Top 10 Toughest Exams in India 2024

India is well known for organising some of the most difficult examinations in the world. But do you know which is the toughest examination in India? It has always been a topic of debate whether the toughest examination in India is UPSC CSE, JEE or CLAT. These examinations mostly involve objective-type multiple-choice questions and require utmost dedication while preparing. The UPSC CSE or IAS Exam is one of the top 5 toughest exams in World. This examination has a critical selection process. The success rate is generally very low, with only a small percentage of applicants making it to the final list.

In this blog, you will discover more about the top 10 toughest exams in India 2024, including IIT JEE, CA, NEET, AIIMS, GATE, NDA, CLAT, UGC-NET, and IES.

List of the top 10 Toughest exams in India 2024

Let’s explore the information on the toughest exams in India and explore what makes them difficult.

• Joint Entrance Exam (JEE)
• UPSC Civil Services Examination (UPSC CSE)
• Common Law Admission Test (CLAT)
• National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)
• Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)
• National Defence Academy (NDA)
• Common Admission Test (CAT)
• UGC National Eligibility Test (UGC NET)
• Chartered Accountant (CA)
• National Institute of Design Finance

1. UPSC Civil Services Examination (UPSC CSE)

The UPSE CSE (Civil Services Examination) exam comprises three stages: preliminary, main written, and personality tests. The prelims stage contains two multiple-choice papers, while the main stage has nine descriptive papers. Merit is based on main and personality test scores, emphasizing current events and book knowledge with the testing consistency and problem-solving skills, Despite many yearly candidates, the selection rate is under 1%.

2. Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)

The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the national JEE examination, attracting various students annually. It consists of two papers: Paper 1 for B.E/B. Tech and Paper 2 for B.Arch/B.Planning programs. There are two levels: JEE Main for NITs, IITs, and other government bodies, and JEE Advanced for IITs, IISc, and RGIPT, with questions from physics, chemistry, and math. The number of JEE Advanced questions differs yearly, making it one of the world’s toughest exams, fostering intense competition among students for top rankings and IIT admissions.

3. Common Law Admission Test (CLAT)

The Consortium of National Law Universities conducts the annual CLAT examination for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate law courses at 24 national law universities in India. This examination features 150 questions across five sections—Logical reasoning, Legal aptitude, English, General Knowledge, and Maths—conducted offline. Qualifying students can study careers in law, judiciary, higher learning, and civil services. A minimum cut-off score is important, with no maximum age limit for students.

4. National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)

The National Testing Agency also organizes the NEET examination. It is one of the toughest exams in India in the medical field organised for admission to different undergraduate courses like Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), AYUSH, and veterinary courses every year. The questions revolve around Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, and Botany subjects. The total score is 720 for this examination. The competition and cut-off are both growing at a fast pace. It is a single-stage examination. There is no listed maximum age limit, but the minimum age should be above or equal to 17 years.

5. Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)

The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) committee organizes the GATE examination, an all-India examination, in eight regions globally. The committee has various members from the National Coordinating Board and Department of Higher Education, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, and IISc. Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) will use the final GATE marks. It recruits students for jobs like Indian oil, GAIL and Hindustan Petroleum. The exam pattern will be based on multiple-choice questions, multiple-select questions, or numerical answer types. There will be 2 sections – General aptitude and student’s selected section.

6. National Defence Academy (NDA)

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has the authority to impart the NDA examination, top toughest exam in India for the defence line. The selected students will get a chance to enter the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the NDA. The exam pattern will be based on a written test and an interview named Service Selection Board (SSB). It has questions from the mathematics and general ability disciplines. The general ability test syllabus includes topics from English and general awareness. The mathematics paper has 300 marks, and the general ability test has 600 questions. The students will be able to serve the country after getting selected for this examination.

7. Common Admission Test (CAT)

The CAT is a national-level examination. IIM organizes it on a rotational basis. It is a computer-based examination for admission to the Master in Business Administration (MBA). A student with a 50% aggregate mark in a Bachelor’s degree can apply for the examination, and the aggregate mark is 45% for reserved categories. The paper has 3 sections: quantitative aptitude, logical reasoning and data interpretation, verbal ability, and reading comprehension. The questions will be in the form of multiple-choice and non-multiple-choice questions. CAT marks will be determined based on the scaling and normalization process, as the examination is organised in multiple shifts.

8. UGC National Eligibility Test (UGC NET)

The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the UGC NET examination for the University Grants Commission (UGC). The examination is organised to become assistant professors or seek junior research fellowships. It is organised twice a year. The eligibility criteria is that aspiring students must have 55% marks in their Master’s degree. It has two papers. Both are organised on the online platform. The common paper provides questions about teaching and research aptitude, general awareness, reasoning ability, and reading comprehension. Paper 2 is subject-specific. The students need to get 40% scores to qualify for the paper. The reserved students should get 35% as the minimum score.

9. Chartered Accountant (CA)

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has been organising the CA exam since the start. The degree is equivalent to a postgraduate degree at Delhi University (DU). The students need to clear 3 levels – foundation, intermediate and final. It is held twice a year. The foundation program will be based on multiple-choice questions, but the other phase will include multiple-choice and descriptive questions. The foundation examination has 4 papers, and the intermediate and final examination has two groups with 4 papers each. CA examination is one of the toughest and demands more learning time and hard work. The students must clear all the stages to fulfil their dream of becoming a chartered accountant.

10. National Institute of Design Entrance

The NID Design Aptitude Test (DAT) is organised nationwide by the National Institute of Design. The students take the NID DAT examination for admission into undergraduate and postgraduate programs. There will be two stages – NID DAT prelims and NID DAT mains. Both stages are qualifying in nature. The students should have attained 19 years before applying for the exam. The merit list will be prepared based on obtained marks in prelims and mains. The NID offers counselling in 2 stages.