42 Percentile in JEE Mains 2026: Candidates can check the expected 42 percentile in JEE Main 2026 in this article. Based on previous trends, candidates can expect a score of 25 to 26 marks for the 42 percentile. The National Testing Agency will release the JEE Main 2026 result in the form of percentile. The marks vs percentile analysis of each shift of JEE Main 2026 Marks vs Percentile vs rank will be possible online. This analysis of all shifts will help candidates to gauge their potential percentile performance in the JEE Main entrance exam. Candidates can interpret their marks performance in the entrance exam result.
This Story also Contains
The authority will conduct the JEE Main 2026 exam in two sessions. The candidates who score 42 marks in JEE Main 2026 are expected to be among the top rankers. Careers360 helps the candidates in calculating the percentile of the JEE Main 2026 result based on the estimated scores out of 300. Read more about the 42 Percentile in JEE Mains 2026.
The NTA uses the following formula to calculate:

Marks | Percentile |
91-100 | 94.99-96.06 |
81-90 | 93.47-9474 |
71-80 | 91.02-93.15 |
61-70 | 87.51-90.70 |
51-60 | 82.01-86.90 |
41-50 | 73.82-80.98 |
31-40 | 58.15-71.30 |
21-30 | 37.39-56.56 |
Percentile | Rank |
73.08 - 73.28 | 260,723 - 380,928 |
59.84 - 58.15 | 380,929 - 568,308 |
40.34 - 37.69 | 568,309 - 844,157 |
Marks | Rank |
95-101 | 76260-66999 |
89-94 | 87219-78111 |
79-88 | 109329-90144 |
64-87 | 169542-92303 |
44-62 | 326517-173239 |
1-42 | 1025009-334080 |
| College Name | Course Offered | Closing Rank |
|---|---|---|
Mechanical Engineering | 288637 | |
Electrical Engineering | 312646 | |
Computer Science and Engineering | 350610 | |
Civil Engineering | 306845 | |
Electrical Engineering | 340899 | |
Mechanical Engineering | 334003 |
Scoring at the 42nd percentile in JEE Main 2026 means that a person has a low rank, and therefore getting a seat in top NITs and IITs is difficult. The candidates can choose to improve their position in session 2, or they can look for colleges in the private sector and government colleges that admit on lower percentiles.
Q1. What is the percentile for 42 marks in JEE Mains ?
Ans. JEE Mains Score of 42 gives a rough estimate of 74-75th percentile.
Q2. Is 42 marks good in JEE Mains?
Ans. The candidates with 42 marks will not be able to achieve the qualifying cut-off for top engineering colleges in India for JEE Main 2026.
Q3. What is the category-wise percentile for 42 marks in JEE Mains?
Ans. The 42 is percentile-wise because of slight variation in the category-wise data of normalization and reservation. On average: General: 55-60 percentile OBC-NCL: 60-65 percentile SC/ST: 65-75 percentile
Q4. What rank can I expect with 42 marks in JEE Mains?
Ans. On the basis of 42 marks JEE Mains ranking, the rank is expected within the range of 3,34,080 to 3,26,517.
On Question asked by student community
Hello aspirant,
It is essential for aspiring engineers to practice with the JEE Main 2026 sample exam. Six months before the test, a lot of students begin taking practice exams. This allows students ample time to learn from their mistakes, identify their areas of weakness, and leverage their strengths to ace the JEE MAINS exam.
To get the mock tests, you can visit our site through following link:
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/jee-main-mock-test
Thank you
Hello there,
Understanding and solving different question papers is one of the best practices for preparation ,especially when it comes to JEE. It gives you a proper understanding of the exam pattern, important topics to cover, and the marking scheme.
Here is the link attached from the official website of Careers360 which will provide you with the question papers of JEE exam. Hope it helps!
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/jee-main-question-papers
thank you!
Hello
You're a student in the medical stream, and you should have studied Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology subjects; then you're eligible for the JEE Mains exam, because the eligibility for the JEE Mains exam is that you must have studied Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics subjects. You should focus heavily on PCM, which helps you to get admission in engineering colleges.
I hope this information helps you.
Thank you.
Hello aspirant,
In order to prepare for the JEE Main 2026 exam, it is strongly advised that students complete the JEE Main 2025 Question Paper. This will help them comprehend the exam's difficulty level and question kinds. The JEE Main 2026 session 1 test will be administered by NTA from January 21 to 30, while the session 2 exam will take place from April 2 to 9.
To get the previous year question papers, you can visit our site through following link:
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/jee-main-question-papers
Thank you
With a BC-E category certificate, EWS certificate, and Telangana home-state quota, your chances of getting admission to AIML or related CSE branches in CBIT, VNR VJIET, or similar top private colleges in Telangana depend mainly on your JEE Main percentile and the TS EAMCET counselling process, because these colleges fill seats through both TS EAMCET ranks and JEE Main scores (Category-B seats).
For Category-A seats (through TS EAMCET), JEE Main percentile is not considered. Admission is purely based on your TS EAMCET rank, reservation category, gender, and home-state status. CBIT and VNR are highly competitive, especially for AIML, CSE, and IT branches, so you generally need a very strong TS EAMCET rank (usually within a few thousand for BC-E candidates, sometimes slightly relaxed for girls).
For Category-B seats (JEE Main quota), JEE Main percentile matters. Based on recent trends, to have a realistic chance:
For CBIT (AIML / CSE / IT), a JEE Main percentile of around 95+ is usually expected, even for reserved categories, because Category-B seats are limited and competition is high.
For VNR VJIET (AIML / CSE / IT), candidates with 92–95 percentile sometimes have chances, depending on availability and the specific branch.
If your percentile is below 90, getting AIML or core CSE in CBIT or VNR becomes difficult, but you may still have chances in slightly lower-demand branches (like ECE, EEE, or emerging specialisations) or in other good private colleges affiliated with JNTU or autonomous institutions.
Your BC-E and EWS certificates do help mainly in TS EAMCET counselling (Category-A seats), not significantly in Category-B (JEE Main) admissions, where merit largely dominates. Home-state status is already assumed for these colleges, so there is no extra advantage beyond eligibility.
In summary, if your JEE Main percentile is 95 or above, you can reasonably target AIML/CSE in VNR and possibly CBIT through Category-B. If it is 90–94, VNR or related branches are more realistic than CBIT. Below that, it is better to focus on TS EAMCET performance or consider other reputed Telangana colleges offering AIML. If you want, you can share your exact JEE Main percentile and TS EAMCET rank, and I can give you a more precise college- and branch-wise estimate.
Among top 100 Universities Globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026
National level exam conducted by VIT University, Vellore | Ranked #16 by NIRF for Engg. | NAAC A++ Accredited
Recognized as Institute of Eminence by Govt. of India | NAAC ‘A++’ Grade | Upto 75% Scholarships | Application Deadline: 15th Jan
Ranked #43 among Engineering colleges in India by NIRF | Highest Package 1.3 CR , 100% Placements
100% Placement Record | Highest CTC 54 LPA | NAAC A++ Accredited | Ranked #62 in India by NIRF Ranking 2025 | JEE & JET Scores Accepted
NAAC A+ & NBA Accredited | QS I-Gauge Gold rated University | Highest CTC 52 LPA | 300+ Companies | Avail Scholarships Application Deadline: 28th Feb’26