JEE Eligibility: Who Can Take JEE Main and Advanced in 2025?

When you hear JEE eligibility, the set of rules that determine who can sit for the Joint Entrance Examination for engineering colleges in India. Also known as IIT entrance criteria, it’s not about being the smartest—it’s about meeting the basic requirements so your hard work even gets counted. If you’re planning to apply for IITs, NITs, or other top engineering schools, you need to know the exact rules. No one gets in by accident.

JEE Main, the first gate to engineering colleges in India, including NITs and IIITs is open to students who’ve passed Class 12 or its equivalent with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. You can take it up to three times in consecutive years. There’s no age limit anymore, and even students appearing for their 12th exams this year can apply. JEE Advanced, the tougher second stage that only the top JEE Main scorers can enter, is stricter: you must be in the top 2.5 lakh rankers in JEE Main, and you can only attempt it twice—consecutively, and only after passing Class 12. If you failed your 12th exam last year and are retaking it, you’re still eligible for JEE Main, but not JEE Advanced until you clear it.

What about board exams? CBSE, ICSE, state boards—all are accepted, as long as your syllabus covers the core subjects. No need to switch boards. What matters is your score: for general category students, you need at least 75% in Class 12 (or be in the top 20 percentile of your board). For SC/ST/PwD, it’s 65%. These aren’t just numbers—they’re your ticket to even being considered. And if you’re repeating Class 12? You’re still eligible, as long as you pass.

What you won’t find in official notices? The real story behind why some students miss out. It’s not always about marks. It’s about timing. If you took your 12th exam in 2023 and didn’t qualify for JEE Advanced, you can’t try again in 2025 if you didn’t attempt it in 2024. The window is narrow. And if you’re thinking of dropping a year after 12th, know this: you can still take JEE Main and Advanced—but only if you haven’t already used both your JEE Advanced attempts.

You’ll find real stories below—from students who cracked JEE with a 5000 rank to those who got in without coaching. You’ll see which books actually matter, how to start from scratch, and what separates those who make it from those who don’t. This isn’t theory. These are the rules, the mistakes, and the paths taken by real people. If you’re serious about JEE, you’ll find what you need here—no fluff, no hype, just what works.