JEE, UPSC and GATE considered toughest exams in world, here’s why

The IIT-JEE is the most difficult exam in India and the second most difficult exam in the world, the UPSC exams and the GATE are ranked third and eighth in the world, respectively.

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While all these exams are highly competitive, with many applicants vying for a limited number of spots, the IIT-JEE in particular witnesses over 1.2 million hopeful candidates every year for just 11,000 seats in 23 IITs, making the accepting rate a mere 1%. The exam requires continuous efforts through two long years and demands a high level of aptitude and commitment.

As for the UPSC civil services exams, which provide a gateway to the coveted Indian civil services, the multiple rounds, exhaustive syllabus, and rigorous preparation across various subjects make it a tough nut to crack. With a clearance rate of just 16-18%, the UPSC exam is one of the most demanding tests and requires critical thinking in addition to strong soft skills to crack the interviews.

Finally GATE – the entrance exam for post-graduate engineering and science programmes offered by the IITs, IISC, and NITs gets around 6-7 lakh applicants each year, of whom only 15% score more than the required 25 marks. Such is the value of a GATE score that top-rated international universities such as the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, and University of Munich, which rank in the top 100 globally, accept it.

Despite the overwhelming benefits of cracking these coveted exams, their difficulty level is a common pain point. This article will explore some of the reasons why these exams are considered to be so challenging.

JEE Main, JEE Advanced

First, let’s take a look at the IIT-JEE (Joint Entrance Examination). This all-India level engineering entrance examination is conducted for admission into IITs and other top-tier engineering colleges in India. It is designed to test a wide range of subject-matter knowledge and analytical thinking from a vast syllabus across Maths, Physics, and Chemistry. However, what makes the IIT-JEE formidable is the negative marking system. This means that for every correct answer, 4 marks will be awarded, and 1 mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer. With negative marking, ranks can vary in the thousands, making chances to score higher even tougher. To top this, IIT aspirants must clear JEE Main before they can be eligible to attempt JEE Advanced, which is exclusively for admissions to IITs.

The JEE exam is second only to China’s Gaokao Exam – a highly competitive and rigorous college entrance exam used to assess the academic readiness of students across mathematics, science, and language. Much like JEE, whose preparation begins as early as class 6 in India, the Gaokao is a high-stakes exam that students prepare for almost all their lives, but with a pass percentage of just 0.25%.

UPSC CSE

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Civil Services Examination (CSE) for the recruitment of bureaucrats in the Indian government is widely regarded as one of the toughest exams in the world given its multiple levels and rounds. The UPSC Prelims are the first hurdle to cross. Every year, lakhs of candidates across India attempt the preliminary exams, of which only 5% pass and are eligible to appear for the UPSC Mains Exam.

Candidates who clear the Main are called in for interviews, out of which only a select few are finally hired, which makes UPSC’s acceptance rate a low 0.4%. While the interviews are tough, the main pain point for candidates is often the extremely taxing and complex syllabus for the exams. The diversity of subjects demands long study hours, attention to detail, and the ability to process information at a high rate.

Since Civil Services postings are not just limited to a particular field, the scope of the exam is limitless, making its preparation extremely long and grueling. The UPSC Exams could be compared in part to the California Bar exam (placed 10th place in the same list) which takes place over two days and has multiple rounds. While rigorous, the average preparation times for the California Bar stand at around 40 hours per week over 8-10 weeks. This pace pales in comparison to the UPSC examination for which aspiring candidates usually start preparing 12 months or sometimes years in advance.

GATE

The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is an all-India examination that primarily assesses a comprehensive understanding of various undergraduate engineering and technology subjects for admission to master’s programmes and jobs in public sector companies. With nearly 8 lakh applicants each year, GATE is a highly competitive exam with only 16-18% of those who clear the test and score more than 25 marks.

The exam is designed to test a wide range of technical and academic knowledge and requires a deep understanding of STEM. The level of competition is also very high given the limited number of seats available in the IITs and IISc. GATE is comparable to the GRE from the United States, which is ranked as the fifth most difficult exam in the world. GATE, just like the GRE, is used to assess the academic readiness of graduate students for post-graduate studies and research programmes in engineering and sciences.

The GRE, like the GATE, is a widely accepted exam for graduate admissions in the United States and other countries. GATE and GRE are considered highly competitive exams, with a slim success rate.

(BYJU’S is an educational technology company)