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.
Kalpit Veerwal, the JEE Advanced 2017 AIR 1 scored 360 out of 360, the only person in the history of IIT JEE to score full marks.
Another student Ved Lahot scored 355 in JEE Advanced 2024 exam and secured AIR 1.
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
The IIT GANDHINAGAR JEE Advanced closing ranksfor the General (open) female only category in 2026 ranked from roughly 5,437 for computer Science and engineering up to 20270 for civil engineering.
m
Beginner-Level 1
Answered 3 days ago
IIT BHU CSE cutoff 2026 ranged from 1436 in the first round to 1439 in the last round for the General category under the All India quota. Hence, a rank of at least 1439 is needed to qualify for admission to the CSE course. Check the table below to know the overall cutoff range for other categories.
| Category | IIT BHU CSE cutoff 2026 |
|---|---|
| General | 1436 - 1439 |
| OBC | 601 - 601 (R1) |
| SC | 313 - 373 |
| ST | 161 - 170 |
| EWS | 245 - 245 (R1) |
| PWD | 66 - 66 (R1) |
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
IIT BHU JEE Advanced cutoff 2026 ranged from 601 to 7870 in the first round for the OBC AI category. In the last round, the closing cutoff ranged from 601 to 9002 for the aforementioned category. Check the table below to know the Round 1 and last round closing cutoffs for different courses.
| Course | Round 1 Cutoff 2026 | Last Round Cutoff 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering | 601 | 601 |
| B.Tech. in Mathematics and Computing | 826 | 845 |
| B.Tech. in Electronics Engineering | 1167 | 1189 |
| B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering | 1497 | 1529 |
| B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering | 2760 | 3175 |
| B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering | 3394 | 3609 |
| B.Tech. in Engineering Physics | 3490 | 3620 |
| B.Tech. in Civil Engineering | 3834 | 3980 |
| B.Tech. in Materials Science and Technology | 3886 | 4257 |
| B.Tech. in Metallurgical Engineering | 4269 | 4494 |
| B.Tech. in Industrial Chemistry | 4389 | 4681 |
| B.Tech. in Biomedical Engineering | 4798 | 5067 |
| B.Tech. in Biochemical Engineering | 4877 | 5156 |
| B.Tech. in Ceramic Engineering | 4899 | 5245 |
| B.Tech. in Mining Engineering | 5031 | 5329 |
| B.Tech. in Pharmaceutics Engineering and Technology | 5424 | 5776 |
| Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) | 7870 | 9002 |
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
IIT Gandhinagar JEE Advanced cutoff 2026 for the General AI female category ranged from 5437 (CSE) to 20270 (Civil Engineering). Students can check the table below to know the last round cutoff range for other female categories.
| Category | IIT Gandhinagar JEE Advanced cutoff 2026 |
|---|---|
| General | 5437 - 20270 |
| OBC | 2700 - 9008 |
| EWS | 981 - 3973 |
| ST | 369 - 1941 |
| SC | 802 - 4390 |
| PWD | 225 |
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
IIT Bombay cutoff 2026 for the Electrical and Aerospace Engineering courses for the General AI category in the last round was 411 and 2638, respectively. To know the last round closing ranks for other categories, see the table below.
| Category | Electrical Engineering | Aerospace Engineering |
|---|---|---|
| General | 411 | 2638 |
| OBC | 281 | 1546 |
| SC | 130 | 731 |
| ST | 90 | 458 |
| EWS | 110 | 589 |
| PWD | 7 | 103 |
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
EWS AI category students need a rank of at least 696 to be qualified for admission to the CSE course. Students can check the table below to know the round-wise IIT Bhubaneswar CSE cutoff 2026 for the EWS AI category.
| Round Number | IIT Bhubaneswar CSE cutoff 2026 (Closing Rank) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 643 |
| 2 | 643 |
| 3 | 643 |
| 4 | 643 |
| 5 | 696 |
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
A rank of at least 16868 would be required by the General AI category, according to the last round of IIT Bhubaneswar cutoff 2026. Students can check the list below to know the category-wise the highest rank acceptable in the last round for the Civil Engineering course.
- General: 16868
- OBC: 5550
- SC: 27
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
IIT Hyderabad BTech cutoff 2026 ranged from 2220 to 17416 in the last round. As per this range, BTech in Computer Science and Engineering came out as the most competitive course for admission. This is the closing cutoff range for the General AI India female category. Students can check the table bel
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
IIT Hyderabad CSE cutoff 2026 for the General AI category ranged from 647 in the first round to 680 in the last round. So, students who belong to this category need to attain a rank of at least 680 to be qualified for admission. Check the table below to know the round 1 and last round cutoff data fo
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
The round 1 cutoff range for the General AI category was 10389 in the first round and 11604 in the last round. Hence, General AI category students need a rank of at least 11604 to be considered eligible for admission. To know the Round 1 and last round cutoff range for other categories, see the tabl
N
Contributor-Level 10
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