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.
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
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.
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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 accepts the JEE Advanced entrance exam for BTech admission. For the students belonging to the General AI quota, the cutoff ranks ranged between 5988 and 18156 for BTech admission across multiple specialisations. For the category-wise cutoff range, refer to the table below:
| Category | JEE Advanced Cutoff Range 2025 |
|---|---|
| Genenral | 5988 - 18156 |
| OBC | 2594 - 6153 |
| SC | 1266 - 3346 |
| ST | 763 - 1555 |
| EWS | 811- 2665 |
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
For IIT Palakkad B.Tech. admission, the JEE Advanced closing ranks ranged between 2229 and 5841 for the students belonging to the OBC category. Candidates can refer to the table below to view the JEE Advanced round-wise cutoff range for 2025.
| Round | JEE Advanced Cutoff Range 2025 |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2229 - 5167 |
| 2 | 2293 - 5445 |
| 3 | 1153 - 2990 |
| 4 | 1168 - 2990 |
| 5 | 1182 - 3024 |
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Yes, if you belong to the General AI category, you can get admission to CSE at IIT Tirupati with a JEE Advanced cutoff rank of 4000. The cutoff rank for admission varies across different categories and rounds. In 2025, for CSE admission, the last round cutoff ranks varied between 4620 and 5034 for t
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
For IIT Tirupati, the JEE Advanced last round closing ranks ranged between 5034 and 16548 for BTech admission in the General category under the AI quota. Likewise, the cutoff range varies across different categories and rounds. For the last round, the category-wise range is given below:
| Category | Last Round Cutoff 2025 |
|---|---|
| General | 5034 - 16548 |
| OBC | 2113 - 5522 |
| SC | 1018 - 3091 |
| ST | 553 - 1376 |
| EWS | 733 - 2434 |
| PWD | 167 - 228 |
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Candidates must be very careful in filling JEE Advanced application form as the correction facility is not provided post the last date of registration. It is thus advised that candidates verify all the details they fill in the form at least once and make the corrections before the last date to apply
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
If the PwD certificate is valid and issued by the competent authority, it will be considered for availing the reservation. However, it is advsied to get the UDID card before admission process.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Candidates with benchmark disabilities are eligible to avail scribe facility. For this, they have to first mark their PwBD status/category in application form. Candidates can bring their own scribe or can take the facility from the organizing institute.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
The procedure to apply for IIT JEE Adv includes four main steps
- Login through JEE Main application number and date of birth
- Fillling of required details
- Uploading documents
- Payment of application fee
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
In case of failed JEE Advanced application fee payment, the money deited from account will be credited back to the account within 24-hours. In case the money is not recieved back, they can contact the JEE Adv official through email or phone.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Candidates who are appearing in their class 12 exam in 2026 need not provide their mark details while filling the JEE advanced application form. They just need to fill their year of passing class 12 year as 2026. However, they must ensure to score minimum 75% marks in order to be eligibile for admis
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.