List of Top 10 Toughest Exams in India To Crack in 2023

Recent Update: IIT-JEE, UPSC CSE, and GATE are among the world's most difficult exams. In the ranking, the IIT JEE test is ranked first in India and second in the globe. 

Toughest Exams in India Overview

It is said that without hard work, nothing grows but weeds. In order to bring forth a student's greatest qualities, competition in our educational system is essential. It aids in the growth of students' skill sets and creativity. Additionally, it raises their self-esteem, inspires them to improve, and fortifies their minds.  Competitive assessments are constructed and planned to assess several qualities, including aptitude, mental stability, technical proficiency, and physical fitness. These assessments are administered either verbally, online, on paper, or in a situation where the test-taker requires a specific set of abilities. Every year, thousands of exams are held in India; the majority are simple to pass, but only a select handful are regarded as being very challenging. 

List of Top 10 Toughest Exams in India

The following the list of top 10 toughest exams in India to crack in 2022-

1. IIT - JEE
2. UPSC- Civil Services Exam
3. National Defense Academy (NDA)
4. UGC-NET
5. Indian Engineering Services (IES)
6. Common-Law Admission Test (CLAT)
7. Chartered Accountant (CA)
8. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS PG)
9. Common Admission Test (CAT)
10. National Eligibility Entrance Test(NEET)

JEE (Joint Entrance Examination)

The Joint Seat Allocation Authority(JoSAA) first held this nationwide engineering entrance examination in 2016. It is divided into two distinct tests, i.e JEE Main and JEE Advanced.The NITs, IIITs, CFTIs, and the IIEST, Shibpur, for its dual degree programme, are included in the JEE Mains, the first level of the test. The JEE Advanced exam is the second tier of the test. Only JEE Mains aspirants who have been shortlisted may take this test. To enrol at either IIT and the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, you must pass the Advanced. Only the top 1.5 lakh of the 12.7 lakh candidates who took the test in 2016 were qualified to take the Advanced exam.

Know More About: JEE MAIN Exam

UPSC- Civil Services

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) holds the UPSC Civil Services exam to select candidates for a range of Central Government positions, including the IAS (Indian Administrative Service), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Revenue Service (IRS), and the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). It is regarded as the most profitable profession in this nation and one of the most challenging government exams in India.  The probability of passing the civil service examination is less than 1%. Even after so many obstacles, people of different ages take this exam because of the lucrative employment prospects it offers.

In fact, over 1,00,000 graduates aspire to appear in this exam and the accomplishment rate is as low as 0.1%-0.3%.This test is also one of the most desired by applicants who are determined and have a strong work ethic. The exam is administered in two stages: the General Studies and Aptitude Test Preliminary Examination, which consists of two papers, and the Main Examination, which consists of nine subjective papers and is followed by the personality test (interview). The entire procedure takes about a year, from the preliminary test to the presentation of the final results.

NDA (National Defence Academy)

Due to the overwhelming amount of candidates and the current quota structure, it is challenging to confirm this. Cadets from the Army, Navy, and Air Force prepare jointly at the National Defense Academy (NDA), the Joint Services college of the Indian Armed Forces. All 10+2 graduates who want to enlist in the military must pass this exam. The NDA test is given twice a year, in April and September respectively. The UPSC administers the test.

UGC-NET

UGC-NET is an exam only for post-graduates which really narrows down its candidature, making it a very tough exam to clear. The exam is conducted to shortlist school and college level Assistant lecturers and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) candidates. University Grants Commission (UGC) declared in 2013 that the applicants who clear the National Eligibility Test (NET) effectively would be qualified for lucrative employment of people in general part endeavors (PSUs). PSUs can use UGC-NET scores for the enrollment procedure of the posts of administrators in their associations in verticals like science (R&D), administration, corporate interchanges, HR, accounts department, and so on.

IES (Indian Engineering Services)

Indian Engineering Services exam is a Three-stage, combined competitive exam held in India, conducted by the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission). IES are the civil services for mechanical and managerial occupations of the Government of India. The three stages of IES selection process comprise of a General Aptitude Test, an Objective Technical paper, a Technical paper, and an Interview. This is one of the most sought after exams to be cleared, as the jobs offered are extremely lucrative. This makes it one of the toughest exams of India in 2016.

CLAT

Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is a gateway for admission to 16 National Law Universities in India. The test is taken after the twelfth grade for admission to incorporated undergraduate programs in Law and after Graduation in Law for Master of Law (LL.M) projects directed by these law colleges. The number of CLAT aspirants rose to 45,000 in 2016. Exponential growth is expected in the years to come. This 2 hours test comprises of MCQs on Elementary Mathematics, English, GK, Legal Aptitude and Logical reasoning. The CLAT scores are also accepted by many private Law Schools of India.

CA- Chartered Accountancy Exam

The CA exam is a three-level exam conducted by the ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India). The first level is the Common Proficiency Test (CPT) followed by the Integrated Professional Competence Course (IPCC), which has a total of seven subjects that it encompasses, split into groups of four and three. The final exam called the CA Final Examination, is where all the blood, sweat and tears merge to give forth one of the toughest exams in the world and not just India. The success rate of this exam varies from 8-16%, which is declared depending upon the demand of CAs in India.

Also read more about Chartered Accountancy and CA Salary.

AIIMS (PG) Entrance Exam

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences Entrance Exam is a gateway exam conducted twice a year for the MD/MS post-graduate courses. There are 2 sessions for selection of candidates. In each session there are 124 seats approximately. Out of the 124 seats of every session, approx. 25% seats are reserved for AIIMS (UG) students and 50% for reserved categories. This reservation makes it one of the toughest exams to clear in India! Only the most deserving can get through.

Read more about the - AIIMS Paramedical and List of AIIMS in India.

CAT

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) began this exam and utilize the test for selecting understudies for their business organization programs. The test is directed each year by one of the IIMs. Around 2.32 lakh candidates applied for CAT 2016. The Common Admission Test (CAT) scores a candidate on the bases of his aptitude and language skills. Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IIS) also utilize the CAT scores, rather than the Joint Management Entrance Test (JMET) which was conducted earlier, to choose understudies for their administration programs.

GATE

The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science and seven Indian Institutes of Technology (Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee) on behalf of:

1. National Coordination Board – GATE
2. Department of Higher Education
3. Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD)
4. Government of India

It is conducted to test the comprehensive understanding of various undergraduate subjects in engineering and science. The score achieved in the exam is used for admissions to various post-graduate education programs (Master of Engineering, Master of Technology, and Doctor of Philosophy) in Indian higher education institutes. GATE scores are also being used by several Indian public sector undertakings (i.e., government-owned companies) for recruiting graduate engineers in entry-level positions. It is one of the most competitive examinations in India. More than 9.7 lakh applicants registered for the GATE exam in 2016.

Know More About: GATE EXAM

NEET

The entrance exam for the MBBS and BDS programmes at Indian medical and dental institutes is the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), formerly known as the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT). The National Testing Agency conducts it (NTA). Every year in the month of May, the test, which offers 90,000 places in MBBS and BDS Colleges in India, is held. Candidates who want to pursue medical programmes must have completed and passed the required coursework in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Biotechnology in Classs 10 and 12. At the time of the counselling session, the candidate must present their passing certificate.

Know more about Toughest Exam in World.