Hong Life CalculatorsThe official formula
Percentile score = 100 × (number of candidates who appeared in the session with a raw score EQUAL TO OR LESS than the candidate) ÷ (total number of candidates who appeared in the session).
NTA calculates percentile scores to 7 decimal places to reduce ties. Each session (shift) is normalised separately, so the same raw marks can give different percentiles in different shifts.
Worked example
| Candidates in session | Equal or below you | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 1,25,000 | 1,23,500 | 98.8000000 |
| 1,25,000 | 1,25,000 (topper) | 100.0000000 |
| 1,25,000 | 62,500 | 50.0000000 |
Tie-breaking in JEE Main (Paper 1)
Candidates with the same total NTA score are separated by: a higher NTA score in Mathematics, then Physics, then Chemistry, then a lower ratio of negative to positive answers.
FAQ
Is 99 percentile the same as 99% marks?
No. 99 percentile means 99% of candidates in your session scored the same as you or less. Your marks could be well below 99%.
Why do two shifts give different percentiles for the same marks?
Because NTA computes the percentile inside each session. A harder shift has lower raw scores, so the same marks rank higher there.
Why 7 decimal places?
NTA calculates percentile scores to 7 decimal places to avoid bunching and reduce ties between candidates.
Sources (checked 10 November 2026): NTA JEE (Main) information bulletin – Appendix on normalisation (percentile formula, 7 decimal places, tie-break order). Estimate, not an official result.