gave National Testing Agency (NTA) has presented a data-backed analysis for the percentile scores and raw marks in the Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE) Main Session 2 exam on its official handle on X for NTA JEE Main Session 2 Exam. According to data presented by the NTA, the marks required to reach the 99th percentile ranged from 165 in the hardest shift to 196 in the easiest, marking a difference of 31 marks out of 300.At the 98th percentile, the variation was 27 points, while at the 97th percentile, it was 26 points. The agency added that a perfect score of 300 was recorded in just two shifts. 285 marks was enough to get 100 percentile in another shift, as it was the highest score achieved in that session.
Multi-shift exams Cannot ensure same difficulty
The NTA said such variations are not uncommon in large-scale examinations held over multiple days and shifts. Despite several layers of moderation and calibration, it is noted that question papers may not be exactly the same in difficulty.
Percentages reflect relative performance.
Explaining the evaluation process, the NTA said the percentile score reflects a candidate’s performance compared to others in the same shift. A percentile indicates the percentage of candidates that a student has outperformed in that particular session, ensuring that each shift is evaluated independently.
Normalization is used to prepare the final merit list.
The agency clarified that raw marks alone cannot be used to prepare the general merit list, as this would disadvantage candidates in difficult shifts and benefit those in easy ones.To address this, NTA follows a normalization process in which percentile scores are calculated for each shift and then combined to form a final ranking. Candidates with same percentile in different shifts are treated equally, irrespective of difference in raw scores.
