JEE Main eligibility: age, attempts, Class 12 and the 75% rule
Who can sit JEE Main, how many times, and what you need on top of a good score to take an NIT or IIIT seat.
This page follows the JEE (Main) 2026 Information Bulletin. NTA had not published the 2027 bulletin as of 9 October 2026, and eligibility rules can change between years. Check the 2027 bulletin on jeemain.nta.nic.in before you apply.
Is there an age limit for JEE Main?
No. The 2026 bulletin sets no age limit for appearing. Institutes you apply to may have their own age rules for admission.
Which Class 12 years are eligible?
For 2026, you had to have:
- passed Class 12 or an equivalent exam in 2024 or 2025, or
- be appearing for it in 2026.
Candidates who passed in 2023 or earlier were not eligible. Your passing year is the first year your result was “pass”. Taking an improvement exam later does not reset it.
How many attempts do you get?
The passing-year rule is what limits attempts. Under the 2026 rules you could sit JEE Main across three consecutive years, with up to two sessions in each year (January and April). NTA states no other attempt cap.
Which qualifying exams are accepted?
NTA accepts a wide range of Class 12 equivalents, including:
- 10+2 from a recognised Central or State board
- Intermediate or Pre-University examinations
- the final exam of the NDA Joint Services Wing
- NIOS Senior Secondary, with at least five subjects
- boards recognised as equivalent by the Association of Indian Universities
- HSC Vocational examinations
- a three-year diploma recognised by AICTE or a State board of technical education
- GCE A-level, the IB Diploma, and BOSSE Sikkim
The bulletin has the complete list. If your board is unusual, check it there before applying.
Do you need 75% in Class 12?
Not to sit JEE Main. The 75% rule only applies to admission.
To take a seat at an NIT, IIIT, IIEST or other government-funded technical institute through JoSAA or CSAB, you need one of these:
| Category | Class 12 requirement |
|---|---|
| General, Gen-EWS, OBC-NCL | At least 75% aggregate, or a place in your board’s category-wise top 20 percentile |
| SC, ST, PwD | At least 65% aggregate, or a place in your board’s category-wise top 20 percentile |
The IITs apply the same 75% / 65% / top-20-percentile rule for admission through JEE Advanced. See JEE Advanced eligibility.
Which subjects do you need for B.E./B.Tech?
For Paper 1-based programmes at NITs and similar institutes, your Class 12 must include Physics and Mathematics, plus one of Chemistry, Biotechnology, Biology or a technical vocational subject, plus a language and one other subject.
How does reservation work?
For central institutions, NTA’s bulletin sets these reservations:
| Category | Reservation |
|---|---|
| Gen-EWS | 10% |
| OBC-NCL | 27% |
| SC | 15% |
| ST | 7.5% |
| PwBD | 5% horizontal, within each category |
What about JEE Advanced?
Sitting JEE Main is the first step to the IITs, but JEE Advanced has its own, stricter rules: a JEE Main rank in the top 2,50,000, a date-of-birth cutoff, and at most two attempts. The JEE Main cutoff page shows the 2026 qualifying percentiles.
What to do next
Once you know you are eligible, the next thing that matters is how you perform on the day. Read the exam pattern and then try a full paper under exam conditions.