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Toughest Exam in India

UPSC, IIT JEE, NEET UG, AIIMS UG, IES, CA, NDA, UGC NET, CLAT & many other Exams are the top and toughest exams in India. Preparation for these top 10 toughest Exam in India not only gives students a career boost but these are important in establishing core skills such as discipline, time management, dedication, and persistence, in addition to testing the student’s ability. Many of the hardest exams in India are regarded as among the most difficult examinations in the world such as UPSC, NEET UG, etc. In this post, we will discuss the top 10 most difficult exams in India and their details, the toughest exam in India after 12th covering a wide range of subjects and disciplines.

Toughest Exam in India

The UPSC Civil Service Examination (Commonly known as IAS Exam) is regarded as the toughest exam in India. Every year, over 10 lakh candidates take the UPSC Civil Services Exam (Prelims). It also covers a massive syllabus. Candidates who take the UPSC CSE exam have a success rate of less than 1%. To qualify for India’s most difficult exams like UPSC or JEE or NEET, you must have a solid timetable, an easily accessible exam strategy, diligence, and the determination to pass the exam. Some exams are descriptive, while others are MCQ-based, but without an organized study plan, proper study material, and guidance qualifying for an exam can be difficult and sometimes frustrating.

Toughest Exam in India Rank Wise

Attempting any of the most difficult exams in India and around the world helps students develop their skill sets, creativity, and knowledge. Many of India’s competitive exams assess a variety of characteristics such as aptitude, mental acuity, technical competence, and physical fitness. Here is a list of the top ten Toughtest exam in India Rank Wise. In the following section of the article, we will shed light on the top 10 Toughest Exams in India, as well as provide a general overview of them.

  1. UPSC CSE
  2. IIT JEE
  3. NEET UG
  4. Chartered Accountant (CA)
  5. AIIMS UG
  6. NDA
  7. UGC-NET
  8. Indian Engineering Services (IES)
  9. CLAT (Common Law Admission Test)
  10. CAT (Common Admission Test)

Hardest Exams in India – Others

  1. GATE: Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
  2. National Institute of Design Entrance Exam

Top 10 Toughest Exams in India List

Here we gave a brief overview of almost all the toughest exams in India.

India’s Toughest Exam – UPSC CSE

  • Every year, approximately 10-12 lakh candidates apply online for India’s most difficult exam, the UPSC CSE.
  • One of the most prestigious exams UPSC CSE, is held to hire candidates for top administrative roles in the Central Government of India. The exam covers a wide range of services such as IAS, IPS and IFS, IRS, and many other Group A and B services.
  • The UPSC exam selection process is extremely difficult & lengthy.
  • The exam is divided into three parts: preliminary, main, and interview.
Civil Service Examination – Overview
Name of the Exam
Civil Services Exam (UPSC CSE)
Exam Level
All India / National Level
Conducting Body
Union Public Service Commission
Exam mode
Offline / Pen and paper mode
Number of vacancies in 2023
1105
Eligibility Age Limit for Indians is between 21 – 32 years.
Number of attempts
6 attempts are allowed for the General Category
Civil Service Exam Prelims, Mains 2023 Dates
CSE Prelims – May 28, 2023
UPSC CSE Mains – September 15, 2023 onward
  • The UPSC syllabus is extremely broad, covering a wide range of subjects, making it one of the most difficult exams in India. It covers major topics such as history, politics, geography, economics, the environment and ecology, science, and technology. Static gk is the most important part of this preparation.
  • Only about 6-8 lakh aspirants sit for the Preliminary exam, and only about 15-17 thousand are chosen for the main exam. Following that, only a small number of candidates roughly 1500-2000 students are chosen for the final or interview round.

2nd Toughest exam in India – IIT JEE

  • The Joint Entrance Exam / IIT JEE screens the students for the various engineering courses at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). For admissions to prestigious IITs, a huge number of students appear in the exams out of which only a few are selected to study in the institutions.
  • The exam is conducted in two stages which include IIT-JEE Mains and IIT-JEE Advanced.
  • What is JEE Main? JEE Main is the first stage of the IIT JEE entrance exam.
    • It is conducted by NTA (National Testing Agency) twice a year (January and April)
    • It offers admissions into various government and private colleges depending upon the rank of the candidate.
  • What is JEE Advanced? JEE Advanced is the second and final phase of JEE.
    • The exam is conducted by selected IITs on a rotational basis to offer admission to 23 IITs.
    • Candidates who qualify for the JEE Main with top ranks are mainly eligible to appear JEE Advanced.
JEE Main 2024 Highlights
Particulars Details
Examination Name
Joint Entrance Examination Main (JEE Main)
Conducting Body
National Testing Agency (NTA)
Purpose
a qualifying test for JEE Advanced
Admission into NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs
Category
Undergraduate
Level
National Level
Number of Sessions 2 (Tentative)
JEE Main 2024 exam date for session 1
January 24 to February 1, 2024
JEE Main 2024 Exam Date Session 2/April session
April 1 to 15, 2024
Exam Mode Paper-1: Computer-based test
Paper-2:
Mathematics and Aptitude – computer-based test
Drawing test (B.Arch) – pen-and-paper-based exam
Planning section (B.Plan) – computer-based test
Mode of Application Online
Official Web Portal
jeemain.nta.ac.in
nta.ac.in

3rd Toughest exam in India

  • NEET is the National Entrance Cumulative Eligibility Test, which is administered in India for admission to undergraduate medical programmes.
  • NEET was introduced in the 2013-14 academic year, replacing the All India Pre Medical Test (AIPMT).
  • Every year, it is held for admission to undergraduate programmes such as Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), AYUSH, and veterinary medicine.
  • Both the competition and the cut-off are increasing at a rapid pace in NEET UG examination.
  • The examination covers all subjects taught in Class 12 or equivalent.
  • NEET is made up of multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
  • This exam has a total score of 720.
  • The test contains 180 questions, 90 of which are from physics, chemistry, and biology. The duration of the examination is 3 hours.
NEET 2024  – Overview
Exam name NEET
full form of NEET
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test
Exam Mode
Pen and Paper-based. ( OMR sheet)
Duration and time
3 hours 20 minutes (2:00 PM to 5:20 PM)
Language/Medium
English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Oriya, Kannada, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Malayalam and Urdu
NEET 2024 announcement
2nd week of December 2023
Start of the NEET UG 2024 registration
1st week of March 2024 to 1st week of April 2024
NEET 2024 exam date 5th May 2024
Official Website
neet.nta.nic.in

4th Toughest exam in India – CA

  • The Chartered Accountant exam has been administered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). This is one of the most difficult exams, requiring more study time and effort.
  • The qualification for a CA is equivalent to a postgraduate degree at Delhi University (DU).
  • The Common Proficiency Test (CPT), the Integrated Professional Competence Course (IPCC), and the CA Final Examination are the three stages of the exam. These levels are extremely difficult to overcome and necessitate extensive planning and hard work.
  • CA exams take place twice a year.
  • The foundation course will consist of multiple-choice questions, but the subsequent stages will consist of both multiple-choice and descriptive questions.
CA Exam – Overview
Course Name
Chartered Accountancy
Degree Certification
Conducting Body
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI)
Eligibility
Foundation Route: After Class 12
Direct Entry Route: Graduation
Areas of Employment
Audit, Taxation, Banking, Finance, Management etc.
Job Profiles
Accountant, Accounting Manager, Business Analyst, Finance Manager,  Chartered Engineer
Top Recruiters
KPMG, Ernst & Young (EY), Lodha & Co., Deloitte,  PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) etc.
Official Website
icaiexam.icai.org

5th Toughest exam in India – AIIMS UG

  • AIIMS UG is an examination held by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences to select candidates for MBBS degrees offered at AIIMS’s seven campuses.
  • Each year, more than 3 lakh candidates take the AIIMS exam.
  • It is one of the most difficult exams in India; it is held for a limited number of seats (approximately 1000) and is designed on a higher difficulty level.
  • Admission to AIIMS MBBS and BDS programmes is solely through NEET.
  • Candidates who pass the exam can gain admission to AIIMS institutes in Rishikesh, Patna, Nagpur, Bhopal, Raipur, Jodhpur, and other cities.
AIIMS Exam 2024 Overview
Particulars Details
Name of the exam AIIMS
Exam Conducting Body
All India Institute of Medical Science, Delhi
Exam Frequency Annual
Exam Mode
Offline
Releasing of application
1st week of March 2024
NEET 2024 Exam 5th May 2024
Medium
13 languages namely Hindi, English, Urdu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Odia, Bengali, Assamese,
Total Questions 200
Total Sections Physics
Chemistry
Botany
Zoology
Type of Questions
MCQ
Marking Scheme
Correct: +4 marks
Incorrect: -1 marks
Total Marks 720
Exam Duration 200 minutes

6th Toughest exam in India – NDA

  • The NDA exam is administered by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). It is India’s most difficult test for the defense line.
  • The NDA exam is used to recruit candidates for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
  • The exam is conducted twice a year.
  • The chosen candidates will be able to join the NDA’s Army, Navy, and Air Force wings.
  • The exam format will consist of a written test and an interview with the Service Selection Board (SSB).
  • It contains questions from the sections on mathematics and general ability.
  • The syllabus for the general ability test includes topics from English and general awareness.
  • The mathematics paper is worth 300 points, and the general ability test consists of 600 questions.

7th Toughest exam in India – UGC NET

  • The UGC NET is a qualifying exam for individuals interested in becoming Assistant Professors or obtaining Junior Research Fellowships (JRF) in universities and colleges across the country.
  • The National Testing Agency (NTA) organizes the UGC NET exam on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
  • It is a national-level examination that assesses candidates’ eligibility and knowledge in a variety of subjects.
  • The exam is given twice a year online and consists of two papers: Paper 1 (which is the same for all candidates) and Paper 2 (which is subject-specific).

8th Toughest exam in India – IES

  • Indian Engineering Services (IES) is a high-level exam held by UPSC to fill technical and managerial positions in the Government of India.
  • Engineering graduates regard IES as a desirable career path, and it is the ambition of many in the country.
  • IES is regarded as a prestigious career option for engineering students because it allows students to gain entry into the country’s bureaucratic mechanism at the officer level.
  • Any candidate between the ages of 21 and 30 with a graduate degree is eligible to apply for the IES exam.
  • Every year, over two lakh aspirants take the IES exam, which consists of three levels of recruitment: IES Preliminary, IES Main, and a Personality Test.

9th Toughest exam in India – CLAT

  • CLAT is one of India’s most difficult law school entrance exams. The exam has a broad curriculum, and a large number of candidates take it to gain admission to the best law schools.
  • CLAT is an entrance exam for admission to LLB and LLM programmes.
  • The eligibility criteria for admission to a bachelor’s course require a candidate to have completed the 12th-class examinations, whereas a master’s degree requires a bachelor’s degree.

10th Toughest exam in India – CAT

  • The CAT is a national examination. Every year, approximately 2 lakh candidates take the exam, with only 1500 being chosen.
  • The CAT exam is used by top business schools in India to facilitate admissions to various courses in Business Management.
  • This exam is conducted by IIM on a rotating basis.
  • It is a computer-based admissions test for the Master of Business Administration (MBA).
  • A student with a Bachelor’s degree with a 50% aggregate score can apply for the exam, and the aggregate score is 45% for reserved categories.
  • The exam assesses candidates on a variety of parameters, including data interpretation, logical reasoning, and verbal ability.
  • The questions will be both multiple-choice and non-multiple-choice.

Toughest Exam in India after 12th

Some of the toughest exams in India after 12th are listed below. Some of these are discussed in detail above.

  • IIT JEE: Engineering courses offered by IITs are highly competitive and challenging. The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced is used for admission to IITs.
  • AIIMS UG: AIIMS medical courses, such as MBBS and other specialised programmes, are known for their rigorous curriculum and difficult entrance exams.
  • CA Exam: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is well-known for its extensive syllabus and difficult examinations.
  • National Institute of Design (NID): NID offers design courses that are extremely challenging in terms of creativity, innovation, and problem-solving abilities.
  • National Law Universities (NLU): NLUs offer law programmes, including the popular five-year integrated LLB course. students can admitted to these NLU by cracking Law entrance like CLAT.

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About the Author

Hi buds, I am Monisa, a postgraduate in Human Physiology (specialization in Ergonomics and Occupational health) with 1.5 years of experience in the school education sector. With versatile writing skills, I provide educational content to help students find the right path to success in various domains, such as JEE, NEET, CUET, and other entrance exams.

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