Top 10 Toughest Exams in India

Examinations are the best way to judge a candidate. Then it may be the SNAP exam for a BBA degree or CAT for an MBA program, it evaluates the skills of a candidate and assesses whether the candidate would be the right fit or not. You see, there are many exams that are held for different programs and positions - but there are certain evaluating processes that are known to be the toughest exams in India.

So, if you desire to crack these toughest examinations, you need to know the eligibility criteria and exam syllabus that can help you in achieving your goal better. 

The Top 10 Toughest Exams in India

CAT

• Common Admission Test or CAT is a computer-based national-level exam conducted by IIM’s once a year to get admission to the MBA program.
• The candidate must have a Bachelor's degree from a recognized university or institute with a minimum of 50% marks for the general category and 45% for the SC/ ST/ PwD category.
• Candidates preparing for CAT should have a good understanding of basic mathematical concepts and possess strong reasoning and analytical skills. It is also essential to have a strong vocabulary and reading comprehension skills to perform well in the exam.
• The exam has multiple-choice questions and is comprised of three sections, namely Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). The test duration is 180 minutes, with 60 minutes allotted to each section. 

Application Open	First week of August 2023
Application Close	Second week of September 2023
Exam Date	November 26, 2023 (Tentative)

JEE

• The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) is renowned for its challenging mathematics and science sections, making it one of the toughest exams in India.
• It is a national exam for admission to top engineering and architecture programs in India, including IITs, NITs, IIITs, and more.
• JEE is conducted in two phases: JEE Main and JEE Advanced. JEE Main is conducted twice a year, while JEE Advanced is conducted once a year. The JEE Advanced exam is conducted for those who qualify in the JEE Main exam.
• Both examinations are computer-based tests, and the questions in the exam are designed to test the candidate's knowledge and understanding of Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics
• To be eligible for the JEE Main exam, the candidate must have passed the 10+2 examination with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as mandatory subjects. The candidate must also have scored a minimum of 75% marks (for the general category) and 65% (for the SC/ST/PwD category) in the 10+2 examination or be in the top 20 percentile in their respective board examinations.

Application Open	Session 2 - 14th February 2023
JEE Mains Application Close	Session 2- 12th March 2023
JEE Mains Exam Date	Session 2 - 06, 08, 10, 11, 12 April 2023

UPSC

• The UPSC Civil Services Examination is considered one of the toughest exams in India, testing candidates on various subjects, including general studies and optional subjects.
• It is a constitutional body in India that conducts various civil services examinations for the recruitment of candidates into various administrative and public service positions in the government of India.
• It conducts several exams, including the Civil Services Examination, Indian Forest Service Examination, Engineering Services Examination, Combined Defence Services Examination, National Defence Academy Examination, and others.
• The Civil Services Examination (CSE) is considered to be the most prestigious and challenging exam conducted by the UPSC. It is conducted in three stages: Preliminary, Main, and Personality Test (Interview).
• The Preliminary exam comprises two objective-type papers, namely General Studies and Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT). Candidates who qualify in the Preliminary exam are eligible to appear for the Main exam, which consists of nine papers of conventional essay type.
• The eligibility criteria for the CSE include educational qualification, age limit, and nationality. The candidate must have a Bachelor's degree from a recognized university or institution, and the candidate must be a citizen of India. The age limit for the CSE is 21-32 years, and there is a relaxation in the age limit for certain categories

UPSC CSE Application Open	1st February 2023
UPSC CSE Application Close	21st February 2023
UPSC CSE Exam Date	15th September 2023

NEET UG

• The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admissions also ranks as one of India's toughest exams, covering a wide range of medical subjects.
• It is a national-level entrance examination conducted in India for admission to undergraduate medical and dental courses (MBBS/BDS) in various medical and dental colleges across India.
• It is conducted once a year, and the exam comprises a single-question paper consisting of 180 multiple-choice questions, and the duration is of three hours. The questions are based on the Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (Botany and Zoology) subjects. 
• To be eligible for the NEET UG exam candidate must be at least 17 years of age as of 31st December of the year of admission. 
• The candidate must have passed the 10+2 examination or equivalent examination with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Biotechnology as mandatory subjects. The candidate must have also secured a minimum of 50% marks (40% for SC/ST/OBC candidates and 45% for PwD candidates) in the qualifying examination.

Application Open	1st week of March 2024
Application Close	1st week of April 2024
Exam Date	5th May 2024

CLAT

• The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is one of the toughest exams for law aspirants, assessing their aptitude in various law-related subjects.
• It is a national-level entrance examination conducted for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate law programs offered by various national law universities and other institutions in India.
• The exam is conducted once a year, and it comprises objective-type questions from various subjects, including English, General Knowledge and Current Affairs, Elementary Mathematics, Legal Aptitude, and Logical Reasoning. The duration of the exam is two hours.
• To be eligible for the CLAT exam, the candidate must have passed the 10+2 examination or equivalent examination with a minimum of 45% marks (40% for SC/ST candidates) for the undergraduate program. 
• For the postgraduate program, the candidate must have an LL.B. or equivalent degree with a minimum of 50% marks (45% for SC/ST candidates).
• There is no upper age limit for appearing in the CLAT exam.

Application Open	1st July 2023
Application Close	3rd November 2023
Exam Date	3rd December 2023

UGC NET

• The University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) is a national-level exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
• The exam is conducted twice a year for the recruitment of Assistant Professors and for the award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in various colleges and universities across India
• The exam is conducted in two papers - Paper 1 and Paper 2, which are conducted in computer-based mode.
• Paper 1 is common for all candidates, and it consists of questions from teaching and research aptitude, reasoning ability, and general awareness. Paper 2 consists of questions from the candidate's subject of specialization. 
• To be eligible for UGC NET, the candidate must have a Master's degree or equivalent degree from a recognized university or institution and must have secured at least 55% marks (50% for SC/ST/OBC/PwD candidates) in the qualifying examination.
• For the JRF, the maximum age limit is 30 years (relaxation of 5 years for SC/ST/OBC/PwD/female candidates). There is no upper age limit for Assistant Professorship.

Application Open	Expected in April/May 2024
Application Close	--
Exam Date	10th June - 21 June 2024

NID DAT

• The National Institute of Design (NID) conducts the Design Aptitude Test (DAT) for admission to various undergraduate and postgraduate design programs offered by NID and other design colleges in India. 
• It is a national-level exam conducted in two stages - Prelims and Mains.

Prelims is a written exam that consists of multiple-choice questions based on various subjects, including Visual Design, General Knowledge, and Current Affairs. The duration of the exam is three hours.

Candidates who qualify for the Prelims are eligible to appear for the Mains, which is a studio test that evaluates the candidate's design and creative skills.

• For the undergraduate program, the candidate must be 20 years of age or younger as on 30th June of the year of admission and must have passed the 10+2 examination or equivalent examination from a recognized board. 
• For the postgraduate program, there is no age limit and the candidate must have a Bachelor's degree or equivalent degree from a recognized university or institution.

NID DAT Application Open	8th September 2023
NID DAT Application Close	1st December 2023
NID DAT Prelims Exam Date	24th December 2023
NID DAT Mains Exam Date	M.Des: 3rd March & 6th April 2024 B.Des: 27th & 28th April 2024

NDA

• The National Defence Academy (NDA) exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) twice a year to recruit candidates for admission to the Army, Navy, and Air Force wings of the NDA.
• The exam is a two-stage selection process that consists of a written exam followed by an interview conducted by the Services Selection Board (SSB).
• The exam consists of two papers - Mathematics and General Ability Test (GAT). 

The Mathematics paper consists of objective-type questions from topics like Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, and Calculus. 

The GAT exam consists of questions from various subjects like General Knowledge, Physics, Chemistry, History, Geography, and Current Affairs. The duration of each paper is two and a half hours.

• The candidate must be between 16.5 to 19.5 years of age on the first day of the month in which the course is due to commence.

Application Open	20th December 2024 (NDA I) 15th May (NDA II)
Application Close	9th January 2024 (NDA I) 4th June 2024 (NDA II)
Exam Date	21st April 2024 (NDA I) 1st September 2024 (NDA II)

CA

• The Chartered Accountancy (CA) exam is known for its extensive syllabus and difficulty level, making it one of the toughest exams in India.
• It is conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to award the prestigious CA qualification to successful candidates.
• The CA exam is a three-stage selection process that consists of the Foundation course, Intermediate course, and Final course.
• The Foundation course is an entry-level exam that consists of four papers, including Principles and Practice of Accounting, Business Law and Business Correspondence and Reporting, Business Mathematics and Logical Reasoning and Statistics, and Business Economics and Business and Commercial Knowledge. The Intermediate course and Final course consist of two groups, and each group consists of four papers. 
• The duration of each paper is three hours, and the exam is conducted in pen-and-paper mode.
• For the Foundation course, the candidate must have passed the 10+2 examination or equivalent examination from a recognized board. For the Intermediate course, the candidate must have passed the Foundation course. And for the Final course, the candidate must have passed the Intermediate course.

CA Foundation Application Open	1st January 2023
CA Foundation Application Close	24th February 2023
CA Foundation Exam Date	24th, 26th, 28th, and 30th June 2023

GATE

• The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is among the toughest exams in India, assessing candidates' knowledge in engineering and science for postgraduate admissions.
• GATE is a national-level exam conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and the seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
• To be eligible for the exam candidate must have a Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Technology/Architecture/Science or a Master's degree in any relevant science subject.
• There is no age limit for the GATE exam.
• The GATE score is used for admission to various postgraduate programs, including M.Tech, M.E., MS, and Ph.D. in various engineering and science colleges and universities across India. 
• It is a computer-based test that consists of multiple-choice questions and numerical answer type questions. The exam is conducted in various engineering disciplines, including Aerospace Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Biotechnology, Civil Engineering, and more.

Application Open	24th August 2023
Application Close	29th September 2023
Exam Date	3rd, 4th, 5th & 11th February 2024

Conclusion

Competitive examinations are one of the best ways to enhance and later evaluate your skills. Going into any field of profession, a candidate is assessed in different areas. Once going through the competitive phase, a candidate develops various skills, such as problem-solving, communication, decision-making, and more, that will benefit them for a lifetime. 

At Sunstone, you can get guidance and learn from ex-IIM and IIT experts that will help you to build a professional portfolio. Also, the training programs offered at sunstone will help individuals acquire job-ready skills.