Yes, you can. If you do 11th from CBSE in 2025 and 12th from NIOS in 2026, then you are allowed to attempt JEE. NIOS is a valid board, so you can give JEE in 2026 and again in 2027. Just take admission on time and pass your 12th exams.
Gaokao Vs JEE 2025 - The JEE exam is the most popular engineering entrance exam in India. Whilst, Gaokao is a national-level standardised entrance exam for most UG admissions in China. The participation rate for Gaokao is 10 times higher than JEE, owing to its unlimited attempts and inclusion of a vast number of courses. In 2024, there were around 13.4 M test takers for Gaokao. In the same year, the number of applicants for JEE stood around 1.4 M. Gaokao is known as one of the most difficult tests because of its gruelling nature. However, preparation for JEE is also quite demanding. For more such comparisons between Gaokao and JEE 2025, please go through this page.
This Story also Contains
Aspects | JEE | Gaokao |
Examination for | Admission to participating engineering colleges | For all undergraduate admissions (irrespective of desired course) |
When it is held | JEE Main - January and April JEE Advanced - July | Early June |
Number of students appeared in 2024 | 1.4 million | 13.42 million |
Number of days | Single day | 2 to 4 days |
Test duration | 3 hours (JEE Main) 6 hours (JEE Advanced) | 9 hours |
Compulsory subjects | Physics, chemistry and maths (paper 1) Maths, General Aptitude and Drawing/Planning (paper 2) | Mathematics, Chinese, one foreign language and course-oriented subject. |
Frequency | Twice | Once |
Acceptance rates | 1% in IITs | 0.1% in top universities |
Difficulty | Long exam - extensive memorization and application skills | Emphasis on deep conceptual understanding and problem solving |
Preparation time | Intense study schedules required starting from high school years | 2 to 5 years ahead for IIT admission |
Attempt limit | No limit | Six times in three consecutive years starting from the year of qualifying class 12th |
Aspirants can go through the differences and similarities between JEE and Gaokao here.
Duration- Gaokao and IIT JEE are known as two of the toughest exams in the world. Gaokao is held for 9 hours in the span of 2 to 4 days. Whereas, JEE main is held for 3 hours and JEE Advanced is conducted for 6 hours in a single day.
Number of Attempts - There is no limit to the number of attempts for Gaokao. It is held once a year. On the other hand, JEE Main is conducted twice per year and JEE Advanced is held once. Candidates can take JEE Main 6 times in three consecutive years, starting from the year of passing class 12th. Whereas, the IIT JEE Advanced attempt limit is restricted to two times in two consecutive years.
Number of Applicants- Every year, approximately 1.3 to 1.4 million candidates register for JEE. Since Gaokao is an entrance exam for all UG admissions and there is no attempt limit, around 13.4 million aspirants take this exam every year.
Difficulty level- One can not exactly compare the difficulty level of both the tests, since the focus of the exam and syllabus vary. Nonetheless, Gaokao is considered tougher due to its gruelling nature.
Each year around 85% of Gaokao examinees are successful in gaining admission to UG programmes. However, the acceptance rate by Gaokao is around 0.1% for elite universities like Peking University, Xinjiang University etc. When it comes to the JEE-based admission rate, only 1% of students get admission to IIT colleges in India.
Students are known to start their preparation for Gaokao in their early High School years. The test preparation schedules are extremely intense, equipping aspirants with the knowledge and patience to deal with the exam pressure.
JEE Main and JEE Advanced preparation starts 2 to 5 years before the actual exam. Students enrol in coaching classes for additional preparation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Aspirants can take JEE Mains six times in three consecutive years starting from the year of clearing the 12th class.
Yes, GATE is considered harder than IIT JEE because of the level of the exam. GATE is held for admission to Master level courses.
The difficulty level of the exam depends on different factors. Gaokao is a single-level entrance exam for UG admissions. Whereas, UPSC is a three-stage competitive exam. However, both are difficult in their own way.
Gaokao is an exam held for nine hours and JEE Advanced is held for six hours. Gaokao is widely known to be more difficult than most exams due to its long duration and vast syllabus. The questions asked in Gaokao are application-based and require more memorization. Whereas, the JEE exam requires conceptual clarity while solving the given problems.
On Question asked by student community
The approximate annual cost for 11th/12th PCM and JEE coaching is around 1.5 to 3.5 lakhs for institutes, excluding hostel and mess fees. The total fees including hostel as well as mess fees can rise upto 4.5 to 6.5 lakhs and above, depending on location and institute quality.
Hi dear candidate,
You can anytime visit our official website to find the previous 10 years JEE Mains question papers with solutions. Kindly refer to the link attached below to download them in PDF format:
JEE Main Last 10 Years Question Papers with Solutions (2025 to 2015)
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Hello,
For JEE Main and JEE Advanced , the cut-offs are lower for ST category students. Here is a simple idea based on recent trends:
JEE Main qualification for ST : Around 50–60 marks is usually enough to qualify for JEE Advanced.
JEE Advanced qualification for ST : You just need to clear the JEE Main cut-off, then appear for Advanced.
To get good NITs or IITs , you will need higher marks.
For NITs (Hyderabad or good branches), try for 120+ marks in JEE Main .
For IITs , even with ST quota, you should aim for at least 80–100+ marks in JEE Advanced for decent branches.
Since you are from ST category and Hyderabad , you don’t need 300 marks in JEE Main. Try to score as high as possible to get better branches, but even moderate marks can qualify you.
Hope it helps !
Yes, you can. If you do 11th from CBSE in 2025 and 12th from NIOS in 2026, then you are allowed to attempt JEE. NIOS is a valid board, so you can give JEE in 2026 and again in 2027. Just take admission on time and pass your 12th exams.
For the JEE 2026, priority-wise, high weightage chapters include Integral
1. Calculus, Coordinate Geometry, Vectors, 3D Geometry, Complex Numbers, and Quadratic Equations in Maths
2. Semiconductors, Current Electricity, Work, Power and Energy, and Gravitation in Physics
3. Organic Chemistry Containing Oxygen, Hydrocarbons, and P-Block Elements in Chemistry.
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