India is known for conducting some of the toughest exams in the world. Every year a large number of entrance exams are conducted in India for various purposes, ranging from
- Undergraduate Admission (UG),
- Postgraduate Admission (PG),
- Professional Exams and
- Jobs & Recruitment
Millions of students from all parts of the country participate in these exams for admission to professional courses like B.Tech, MBBS, CA or getting a coveted job as a civil servant through UPSC.
There are many highly competitive exams in India including UPSC, NEET, JEE Advanced, GATE but which is the toughest of them all? How hard is to crack them?
Well in this guide we will answer the Top 10 Toughest Exams in India 2025. We will discuss in detail about exam details and why are they are hardest to crack.
List of Toughest Exams in India
Several exams conducted in India are rated as toughest because of the several reason, including:
- Highly competitive selection process
- Difficulty of question papers
- Vast Syllabus
- Limited number of attempts
- Limited number of Seats/Vacancies
The above factors are taken into consideration in determining the toughest exams in India. So let’s dive in to the complete list of India’s toughest exams to crack in 2024-25.
- JEE Advanced
- UPSC Civil Services Exam
- GATE
- CAT
- NEET UG
- CA
- SSC CGL
- UGC NET
- NEET PG
- NDA
1) JEE Advanced
JEE Advanced is conducted for admission to B.E./B/Tech courses in world renowned IITs, IISER’s & IISC of India. It is one of country’s highly competitive entrance exams and shortlist some of country’s brightest minds for pursuing engineering education after 12th.
JEE Advanced is the 2nd stage of entrance test, conducted for those candidates who has passed JEE Main exam.
Every year more than 15 lakhs students appear for JEE Main, out of which approximately only 2.5 lakh students are eligible to appear in the JEE Advanced exam.
| Difficulty Level | Extremely High |
| Conducted For | Engineering admission in IITs, IISc & IISER |
| Number of attempts | 2 |
| Candidates appeared | 15 Lakh |
| Selection Rate | 0.5-3% |
| Why it is tough | Tests problem-solving skills & difficulty level of PCM subjects and maximum 2 attempts |
Read More About – JEE Advanced 2025
2) UPSC CSE
Union public service commission (UPSC) civil service exam (CSE) is the toughest recruitment exam in India. The exam is conducted by UPSC for recruiting candidates for the civil services roles like IAS, IPS, IFS and similar profiles.
Candidates with bachelor’s degree are eligible to appear in the exam. The UPSC CSE is conducted in three stages namely Prelims, Mains & Interview.
What makes UPSC as one of the toughest exams is its vast syllabus covering current affairs, history, geography, polity & economy. The exam also requires deep understanding, analytical & quick decision making skills.
below are the key highlights of UPSC CSE exam:
| Difficulty Level | Extremely High |
| Conducted For | Recruitment in civil services (IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS) |
| Number of attempts | 6 for Gen, 9 for OBC, unlimited for SC/ST |
| Candidates appeared | 10 Lakh |
| Selection Rate | 0.1-0.2% |
| Why it is tough | Vast syllabus, multiple selection round & very low success rate |
3) GATE
Graduate Aptitude test in Engineering (GATE) is conducted for admission to PG engineering & Science courses like M.Tech/M.E, M.Arch and M.Sc.
The public sector undertaking (PSU’s) also consider GATE scores for recruitment to engineering jobs. Some of the top PSU’s that recruit candidates through GATE exam are like ONGC, IOCL, HP, Power Grid, BHEL & others.
The GATE exam requires in-depth knowledge of engineering subjects or any domain specific subjects that candidates are appearing for.
| Difficulty Level | Very High |
| Conducted For | PG admission in Engineering & PSU Recruitment |
| Number of attempts | No attempt limit |
| Candidates appeared | 8-9 Lakh |
| Selection Rate | 10-15% |
| Why it is tough | In dept subject knowledge & high analytical skills required |
Read More About – GATE 2025
4) CAT
CAT exam is one of widely accepted entrance exams for admission to management programs offered by prestigious IIM’s and top b-schools of the country.
CAT is computer based test conducted every year by IIMs on rotational basis. Students with 50% aggregate marks in graduation are eligible to appear in the exam.
| Difficulty Level | Very High |
| Conducted For | Admission to MBA & PGDM courses in IIMs |
| Number of attempts | No attempt limit |
| Candidates appeared | 3 Lakh |
| Selection Rate | 2-3% |
| Why it is tough | High cut-off scores & rigorous selection process |
5) NEET UG
NEET UG is a national level medical entrance exam conducted by NTA for admission MBBS, BDS, Ayush & nursing courses.
NEET is only entrance exam conducted in India for admission to UG medical courses. NEET UG scores are accepted by all top medical institutions like AIIMS, JIPMER, AFMC, etc.
The extensive syllabus covering Physics, Chemistry & Biology with high competition for the government medical seats & difficulty of the question paper makes NEET UG one of the toughest entrance exam in India.
| Difficulty Level | High |
| Conducted For | Admission to MBBS, BDS, Ayush courses |
| Number of attempts | No attempt limit |
| Candidates appeared | 22-23 Lakh |
| Selection Rate | 4-6% |
| Why it is tough | extensive syllabus, high competition, complex questions |
Read More About – NEET UG 2025
6) CA
When it comes to best courses in commerce field, Chartered Accountancy (CA) tops the list among the best courses to pursue after 12th.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is the regulatory body of CA exam in India. Students have to pass three levels to obtain a CA degree.
- CA Foundation
- CA Intermediate
- CA Final
The CA exam is conducted twice a year and contains multiple choice questions (MCQ’s) at the foundation level, whereas for intermediate & final both descriptive & MCQ’s types questions are asked.
| Difficulty Level | High |
| Conducted For | CA |
| Number of attempts | 6 attempt for foundation, unlimited for other levels |
| Candidates appeared | 1.2-1.5 Lakh |
| Selection Rate | 10-20% |
| Why it is tough | vast syllabus & rigorous selection process |
7) SSC CGL
SSC CGL is one of the most important recruitment exam for candidates preparing for Group B, Group C jobs in various departments of the central government.
Every year around 25-30 lakhs candidates appear for the exam for securing a job in central government departments. In SSC CGL 2023, approximately 24 lakh candidates applied for 8415 vacancies.
The Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (SSC CGL) exam is considered one of the toughest exams in India for several reasons, including
- High Competition
- Multiple Tiers of the exam
- Vast Syllabus covering General awareness, Logical reasoning, Aptitude etc
- Time Management
- Physical and Skill Tests required for some of the posts
- Negative Marking
| Difficulty Level | High |
| Conducted For | Group B posts in central govt |
| Number of attempts | no limit, until maximum age |
| Candidates appeared | 25-30 Lakh |
| Selection Rate | 1-2% |
| Why it is tough | very high competition & excellent time management skills required |
8) UGC NET
The University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) is conducted by NTA to shortlist the candidates for the role of Assistant Professor and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Indian universities and colleges.
The UGC NET exam is a computer based test, conducted twice a year and candidates with 55% in PG degree are eligible to appear.
The UGC NET consist of two papers, paper 1 contain teaching & research aptitude questions, whereas paper 2 contains questions from the candidate’a chosen subject.
Below are the key highlights of the UGC NET exam and the reasons why it is considered one of the toughest exams in India.
| Difficulty Level | High |
| Conducted For | eligibility for assistant professor & JRF |
| Number of attempts | no attempt limit |
| Candidates appeared | 10-12 Lakh |
| Selection Rate | 5-6% for assistant professor, 0.5 for JRF |
| Why it is tough | in-depth subject knowledge, analytical & application based questions |
Read More About – UGC NET 2025
9) NEET PG
NEET PG exam is conducted by National Board of Education in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) for admission to MD/ MS/ PG diploma, Post MBBS DNB & NBEMS diploma courses in various medical institutions across the country.
NEET PG is a computer based carrying multiple choice questions (MCQ’s) from subjects taught in the MBBS curriculum.
Below are the key highlights of NEET PG exam and reason why it is among the toughest exam in India.
| Difficulty Level | High |
| Conducted For | MD/ MS/ PG diploma admission |
| Number of attempts | no attempt limit |
| Candidates appeared | 2 Lakh |
| Selection Rate | 5-10% |
| Why it is tough | in-depth subject knowledge, high competition for PG medical government seats |
10) NDA
The National Defence Academy (NDA) exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for recruiting candidates to the prestigious Indian Armed Forces (Army, Navy & Air Force).
Candidates aspiring to join the Indian Armed Forces after 12th can appear in the UPSC NDA exam. The entrance is conducted twice in a year in the month of April & September.
Read More About – NDA 2025
The NDA test has a rigorous selection procedure, that shortlists the best candidates for the roles. The selection procedure involves written test, SSB interview and a medical examination.
| Difficulty Level | High |
| Conducted For | officers recruitment to indian armed forced |
| Number of attempts | no attempt limit |
| Candidates appeared | 5 Lakh |
| Selection Rate | 0.1% |
| Why it is tough | very high competition & with rigorous selection procedure |
If you have any queries regarding toughest exams in India, feel free to drop your comments below.
Toughest Exams in India FAQs
Q: Which is the toughest exam in India?
Ans: JEE Advanced is the toughest exam in India to crack, followed by UPSC civil services.
Q: What makes JEE Advanced the toughest in India?
Ans: Only 2 attempt and difficulty of question papers make JEE Advanced the toughest exam in India.
Q: How many students appear for UPSC civil services and what is selection rate?
Ans: Approximately 14 lakh candidates registered for UPSC exam, of which 10 lakh students appeared for the exam. The selection rate is 0.1-0.2%
Q: Is NDA exam tough to crack?
Ans: The selection rate in NDA exam is 0.1% that means for thousand candidates appearing in the exam, roughly one will qualify the exam.
Q: How to crack these competitive exams?
Ans: With proper planning, strategy & study habits once can achieve success in cracking the toughest exams in India.