The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, which conducted the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2025 on May 18, released the provisional answer key on Monday, May 26, allowing candidates to check their performance.
According to a Shiksha report, by analysing the answer key, aspirants can estimate their potential rank and identify possible colleges and branches they might secure admission to, although official results are still pending.
Steps to estimate the rank using the answer key
Candidates can follow these steps to calculate their raw score and estimate their rank:
Calculating raw score
1) Download the official JEE Advanced 2025 answer key.
2) Compare the candidate’s response sheet with the correct answers.
3) Apply the marking scheme:
- Correct answer: +3 or +4 marks (varies by section)
- Incorrect answer: −1 mark (if negative marking applies)
- Unattempted: 0 marks
4) Sum the scores from both Paper 1 and Paper 2 to determine the total marks.
Rank estimation
Using JEE Advanced 2024 data as a reference, candidates can estimate their rank based on their score:
- 301+ marks: Ranks 1 to 100
- 300 to 258 marks: Ranks 101 to 501
- 251 to 233 marks: Ranks 601 to 1001
- 230 to 219 marks: Ranks 1101 to 1501
- 216 to 207 marks: Ranks 1601 to 2001
- 205 to 199 marks: Ranks 2101 to 2501
- 197 to 186 marks: Ranks 2601 to 3501
- 185 to 173 marks: Ranks 3601 to 4901
- 172 to 166 marks: Ranks 5001 to 5901
- 165 to 160 marks: Ranks 6001 to 6901
- 159 to 150 marks: Ranks 7001 to 8901
- 149 to 139 marks: Ranks 9001 to 11901
- 138 to 133 marks: Ranks 12001 to 13901
- 132 to 123 marks: Ranks 14001 to 17901
- 123 to 113 marks: Ranks 18001 to 22901
- 113 to 119 marks: Ranks 23001 to 25946
Raising objections
The current answer key is provisional, and candidates can raise objections until today, Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
Any valid objections may lead to revisions of the final answer key, potentially affecting scores either positively or negatively.
Normalisation and tie-breaking
Final ranks will also consider:
- Aggregate marks from Paper 1 and Paper 2
- Subject-wise marks for tie-breakers (prioritising higher scores in Mathematics, then Physics, then Chemistry)
- Total number of candidates and the paper’s difficulty level
Preparing for JoSAA Counselling 2025
Candidates are encouraged to use their estimated rank to research IITs and branches that align with their range.
The JoSAA 2025 counselling process is expected to commence shortly after the official JEE Advanced 2025 results are announced.
While the answer key provides a helpful estimate, only the official results will confirm a candidate’s rank, helping them to make a more informed decision.
