A: The cutoff for JEE Main serves two primary purposes: first, to determine the candidates eligible to appear for the JEE Advanced examination (for admission to IITs), and second, as a baseline for participation in counselling for NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs (though individual institute and branch cutoffs will be much higher). The National Testing Agency (NTA) declares the qualifying JEE Main cutoff along with the results of the final session (usually Session 2).

Factors Determining the JEE Main Cutoff:

The JEE Main cutoff (percentile) for qualifying for JEE Advanced is not fixed and varies each year. Several factors influence this cutoff:

1. Total Number of Candidates Appeared: A larger number of aspirants can lead to higher competition and potentially a higher cutoff.
2. Difficulty Level of the Examination: If the overall difficulty level across all sessions is higher, the cutoff might be lower, and vice-versa. The NTA employs a normalization process to account for variations in difficulty across different shifts.
3. Number of Seats Available in JEE Advanced: The top 2,50,000 candidates (approximately, across all categories) from JEE Main are eligible to appear for JEE Advanced. This number directly influences the cutoff.
4. Performance of Candidates: The overall performance distribution of the candidates in a particular year plays a significant role. If a large number of students score high, the cutoff tends to increase.
5. Reservation Policy: Category-wise cutoffs are released for General, EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, and PwD candidates, adhering to government reservation norms.

Typical Percentile Needed to Qualify for JEE Advanced (Based on Trends):

While the exact JEE Main 2025 cutoff will be announced by NTA with the results, we can look at previous years' trends to get an estimate. For example, the JEE Main 2024 cutoff percentile to qualify for JEE Advanced was:

• General (UR): 93.2362181
• EWS: 81.3266412
• OBC-NCL: 79.6757881
• SC: 60.0923182
• ST: 46.6975840
• PwD (UR): 0.0018700

So, a 95 percentile, as asked in your query list, would generally be sufficient for a General category candidate to qualify for JEE Advanced, based on recent trends. However, it's crucial to wait for the official JEE Main 2025 cutoff announced by NTA.

Understanding the Cutoff:

• Qualifying Cutoff vs. Admission Cutoff: It's important to distinguish between the JEE Main qualifying cutoff for JEE Advanced and the admission cutoffs for NITs/IIITs/GFTIs. The qualifying cutoff for JEE Advanced is the minimum percentile required to be eligible for the next stage (IIT entrance). Admission cutoffs for specific colleges and branches are usually much higher and are released by JoSAA (Joint Seat Allocation Authority) during counselling in the form of opening and closing ranks.
• No "Passing Marks" for IIT directly from JEE Main: JEE Main is a qualifying exam for JEE Advanced. There are no "passing marks for IIT" in JEE Main itself. You need to meet the JEE Main cutoff to sit for JEE Advanced, and then clear JEE Advanced cutoffs (both aggregate and subject-wise) to be eligible for IIT admissions.

After the JEE Main 2025 results and cutoffs are declared, if you meet the qualifying criteria for JEE Advanced, you will need to register separately for that exam. For those targeting NITs and other institutions through JEE Main scores, your All India Rank will be the key factor. Platforms like Infinity Learn often provide detailed analyses of results and cutoff trends, which can be very helpful for students and parents in strategizing their next steps.