Entrance Exams

Everything you need to know about entrance exams in India: eligibility, patterns, and preparation.

Navigating Entrance Exams in India

If you want to get into a top college in India, chances are you will need to clear an entrance exam. Whether it is engineering, medicine, law, management, or design, almost every competitive course has a standardised exam you need to pass. JEE Main, NEET UG, CUET, CAT, GATE... millions of students appear for these every year, and state-level or university-specific exams give you even more options.

Every exam is different. The eligibility, syllabus, question pattern, and scoring all vary, so it helps to understand these details early on, ideally 12 to 18 months before the exam date. That gives you enough runway to prepare properly. Look into the conducting body, how many attempts you get, age limits, subject-wise weightage, and whether the questions are MCQ, descriptive, or aptitude-based.

How you prepare matters just as much as how hard you work. Start with the official syllabus, go through previous year papers to understand what actually gets asked, and focus on high-weightage topics first. Some students do well with coaching, others prefer self-study with online resources and mock tests. The exam profiles below give you all the details you need, including eligibility, patterns, syllabus, and direct links to official websites.

Showing 18 of 20 matching exams

Management

CAT

Conducted by IIMs (rotating basis)

Bachelor's degree with minimum 50% aggregate (45% for reserved categories); final year students can apply

Management

XAT

Conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur

Bachelor's degree from recognised university; final year students can apply

Law

CLAT

Conducted by Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs)

10+2 with minimum 45% aggregate (40% for SC/ST); no age limit for UG-CLAT; maximum 3 attempts

Management

CMAT

Conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA)

Bachelor's degree with minimum 50% aggregate; final year students can apply; no age limit

Engineering/Postgraduate

GATE

Conducted by IITs and IISc (rotating basis)

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Technology/Architecture or Master's in Science/Arts/Commerce; final year students eligible

Medical

NEET

Conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA)

10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology; minimum 50% aggregate (40% for reserved categories); age limit 17-25 years

Management

SNAP

Conducted by Symbiosis International University (SIU)

Bachelor's degree with minimum 50% aggregate; final year students can apply

Defence

AFCAT

Conducted by Indian Air Force (IAF)

Bachelor's degree with 60% aggregate for most branches; age 20-26 years (varies by branch); Indian citizen

Banking

IBPS PO

Conducted by Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS)

Bachelor's degree from recognised university; age 20-30 years; Indian citizenship

Government

SSC CGL

Conducted by Staff Selection Commission (SSC)

Bachelor's degree from recognised university; age 18-32 years (varies by post)

Teaching/Research

UGC NET

Conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA)

Master's degree with minimum 55% marks (50% for reserved categories); no age limit for Assistant Professor eligibility

Engineering

JEE Main

Conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA)

10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics; no age limit; up to 3 consecutive attempts

Government

RRB NTPC

Conducted by Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs)

Graduation from recognised university for most posts; age 18-33 years (varies by post and category)

Hotel Management

NCHMCT JEE

Conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA)

10+2 from any stream; minimum 45% aggregate; age limit 25 years (3-year relaxation for reserved categories)

Engineering

JEE Advanced

Conducted by IITs (rotating basis)

Must qualify JEE Main and be in top 2,50,000 candidates; age limit 25 years; maximum 2 attempts in consecutive years

Design

NIFT Entrance

Conducted by National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)

10+2 from any stream for B.Des/B.FTech; relevant bachelor's degree for M.Des/M.FTech/MFM

Medical

AIIMS Entrance

Conducted by AIIMS New Delhi (now merged with NEET for MBBS)

10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology; minimum 60% aggregate; NEET qualified for MBBS; separate exams for PG and nursing

Defence

NDA Entrance Exam

Conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

10+2 or appearing; age 16.5-19.5 years; unmarried males (and females for certain entries); physically fit as per standards