10 Reasons Why JEE Advanced is One of the Toughest Exams in the World
Joint Entrance Exam - Advanced 2026 ( JEE Advanced )
Registration - 6 Apr '26 - 2 May '26
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. However, note that this marks will not get you a good rank and hence tier 1 IITs (IIT B, IIT M, IIT D) and courses will be out of reach.
| 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 |
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 4 hours ago
The number of questions in each subjects are generally not same, but the total number of questions mostly ranges from 17 to 18 across all three subjects in both Paper 1 and 2. The number of questions will also be different for each type (MCQ, Matching, Single/Multi correct) within the subjects in pa
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 hours ago
No, same questions never get repeated in IIT JEE exam. However, questions with similar concepts can find places in the exam. The question paper of JEE Advanced is prepared considering the syllabus and exam pattern.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
You will not be eligible for admission as preparatory ranks are not considered under round 1. Since you have already qualified to appear for JEE (Advanced), all you need to do is meet the second criterion and apply for round 2, which will be only conducted if seats from round 1 remain vacant.
J
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Yes, you can still get admission in Round 2 if you meet eligibility criteria to appear in JEE (Advanced) and have a valid JEE (Mains) rank. Also, you must have scored 60% or above in class 12th. For SC/ST/PwD category students, 55% or above is required.
J
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
No, candidates need not pay any fees to participate in JEE Adv counselling. However, once the seat is allotted, candidates will need to pay approximately INR 35,000 (less for reserved category) as a seat acceptance fee and around INR 20,000 as partial admission fees. Both these payments are adjusted
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
To participate in JEE Advanced counselling, candidates must keep the following documents ready.
- JoSAA Seat Allotment Letter
- Admit card of JEE Advanced 2026
- Proof of Date of Birth Class 12/HSC/Birth Certificate/Any other certificate as proof of date of birth
- Photo ID card
- Class 12/SSC/Equivalent exam Mark
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
No, candidates have to carry the printout of their JEE Advanced admit card downloaded from the website to appear in the exam. Soft copies will not be accepted.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
Mock test released by organising IITs are very useful in understanding the pattern and difficulty level of exam. However, solving official mock test paper only is not advised. It is recommended to solve additional mock test to score good marks in JEE Advanced.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
Absolutely NO. Exact same questions have never been repeated in JEE Advanced exam. However, questions having same concepts do come.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
Yes, candidates can register for IIT JEE only using the application number of NTA JEE Mains. Also, candidates can apply for JEE Advanced only if they score above the JEE cutoff.
S
Contributor-Level 10
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.