JEE Main Application Date:31 Oct' 25 - 27 Nov' 25
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.
JEE Main 2026 registration process will end on November 27, 2025. Eligible candidates can apply through the official website at jeemain.nta.nic.in.
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
Hello Aspirant
As you are preparing for JEEMains and you want to practice the PYQs, it is a good choice as NTA mainly follows the same pattern, and some questions are repeatedly asked. To get the most repeated question, just visit the link I'm attaching below.
The form requires the candidates to upload the signature in JPEG format within 10-100KB format, if this condition is not fulfilled the photo will not get uploaded. Assistance from an e-mitra might be needed or you may choose to convert the sizes and the types of your documents from various converting applications available
to get details about registration and avoid getting confused follow the link below from careers360 How to fill JEE Main Application Form 2026? – Steps to Apply Online
You can look up to the syllabus released by the NTA for the 2026 examination available in pdf form at careers360 from the link given below, you will get all the deleted syllabus and the additional added syallabus in the pdf itself JEE Main 2026 Syllabus (Out): Download Paper 1, 2 PDF Here
Hello, You want to get 99 percentile in JEE Mains, for this you should prepare very well.
I am providing you the link of a book to help you in your preparation, you will get everything in it to score well in JEE Mains.
Here is your link: CLICK HERE
You can download the ebook directly by clicking on "CLICK HERE".
I hope you found this information helpful and for any study related problems you can ask in careers360 app, Have a great day!
Hello,
JEE Main ke 75% eligibility ke liye marks calculation board ke total marks (as printed on marksheet) par based hoti hai, best of 5 nahi.
Agar aapke marksheet me total 355/500 likha hai, to wahi valid mana jayega.
Isliye agar ye 75% se kam hai, to aap JEE Main de sakte ho, par NIT, IIIT, ya GFTI admission ke liye eligible nahi hoge, unless aap SC/ST category se ho (unke liye 65% required hai).
Hope you understand.
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