160 Marks in JEE Main 2026: Percentile, Rank and Colleges

With 160 marks out of 300 in JEE Main 2026, expect about 97.72–99.1 percentile and a rank of 13,950–35,306, depending on how tough your shift was. Based on all 18 shifts of 2026.

Reviewed by Abhishek Jha · 15+ years in JEE teaching and counselling

Quick answer

160 marks out of 300 is about 97.72–99.1 percentile in JEE Main 2026. The exact value depends on your shift: 99.1 percentile in 22 Jan S2, but 97.72 percentile in 5 Apr S1. Expected rank: 13,950–35,306. You qualify for JEE Advanced.

Check for my shift

160 marks: percentile and rank by shift difficulty

Your shiftPercentileRank ≈
Easy shift97.72–98.2527,125–35,306
Moderate shift98.25–98.8218,268–27,125
Tough shift98.82–99.113,950–18,268

An easy shift needs more marks for the same percentile, so 160 marks is worth less there; a tough shift is the opposite. This is NTA's normalisation at work. Not sure how your shift went? Compare it in the shift-wise table below.

Shift-wise percentile for 160 marks in JEE Main 2026

SessionShiftPercentile at 160 marks
January21 Jan S199.03
January21 Jan S298.39
January22 Jan S197.79
January22 Jan S299.1
January23 Jan S198.79
January23 Jan S299.03
January24 Jan S198.5
January24 Jan S298.3
January28 Jan S197.88
January28 Jan S298.25
April2 Apr S198.45
April2 Apr S298.82
April4 Apr S198.32
April4 Apr S298.45
April5 Apr S197.72
April5 Apr S298.45
April6 Apr S199
April6 Apr S298.1

Interpolated from each shift's published marks at fixed percentiles (full marks vs percentile table). "Above" or "below" means the score is outside the range published for that shift.

160 marks in JEE Main: 2026 vs 2025

YearTypical percentileToughest shiftEasiest shift
202698.4599.1 (22 Jan S2)97.72 (5 Apr S1)
202598.19above 99 (22 Jan S1)96.11 (2 Apr S2)

The typical shift gave 0.26 percentile more in 2026 than in 2025, so the 2026 paper was tougher at this score. See the 2025 marks vs percentile data.

Is 160 a good score in JEE Main?

Very good. 160 marks is about the top 1.6%. Good branches at many NITs and IIITs are within reach on Other State seats, with more on the Home State quota, and you qualify for JEE Advanced.

Can you qualify for JEE Advanced with 160 marks?

CategoryCutoff 2026 (percentile)With 160 marks
UR (General)93.4123549Qualifies
EWS82.4164528Qualifies
OBC-NCL80.9232583Qualifies
SC63.9172792Qualifies
ST52.0174712Qualifies

The top 2.5 lakh candidates who clear these cutoffs can register for JEE Advanced, the exam for IIT admission. See JEE Main cutoff and JEE Advanced eligibility.

Colleges you can get with 160 marks (rank about 24,645)

At about rank 24,645, 512 programmes closed at or beyond that rank in JoSAA 2026 for General, gender-neutral Other State and All India seats (189 at NITs, 105 at IIITs, 218 at GFTIs), including Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at IIIT Sri City, Chemical Engineering at MNNIT Allahabad, Computer Science and Engineering (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning) at BIT Mesra. Home State quota seats close at higher ranks.

See every option for your category, state and gender · Colleges for rank 25,000 · State counselling through JEE Main

Marks needed for higher percentiles

Target percentileMarks (moderate shift)Rank ≈
99.5190–2067,750
99165–18015,500
98141–15531,000
97127–14046,500
95110–12577,500
9396–1101,08,500

From 160 marks, the next milestone is 99 percentile at about 165–180 marks: 5 more marks, roughly 2 more correct answers at +4 each. If you are preparing for another attempt, start with the best books for JEE Main.

FAQs

What percentile is 160 marks in JEE Main 2026?

160 marks out of 300 is about 97.72–99.1 percentile in JEE Main 2026. The exact value depends on your shift: 99.1 percentile in 22 Jan S2, but 97.72 percentile in 5 Apr S1.

What rank will I get with 160 marks in JEE Main?

About 13,950–35,306 (CRL), using rank ≈ (100 − percentile) × 15,50,000 ÷ 100. For your own shift, use the rank predictor.

Is 160 a good score in JEE Main?

Very good. 160 marks is about the top 1.6%. Good branches at many NITs and IIITs are within reach on Other State seats, with more on the Home State quota, and you qualify for JEE Advanced.

Can I qualify for JEE Advanced with 160 marks?

Yes. 97.72–99.1 percentile is above the General qualifying cutoff of 93.4123549 percentile (2026), so you qualify in every category.

Which NIT can I get with 160 marks in JEE Main?

At about rank 24,645, 512 programmes closed at or beyond that rank in JoSAA 2026 for General, gender-neutral Other State and All India seats (189 at NITs, 105 at IIITs, 218 at GFTIs), including Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at IIIT Sri City, Chemical Engineering at MNNIT Allahabad, Computer Science and Engineering (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning) at BIT Mesra. Home State quota seats close at higher ranks.

Why do the same 160 marks give different percentiles?

NTA normalises each shift separately: your percentile is the share of candidates in your own shift who scored the same or less. In a tough shift fewer students score high, so the same marks earn a higher percentile.

Percentile for other JEE Main scores

← 170 marks · 150 marks →

Colleges by JEE Main rank

Related guides