JEE Main ranks are calculated using normalized percentile scores because the exam is held in multiple shifts with varying difficulty. Even if you score 99 percentile , it means you performed better than 99% of all candidates—but since lakhs of students appear, many still fall in the same high percentile range. That’s why even at 99 percentile, your rank can be around 15,000 . The final rank also considers tie-breakers like marks in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, and age if needed.