JEE Advanced cutoff 2017 was lower than expected. The impact of this drop in cutoff was that many students scoring lower marks in JEE Main 2017 got a chance to appear in JEE Advanced. JEE Main cutoff marks have been nearly on the dropping edge for past 5 years.

If the same trend is followed in JEE Main 2018, more students with slightly lower scores will be able to appear in JEE Advanced. This article discusses the statistics of dropped cutoff in JEE Main 2017 for appearing in JEE Advanced and the expected cutoff for JEE Main 2018.

JEE Main 2017 Cutoff Statistics

The cutoff for unreserved/ general category dropped from 100 in 2016 to 81 in 2017. This was quite unexpected as the cutoff for general category was expected to be from 95 to 105.

The same trend was observed for other categories as well. For instance, the cutoffs of SC, ST and OBC categories was 52, 48 and 70 respectively in 2016. However, those dropped to 32, 27 and 49 respectively in 2017.

The following graph shows category-wise JEE Main 2017 cutoff marks for appearing in JEE Advanced.

This appeared as a blessing in disguise for many aspirants who got a chance to appear in JEE Advanced 2017. 2.2 lakhs candidates were eligible to appear in JEE Advanced 2017. However, of these, only 1,72,024 candidates registered for JEE Advanced while only 1,59,540 appeared for the exam.

The following graph shows the category-wise number of candidates who were declared eligible for JEE Advanced 2017.

JEE Main Cutoff for last Five Years (2013-2017)

The following graph that shows how the JEE Main cutoffs have been dropping since four consecutive years.

Reason for drop-in JEE Main Cut off 2017

JEE 2017 was analyzed and it was stated that the reason behind lower cutoffs was the Mathematics paper, which was much more difficult than predicted. Even the feedback of students who appeared in JEE Main 2017 pointed at it.

However, the Physics and Chemistry sections were moderately difficult. Later, IIT Madras conducted JEE Advanced on May 21, 2017. You should note that JEE Main score is not dependent on the marks obtained by the students in class 12^th. Additionally, you will be eligible for JEE Advanced only based on your JEE Main score and rank.

Cutoff Expectations for JEE Main

JEE Main cut off is the eligibility criterion for appearing in JEE Advanced. Nobody can estimate the cutoff for JEE Main till it is officially declared in April 2018 as it will vary according to the difficulty level of the various sections.

It is advised for the candidates to prepare for the exam with a greater target. Even if JEE Main cutoff is lower in 2018 according to the trends of past few years, preparing with a greater goal in mind will increase your chances to appear in JEE Advanced.

This is the time candidates should only be focusing on JEE Main preparation and try to score the maximum marks. All the best!