Introduction
Exams are created to evaluate IQ, mental health, technical expertise, and a range of other characteristics. Such tests can be given orally, online, on paper, or in a format where the candidate must demonstrate a specified set of skills to pass. Thousands of exams are conducted in India each year. The majority of exams are simple to pass, whereas some are deemed challenging. This blog on education discusses the top ten most difficult exams in India.
Most difficult exams in India:
# 10: Exam for Chartered Accountant
The CA Foundation Exam is a preliminary exam administered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), which was founded in July 1949 with the goal of regulating the chartered accounting profession in India.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) offers three levels of CA exams:
- The Foundation Exam
- The Intermediate
- And CA Final
The very first exam is a national preliminary exam that takes place every year in January, June, November, and December. Earlier known as Common Proficiency Test (CA CPT). If a candidate passes the exam, they are eligible to enroll for Chartered Accountancy courses through the ICAI. However, if one passes all of the tests, they would be qualified as a Chartered Accountant in India, which is the most difficult certification in the country.
#9: CLAT (Common Law Admission Test)
The CLAT exam evaluates who qualifies for five-year programs like Bachelor of Arts (Combined with Law), Bachelors of Law, or Masters of Law (LLM). 16 national law universities in India have validated CLAT test results. Every year, 60,000 students take the CLAT exam. National Law University accepts only 5% of those who apply (about 3,000 candidates). The structure of the CLAT exam paper, on the other hand, has changed. The number of questions was reduced from 200 to 150, and a comprehension section of 300-450-word readings has been added.
Unfortunately, it has no effect on the scoring system; each incorrect response deducts 0.25 points from your final score. This can be a major setback to your performance, which is why candidates take such great care in answering correctly.
#8: UGC-NET (University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test)
A national-level recruiting exam, often used to select Assistant Professors and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) candidates in Indian institutions and colleges. Students who have completed the UGC NET exam are eligible to teach in Indian universities and colleges at both the high school and college levels. The exam is difficult enough that applicants who attempt it for the fourth or fifth time also fail. As a consequence, only 6% of them are successful on these exams. Furthermore, these successful candidates are also subject to a category-based reserve policy, which implies that institutions select applicants based on their category.
#7: NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test)
Before 2018, the CBSE, or Central Board of Secondary Education, administered the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The National Testing Agency took over the board in 2019. (NTA). NEET, interestingly, replaces a prior exam system known as the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), which was the industry standard until 2012. NEET, on the other hand, follows a pattern that is comparable to AIPMT.
#6: NID (National Institute of Design Examinations)
The NID Appointing Authority administers the NID Design Aptitude Test, also known as the National Institute of Design Entrance Examination, which is an aptitude-based process test. Its goal, however, is to evaluate the students’ design creativity. The NID rankings are based on how well students performed on the exam.
NID exam provide design course admittance to:
- Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design (B.Des)
- Master of Arts in Design (M.Des)
- Design Graduate Diploma Program (GDPD)
However, if you wish to enroll in design programs, you must pass the following two tests. After clearing the NID DAT Preliminaries, applicants are eligible to take the NID DAT Mains. The NID Prelims is a typical written exam, but the Mains is divided into two parts: a studio test and a personal interview.
- Preliminary NID DAT: Used to assess a candidate’s design qualities and attributes. It involves assessing the participants’ knowledge and comprehension, as well as their analytical and creative thinking processes and visualization abilities. After that, qualifiers can take the Mains exam.
- NID DAT Mains: Primarily a studio test that impact the candidate’s specialisation choice. The professor or an approved representative in their area of expertise conducts the interview. There is a lot of pressure because only 100 spots for B.Des in Industrial Design, Communication Design, Textile, or Apparel & Lifestyle Accessory Design, awarded exclusively on merit.
#5: NDA (National Defense Academy)
NDA examinations tempt people to join the Army, Air Force, or Navy. Shortlisting happens through written examination, psychological aptitude test, intelligence test, personality test, and interview.
Various National Defense Wings have different eligibility requirements. However, any student who has completed or taken their class 12 test is eligible to prepare for and take the NDA Test. To be eligible for the discussion, applicants must have passed all preceding examinations. However, this is when things start to get difficult.
Around 4 lakh people apply for the test, but only a few chosen ones get to the SSB interview. This illustrates how 66.7% of students were unable to pass the exams. It’s possible that the rigorous SSB interview, which lasts a total of 5 days, is to blame for the high failure rate, rather than the examinations themselves.
#4: CAT (Common Entrance Test)
The CAT is an entry-level exam that serves as an excellent springboard for admittance to India’s top business and management schools. Applicants, however, judged on their ability to communicate in English, math, and logic.
All IIMs and other similar colleges and universities that offer MBA programs recognize CAT entry scores. Furthermore, only about 1,500 students out of a total of 2 lakhs get into IIMs each year. If we had to calculate the success rate in percentages, we’d come to the conclusion that it’s only about 2%.
Anyone in their last year of a bachelor’s degree program is eligible to apply. If accepted, participants must provide a transfer certificate from their prior institution’s principal in order to begin the program.
#3: GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering)
Candidates for Master’s and Doctoral programs in Engineering, Technology, Architecture, and Science are chosen using the GATE exam. It’s also a good factor for admission to governmental Engineering colleges such as the IITs and NITs.
Once received, the GATE score is valid for up to three years from the date of the announcement. However, there are a few requirements that must be satisfied before taking the exam. Despite the fact that there is no upper age limit, at least one of the following conditions must be met:
- It is necessary to have a Bachelor’s degree in a comparable Engineering or Science discipline.
- Necessary to have a Master’s degree in Math, Science, Stats, or Computer Applications.
- Students who are in their final year of a Bachelor’s or Master’s program.
#2: IIT JEE Entrance Examination
The IIT-JEE is an engineering entrance exam that permits students to get admission to India’s best engineering schools. It is India’s second most difficult exam. The two fundamental levels of the IIT-JEE are JEE Main and JEE Advanced. Used to shortlist applicants seeking admission to centrally subsidized technical institutes. In order to write JEE Advanced, students must pass JEE Main.
Applicants who pass JEE Main are eligible to enroll for undergraduate degrees in engineering, architecture, or science at any college of their choice, with the exception of any IIT-based institute, that will only admit candidates who have passed the JEE Advanced exam. The greater your All-India Rank (AIR), the better your probability of getting into a good college.
#1: UPSC Civil Service Entrance Examinations (IAS)
The UPSC IAS exam is currently one of India’s most difficult and demanding exams. Aspirants must cover a broad curriculum, with Indian history, geography, and human rights laws all being important courses. There are near about 8 to 10 lakhs candidates who apply to take the IAS examinations in the country.
There are three levels to the exam:
- There’s the Preliminary Exam.
- The Main Examination
- Interview or Personality Test
Approximately 8 lakh students sit for the IAS exams every year. However, just 0.1 percent to 0.3 percent of those who clear the exam successfully.