Introduction
Many aspirants compete for several national and state-level exams to get prestigious jobs. These exams are highly competitive due to the increasing number of candidates every passing year. However, a few exams are more challenging than others and require extra dedication. This post describes the 10 toughest exams in India with additional details related to them.
Let’s begin!
As an aspirant, you must have heard about some of the most popular exams like UPSC, SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, Banking exams, NDA, JEE, etc. These competitive exams come under the list of the most challenging tests in India. Moreover, they are a medium for candidates to join different state and central government departments.
Let us know more about the top 10 toughest exams in India!
Top 10 Toughest Exams in India
Tough exams test a student’s ability in various areas such as aptitude, technical skills, reasoning ability, English, communication, physical fitness, etc.
Here is a list of the 10 toughest exams in India.
- UPSC
- JEE Main & JEE Advanced
- GATE
- CAT
- NEET
- NDA
- Chartered Accountant Exam
- UGC-NET
- CLAT
- IES
1. UPSC – Civil Services Examination
The UPSC commission organizes the UPSC CSE Exam annually. This exam aims to appoint interested candidates for positions in the central government, such as in the IAS, IRS, IFS, and the IPS. These departments provide highly reputed and good-paying jobs with several other impressive benefits (allowances).
The UPSC examination is considered one of the toughest exams in India. Furthermore, the total percentage of candidates passing this exam is less than 1%. This shows how challenging it is to crack this exam! Every year lakhs of students apply for this prestigious exam in a desire to clear it for the topmost positions in central government.
In addition, there are three stages of this examination:
- Preliminary exam
- Mains exam
- Personality test
The syllabus for this examination is vast and requires a smart strategy and excellent study material for robust preparation.
See Also: How to Prepare For IAS after 12th?
Here is a quick overview of the UPSC CSE exam.
| Title | Details |
| Exam Name | Union Public Service Commission Civil Service Examination |
| Conducting authority | UPSC |
| Mode of examination | Offline |
| Exam medium | Hindi and English |
| Application mode | Online |
| Exam duration | Prelims: 2 hours (2 papers – MCQs)
Mains: 3 hours (9 Descriptive papers are held in 5-7 days for 3 hours each) |
| Official Website | www.upsc.gov.in |
2. JEE Main & JEE Advanced
It’s a national-level engineering entrance exam annually given by lakhs of students. The first level is JEE Main, and candidates who clear this exam successfully must appear in JEE Advanced to apply for various institutes later.
The famous institutes are IITs, NITs, IIITs, etc.
According to statistics, only the top 1.5 lakh students out of approximately 12 Lakh successfully clear the Mains examination. After clearing this exam, students can take admissions into various undergraduate courses such as Bachelor of Engineering/ Bachelor of Technology, Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Planning, etc.
Here is a quick overview of the JEE exam.
| Title | Details |
| Exam Name | JEE Main |
| Conducting authority | JoSAA (Joint Seat Allocation Authority) |
| Mode of examination | Offline |
| Exam medium | Hindi and English |
| Application mode | Online |
| Exam duration | JEE Main: 3 Hours
JEE Advanced: 2 Papers (both 3 hours each) |
| Official Website | jeemain.nta.nic.in |
3. GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering)
GATE or the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering, is conducted by 7 IITs and IISc.
This exam is one of the toughest exams in India for engineering students. It checks the capabilities of a student to solve and analyze questions based on undergraduate subjects in engineering. Afterward, a candidate’s final score helps them get admission into various engineering institutes for post-graduate courses.
The most popular programs are Master of Engineering, Master of Technology, Doctor of Philosophy, etc.
Moreover, this score is also considered by government-owned companies for providing entry-level jobs to candidates.
Furthermore, lakhs of students appear for this highly competitive exam every year. However, only a few clear this exam. In addition, the GATE score is valid for three years.
See Also:Top Highest Paying Jobs in India
Here is a quick overview of the GATE exam
| Title | Details |
| Exam Name | GATE |
| Conducting authority | IISc + IITs |
| Mode of examination | Online |
| Exam medium | Hindi and English |
| Application mode | Online |
| Exam duration | 3 Hours |
| Official Website | gate.iitkgp.ac.in |
4. CAT (Common Admission Test)
The Common Admission Test, or CAT, is a prestigious exam for students willing to pursue various administration programs. The most popular of them is the MBA exam.
One of the IIMs organizes this exam every year on a rotational basis. A candidate is tested based on their aptitude, communication, and analytical skills in this exam.
Moreover, the competition is rising yearly due to the increasing number of candidates applying for this exam.
Approximately 1500 candidates make it to the IIMs out of lakhs. Therefore, the success percentage is only around 2%.
Here is a quick overview of the CAT exam
| Title | Details |
| Exam Name | CAT |
| Conducting authority | Indian Institute of Management |
| Mode of examination | Online |
| Exam medium | English |
| Application mode | Online |
| Exam duration | 3 Hours |
| Official Website | iimcat.ac.in |
5. NEET (National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test)
NEET, or National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test is a medical entrance examination for candidates willing to take admissions into medical courses. The top medical courses are MBBS and BDS for students after clearing the NEET exam.
This exam is held online every year.
The National Testing Agency is the conducting authority of this medical entrance exam. It is the only entrance exam for students seeking admission into MBBS and BDS courses in India. The duration is 3 hours and 20 minutes. In addition, it is conducted in 13 different languages.
The total marks are 720, and the total number of questions is 200. The questions are from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
Every wrong response gets a -1 mark, and every correct answer gets 4 marks.
Here is a quick overview of the NEET exam
| Title | Details |
| Exam Name | NEET |
| Conducting authority | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| Mode of examination | Online |
| Exam medium | A total of 13 languages. |
| Application mode | Online |
| Exam duration | 3 Hours |
| Official Website | neet.nta.nic.in |
6. NDA (National Defence Academy examination)
NDA or the National Defence Academy examination is organized by the UPSC annually twice: NDA I and NDA II. It provides a chance for the candidates to join the country’s defense forces.
The National Defence Academy and Naval Academy exam is a 2-step examination. The first step is to take the written exam, and the second is the personality test conducted by the SSB (Service Selection Board). There are 2 levels in this exam.
Written Examination
This exam is of 900 marks and is divided into two categories: Maths and General Ability test. Students must clear this round to get to the next one.
SSB Interview
The Service Selection Board interview is a challenging and long process. There are again two rounds: the Intelligence test and the Psychological Aptitude Test.
Candidates willing to take the exam can click here for further exam schedule details.
Here is a quick overview of the NDA exam
| Title | Details |
| Exam Name | NDA |
| Conducting authority | UPSC |
| Mode of examination | Offline |
| Exam medium | English and Hindi |
| Application mode | Online |
| Exam duration | 2.5 Hours (Written exam) |
| Official Website | www.nda.nic.in |
See Also: Highest Paying Government Jobs in India
7. Chartered Accountant Examination
The chartered accountant examination is one of the toughest exams in India. It is the dream of millions of candidates to crack this exam and become a CA. This job is considered one of the country’s most reputed jobs with lucrative packages.
The conducting authority of the CA exam is The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).
A candidate must clear various levels such as:
- CA Foundation
- CA IPCC
- CA Final Exam
Moreover; the syllabus is comprehensive. Therefore, a student must study religiously to clear this exam. This exam tests a student’s calculative, analytical, and economic knowledge.
Here is a quick overview of the CA exam
| Title | Details |
| Exam Name | CA |
| Conducting authority | ICAI (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) |
| Mode of examination | Offline |
| Exam medium | English and Hindi |
| Application mode | Online |
| Official Website | www.icai.org |
8. UGC-NET
The University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test is a national-level examination to select candidates for junior research fellowships or assistant professors in universities and colleges.
All the candidates who successfully clear this exam have the opportunity to teach at different educational institutions. Due to the challenging nature of this exam, only about 6% of the candidates clear it annually.
Here is a quick overview of the UGC NET exam
| Title | Details |
| Exam Name | UGC NET |
| Conducting authority | NTA (National Testing Agency) |
| Mode of examination | Online |
| Exam medium | English and Hindi |
| Application mode | Online |
| Exam duration | 3 Hours each for Paper 1 and Paper 2 |
| Official Website | ugcnet.nta.nic.in |
9. CLAT (Common Law Admission Test)
This is a national-level examination conducted by the consortium of NLUs. After clearing the exam, students are admitted into a five-year integrated course.
The candidate must have passed the 12th standard to take admission into the undergraduate program. There is no upper age limit.
The conducting body is the consortium of National Law Universities.
In addition, the exam mode is offline, i.e., pen and paper, and the duration is two hours. This exam has five sections: current affairs, logical reasoning, English language, legal reasoning, and quantitative techniques. The total number of questions is 150.
The current affairs section and legal reasoning carry the most weightage in the exam, with approximately 70-75 questions.
Here is a quick overview of the CLAT exam
| Title | Details |
| Exam Name | CLAT |
| Conducting authority | Consortium of NLUs |
| Mode of examination | Offline |
| Exam medium | English |
| Application mode | Online |
| Exam duration | 2 Hours |
| Official Website | consortiumofnlus.ac.in |
See Also: Toughest Courses in the world
10. IES (Indian Engineering Services)
IES or the Indian Engineering Services, is a national-level examination conducted by the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission). The selected engineers work directly under the Government of India. IES is one of the hardest exams in India.
There are three levels to this exam: the preliminary exam, the Main exam, and the interview. The exam consists of multiple-choice questions. There are two papers in the exam, paper 1 and paper 2. Paper 1 consists of general studies and engineering aptitude paper. Whereas subjects in paper 2 are civil, mechanical, electrical, electronics and telecommunications.
Here is a quick overview of the IES exam
| Title | Details |
| Exam Name | IES |
| Conducting authority | UPSC |
| Mode of examination | Offline |
| Exam medium | English |
| Application mode | Online |
| Exam duration | Prelims exam: Paper 1 (2 hours) and Paper 2 (3 hours)
Mains exam: Paper 1 and Paper 2 (3 hours each) |
| Official Website | www.upsc.gov.in |
Conclusion
Many competitive exams in India help candidates get their desired jobs in various sectors. However, the path is quite difficult to achieve the same. A candidate must be dedicated and work hard to crack such challenging exams.
You can take online and offline help as per your requirements for the preparation.
This post familiarizes you with the 10 toughest exams in India. We hope this article’s information helps you in the best possible way.
Good luck!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Which are the 3 toughest exams in India?
Answer: UPSC CSE, JEE Main, and GATE are the three toughest exams in India.
Question: Which exam is the toughest in the world?
Answer: Gaokao is considered the toughest exam in the world. It is a chinese exam. The total duration is 10 hours and it is for 2 days. You can consider it as China’s JEE exam.
Question: Is IIT tougher than UPSC?
Answer: Both exams have different syllabi and subjects. They can’t be compared directly. On the one hand, JEE is for the students to get admissions into the engineering colleges, whereas on the other hand, UPSC helps candidates get jobs in central government.
Question: Which country has the toughest education?
Answer: Some countries with the toughest education system are:
- South Korea
- Hong Kong
- Singapore
- Japan
- Finland