What makes JEE Advanced one of the toughest exams in the world? Let's analyse some of the major factors that have led JEE Advanced to be known as a challenging exam to crack.
Why is JEE Advanced Considered One of the Toughest Exams in the World
JEE Advanced - Toughest Exam in the World: Factors like advanced syllabus, multi-concept questions, pressure, competition, etc, have made JEE Advanced one of the toughest exams not only in India but also in the world. As per various sources, JEE Advanced stands second in toughness level after Gaokao, which is the National College Entrance Examination in China.
JEE Advanced is held at the national level with an average pass percentage of just around 18%. Around 1.8 lakh candidates take the exam every year for admission to one of the 23 IITs that offer somewhere around 18000 seats. Know what major factors determine the toughness of the exam on this page below.
Which are the Top 10 Toughest Exams in the World?
Here are the top 10 toughest exams in the world according to various sources:
- Gaokao Exam, China
- IIT JEE Advanced Exam, India
- UPSC Exam, India
- Mensa Exam, UK
- GRE (Graduate Record Examination) America
- CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) USA
- CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert)
- GATE Exam, India
- USMLE Exam, America
- California Bar Exam
Commonly asked questions
Preparation for JEE Advanced begins by knowing exam syllabus. Every student must follow syllabus. Once preparation is done then start solving previous year questions for self-assessment. This will give an overview of your preparation.
You can prepare for all entrance tests at same time. It is a tough task but not impossible. For this a proper strategy is required. Here are some important tips.
- Compare the syllabus: All engineering entrance exams have almost the same syllabus. There might be some additional topics in some exams. The aspirant must study the syllabus for all exams and find out the topics that are extra, and prepare those separately. Almost 90% of the topics will be common for all entrance exams, and hence, syllabus completion for one exam will lead to completion of the syllabus for all the exams.
- Prepare for JEE Mains and incorporate the preparation for all other exams: Apart from JEE Advanced, all the exams are pretty straightforward for a well-prepared candidate. JEE Advanced require a higher level of preparation as the questions are multi-conceptual. However, the state-level entrance exams, and exams like BITSAT, VITEEE, etc., have direct questions. Most of the questions in JEE Mains are also direct and require the application of basic concepts. Hence, the candidates must prepare for one exam, like JEE Mains, that will cover their preparation for all other exams.
- JEE Advanced needs extra effort: For JEE Advanced candidates must focus on time management and building exam day temperament. Learn how to apply multiple concepts to a question.
The bottom line is to prepare for JEE Mains to cover the preparation for all other CETs and exams like BITSAT and VITEEE. For JEE Advanced, work on sharpening your skills of time management, stress handling, multiple concept application, speed and accuracy.
So far no student has ever scored full marks in JEE Advanced signifies exam's difficulty level. Highest marks one has achieved to date in JEE Advanced are 355 marks out of 360. Ved Lahoti scored these marks in 2024.
There is no seperate rank list released for JEE Advanced. The rank of the candidates in All India category and in the respective category of the candidate is meantioned on the result itslef.
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Why is JEE Advanced Considered the Second Toughest Exam in The World?
The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced exam is the only gateway to IIT admissions. To be eligible for JEE Advanced, candidates have to first qualify the JEE Main exam. In JEE Main, around 15 lakh candidates appear and of them top 2.5 lakh candidates are selected for JEE Advanced. Out of these 2.5 lakh candidates, 1.8 lakh appear for JEE Advanced and around 50,000 qualify. The 50,000 candidates who qualify compete to get a seat in one of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
Here are some of the factors that make JEE Advanced one of the toughest exams in the world:
Extensive syllabus: The candidates who want to crack JEE Advanced have to get hold of the JEE Main syllabus along with the JEE Advanced syllabus. Hence, the topics and chapters that the candidates have to study for the exam are vast. The candidates have to prepare from the basics to the advanced concepts included in the syllabus of IIT JEE for subjects like Maths, Physics and Chemistry.
High level of conceptual understanding is needed: Candidates need to practice and have a strong hold of the concepts of all the topics asked in the JEE Advanced exam. Direct and simple questions are not asked in the exam. All questions in the exam are mostly multi-concept based, which requires the candidates to have a good understanding of the basics and their applications to solve questions.
Tough Competition: The competition in JEE Advanced is fierce. Check below the data from previous years to get an overview of the stiff competition faced by lakhs of candidates every year:
| Year |
Number of students appeared in JEE Mains |
Number of JEE Main candidates qualified for Advanced |
Number of candidates appeared |
Number of qualified candidates |
Seats in IITs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |
14,75,103 |
2,50,236 |
1,80,422 |
54,378 | 18,160 |
| 2024 |
14,15,110 |
2,50,284 |
1,80,200 |
48,248 |
17,740 |
| 2023 |
11,13,325 |
2,50,255 |
1,80,372 |
43,769 |
17,340 |
| 2022 |
9,05,590 |
2,62,175 |
1,55,538 |
40,712 |
16,635 |
| 2021 |
9,39,008 |
2,50,186 |
1,41,699 |
41,862 |
16,296 |
| 2020 |
10,23,000 |
2,50,681 |
1,50,838 |
43,204 |
16,061 |
| 2019 |
11,47,125 |
2,45,194 |
1,61,319 |
38,705 |
13,604 |
| 2018 |
10,43,000 |
2,31,024 |
1,55,158 |
31,988 |
12,069 |
| 2017 |
11,22,351 |
2,21,834 |
1,59,540 |
51,040 |
- |
| 2016 |
11,28,633 |
1,98,228 |
1,47,678 |
36,566 |
10,576 |
Dynamic exam pattern: The exam pattern of JEE Advanced keeps changing every year. This makes the exam unconventional and full of surprises. Also, the types of questions asked in the exam are very different from any other typical exam, like numerical value questions, match the following, assertion & reasoning, and paragraph-type questions. The exam also has negative marking that leaves no scope for guesswork.
Pressure for performance and time management: JEE Advanced questions are tough and require critical analysis and thinking. And when the time is limited, there is a lot of pressure to complete the exam on time. There are two papers in the exam that have 180 questions. These 180 questions have to be solved in 6 hours. This battle with time makes the exam more challenging for the candidates.
All the above factors and some other factors, like family expectations, add to the toughness of the JEE Advanced exam. If you want to understand how students prepare for JEE Advanced, you can watch Kota Factory and Super 30 for some motivation!
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 3 days ago
IIT Jammu BTech cutoff 2026 ranged from 6738 to 15757 for the General AI category in the first round. The IIT Jammu JEE Advanced cutoff 2026 has been released for the first round for several All India categories.
See the table below to know the IIT Jammu branch-wise cutoff 2026 for the General AI ca
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
IIT Ropar JEE Advanced cutoff 2026 was released for admission to the BTech courses for the first round. The cutoff was out in the form of ranks for different AI quota categories.
For the General AI category, the cutoff ranged from 2907 to 13370 based on the students performance in the JEE Advanced e
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
Yes, your son can easily appear for ongoing JoSAA 2026 counselling and the choice-filling process. However, to get a seat on IIT, your son must score 75% aggregate in the 12th CBSE for the general category, and for SC/ST/PwD, the score must be 65%.
S
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 3 weeks ago
Yes, you have a chance to get admission mostly in newer IITs with a General EWS rank of 3500 in JEE.
S
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a month ago
If a student wants to join the IIT Roorkee BTech or BSc programme, then appearing for JEE Advanced is mandatory. Students have to clear the JEE Advanced cutoff and participate in counselling to get a seat. However, for any non-BTech/ BSc programme, JEE Advanced is not required. Students may submit a
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
If you belong to the General AI category, the JEE Advanced cutoff rank required for B.Tech. in Mathematics and Computing was 856. Similarly, for B.Sc. (Research) specialisations, the cutoff rank required for admission in 2025 was 2263.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
On the JEE Main result, candidates can check if they have qualified for the JEE Advanced exam.
N
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 months ago
No, JEE-Main or JEE-Advanced scores are not required for scholarships at NTU Singapore. Indian students with a strong JEE-Advanced rank are advised to submit scores as it is highly valued, but not mandatory.
Maintaining strong academic scores and extracurriculars are the basic requirements for NTU sc
A
Contributor-Level 10
Currently - Deputy Manager, Content
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