10 Reasons Why JEE Advanced is One of the Toughest Exams in the World
Joint Entrance Exam - Advanced 2026 ( JEE Advanced )
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.
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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.
The basic and most efficient way to prepare for the JEE Advanced exam is to complete the syllabus as soon as possible and indulge in solving a lot of questions. All three subjects in JEE Advanced need conceptual clarity and application of various concepts to solve the problems. Practice as many mock tests and previous year papers as possible. Work on time management and building speed. Along with speed, also work on your accuracy.
Preparing for exams like JEE Mains, JEE Advanced, BITSAT, and other CETs can seem overwhelming, but you can achieve this with a strategy. Here are the facts:
- 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.
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
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).
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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.
As per the NIRF rankings 2025, the top 10 IITs of India are:
| Name of Institute | NIRF Ranking 2025 |
|---|---|
| IIT Madras | 1 |
| IIT Delhi | 2 |
| IIT Bombay | 3 |
| IIT Kanpur | 4 |
| IIT Kharagpur | 5 |
| IIT Roorkee | 6 |
| IIT Hyderabad | 7 |
| IIT Guwahati | 8 |
| IIT BHU | 10 |
Out of them, IIT Bombay is the most sought after IIT among the JEE Advanced toppers, followed by IIT Delhi and then IIT Madras.
The fact that no candidate has every scored full marks in JEE Advanced, signifies the exam's difficulty level. However, the highest marks one has achieved till date in JEE Advanced is 355 marks out of 360. This was scored by Ved Lahoti in the year 2024.
The aspirants of JEE Advanced must keep in mind that the difficulty level of the exam cannot be determined by the IIT conducting the exam. The JEE Advanced paper is not made by one single IIT; rather, it is prepared by experts from multiple institutes. The difficulty level of the exam is independent of the IIT conducting the exam.
Thus, note that the conducting IIT do not set the difficulty level of the paper and neither do they set the exam paper.
The difficulty level of the exam will vary based on the preparation of the candidates. The same question paper can be difficult for the candidates with poor preparation while a well prepared candidate will find the same paper easy or less challenging.
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 a month ago
To be eligible for JEE Advanced JoSAA counselling:
- Candidates should have JEE Advanced rank
- Candidates must have passed class 12 or equivalent exam
- Candidates should have studied Physics, Chemistry and Maths in class 12
- In class 12, canmdidates must have score 75% aggregate marks or must be in top 20 p
Y
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
No, your candidature will be rejected as you need to have minimum of 75% in class 12 to be eligible for admisison to the IITs, NIT, IIITs and GFTIs via the JoSAA counselling. Even if you pass JEE Advanced and JEE Main, of you do not have 75% minimum marks in class 12 boards you will no get admission
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
Devdutta Majhi was the female topper in JEE Advanced 2025. She has scored 312 marks out of 360 marks and got anm all India rank of 16.
A
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
In 2025, the number of male candidates who passed JEE Advanced were 44,974 and 9,404 females qualified.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
1,87,223 candidates registered for JEE Advanced 2025 and 1,80,422 appeared in the exam. Of them, 54,378 passed the JEE Advanced exam in 2025.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
No. The JEE Advanced counselling is held online only on the official website of JoSAA - josaa.nic.in. The counselling process includes:
- Registration
- Choice filling
- Mock seat allotment
- Seat allotment
- Online reporting (seat confirmation, payment of fee, freeze/slide/float)
- Document verification
A
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
The official website for JEE Advanced counselling is josaa.nic.in. All details related to the JEE Advanced counselling is posted on the official website. Candidates have to register online for the counselling process at josaa.nic.in.
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The JEE Advanced counselling is held online on the official website - josaa.nic.in. The JEE Advanced counselling for IIT admission is called the JoSAA counselling. Only candidates with JEE Advanced rank are allowed to register for the counselling process.
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
As per the analysis of the previous year data, the candidates belonging to general category must aim to score around 180 marks out of 360 to qualify the exam. 180+ marks will be a safe zone and will ensure that you pass the exam for IIT admissions. However, note that this marks will not get you a go
A
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
To get a JEE Advanced AIR below 5000, candidates must score around 145 marks out of 360 as per the 2025 data.
V
Contributor-Level 6
As per the previous year analysis of the closing rank, candidates can expecte the following IITs, if their JEE Advanced rank is between 5000 to 10000: