Main Marks | JEE Main Percentile |
109-100 | 94.96737888 - 93.8020333 |
99-90 | 93.67910655 - 92.21882783 |
89-80 | 92.05811248 - 90.27631202 |
79-70 | 90.0448455 - 87.51810893 |
69-60 | 87.33654157 - 83.89085926 |
59-50 | 83.5119717 - 78.35114254 |
49-40 | 77.81927947 - 69.5797271 |
39-30 | 68.80219265 - 56.09102043 |
Check the JEE Main marks vs ranks as per the recent trends. The 40 marks range between 44000 and 460200 ranks as per the table below. The JEE ranks range is really low to secure seats at top engineering colleges.
JEE Main Marks | JEE Main Rank |
109-100 | 74236 - 91426 |
99-90 | 93240 - 114780 |
89-80 | 117151 - 143434 |
79-70 | 1468491 - 184121 |
69-60 | 186799- 237626 |
59-50 | 243215 - 319343 |
49-40 | 327188 - 448730 |
39-30 | 460200 - 647703 |
40 marks fall under the JEE closing rank range from 448730 to 460200. The ranks range is very low for admission into top engineering colleges. However, a few lower-tier NITs might accept 40 marks. Candidates can check below the JoSAAA cutoff closing ranks for 40 marks with the NITs and the accepted branches.
NIT names | Courses Name | Closing Rank |
Mechanical Engineering | 504723 | |
Electrical and Electronics Engineering | 458586 | |
Electronics and Communication Engineering | 364930 | |
Civil Engineering | 417292 | |
Civil Engineering | 418215 | |
Computer Science and Engineering | 350610 | |
Electrical Engineering | 312646 | |
Mechanical Engineering | 288637 |
Considering the latest trends of JEE Mains marks vs percentile, a 40 marks is not a good marks. It doesn’t even fall under the average marks to qualify for the mid-tier NITs or IIITs. However, candidates can always opt for various options that are open to JEE aspirants. Here are some options candidates can choose if they have 40 marks in the JEE Main 2026 exam.
Candidates with a 40 percentile score can prepare for the Session 2 exam. 40 marks is really a low score; therefore, candidates can appear for the second session to improve their marks. The session 2 exam is scheduled on April 2, 2026. Candidates can double their preparation routine and try securing marks above 40 to be eligible for the top engineering colleges. Follow the JEE Main syllabus to prepare for the exam. Go through the latest JEE Main 2026 question paper to practice for the exam.
Next, candidates can always apply for the private or state-wise engineering exam. There are top private engineering institutions in India that offer premier alternatives to JEE for admission. BITSAT, VITEEE, SRMJEEE, MET, and COMEDK are some of the top engineering entrance exams for admission into the top private engineering colleges.
They can also appear for state-wise engineering entrance exam including KCET, AP EAMCET, MHT CET, KEAM, GUJCET, and more. With state-wise entrance exams, candidates will land a Btech seats in top government-run engineering colleges.
Candidates can prepare for the engineering exams by going through the entrance exam’s syllabus. They don't even have to prepare from scratch, since most of the entrance exam’s syllabus is similar to those with JEE Main syllabus. Find below the list of private and state-level engineering colleges that candidates can appear for in 2026.
Private Institutes | Engineering Entrance Exam |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
40 marks is between 68 and 70 percentile in JEE Main.
No, 40 marks are not enough for top or mid-tier NITs. The required percentile for top NITs is mostly 97 to 99 percentile.
As per the latest JEE cutoff ranks, 40 marks is not enough for any IIITs.
On Question asked by student community
Here are the best engineering colleges for 35,000-50,000 rank in JEE Main 2026 examination -
No, JEE Main Answer Key for 2026 session 1 is not out yet. NTA will release the JEE answer key 2026 on February 4.
With 10 marks in the JEE Main entrance examination, you can get admission in private universities only. 10 marks in JEE Mains equals a 13-19 percentile, which is low to get into any good engineering colleges.
Some of the private universities accepting low JEE Main scores are:
With 77 marks in JEE Main, you can expect engineering colleges like NIT Mizoram, NIT Meghalaya , and NIT Arunachal Pradesh. Consider private colleges like GITAM, Lovely Professional University, SRM Institute of Science and Technology , Chandigarh University, and Amity University for better branch options.
Students with 68 marks in JEE Main examination can hardly get admission into top IITs and NITs like IIT Gandhinagar , IIT Bombay, NIT Kanpur , and more, although there are many other universities and colleges that accepts 68 marks in JEE Main for admission to Engineering programmes, some of
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