How Many Marks Are Required to Get Into IIT?

How Many Marks to Get Into IIT? Understanding the JEE Advanced Scoring & Cutoffs

One of the most common questions asked by JEE aspirants is: “How many marks do I need to get into an IIT?” While the exact number may vary each year, depending on the exam’s difficulty and the candidate pool, we can estimate the safe mark range based on previous trends, category-wise data, and seat availability.

This article helps break down the score requirements and rank-to-marks conversion to help you target your goal.

JEE Advanced Total Marks: Understanding the Scale

JEE Advanced does not have a fixed total mark every year. However, in recent years, the total marks have ranged between 340–396 across both Paper 1 and Paper 2.

For instance:

• 2023 total marks: 360
• 2022 total marks: 360
• 2021 total marks: 396

Each paper includes questions from Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, with variable marks and negative marking. The final score is the sum of Paper 1 and Paper 2.

How Many Marks Are Enough?

Let’s look at the category-wise estimates based on JEE Advanced 2023 results and seat allotment:

For General (CRL) Category:

For Reserved Categories:

Note: Marks needed for top branches are significantly higher across all categories.

Marks vs Rank: Key Insights

• Your rank depends on the total marks and how well others perform. So even a score of 220 might get Rank 900 one year, and 1300 the next.
• That's why the focus should be on maximizing accuracy, not just crossing a fixed number.
• Branch demand (like CSE, EE) increases the rank pressure even more.

Minimum Qualifying Marks (Cutoffs)

Each year, IITs release minimum qualifying marks to be included in the rank list:

These cutoffs are just to be eligible—you’ll need much more to actually get a seat.

Preparation Tips to Hit Target Marks

• Understand Paper Patterns: Review past 5 years’ JEE Advanced papers.
• Time-Bound Practice: Simulate full 6-hour tests regularly.
• Marking Schemes: Know where partial marking or negative marking applies.
• High-Yield Topics: Focus more on Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Organic Chemistry, Calculus.