Gaokao Vs JEE 2025 - Comparison of World’s Toughest Exams

Gaokao Vs JEE 2025 - Comparison of World’s Toughest Exams

Edited By K Guna Sahiti | Updated on Dec 14, 2024 05:49 AM IST | #JEE Main

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
  1. Gaokao Vs JEE 2025
  2. Gaokao Vs JEE 2025 - Exam Overview
  3. Gaokao Vs JEE 2025 - Rate of Acceptance
  4. Gaokao Vs JEE 2025 - Preparation
Gaokao Vs JEE 2025 - Comparison of World’s Toughest Exams
Gaokao Vs JEE 2025 - Comparison of World’s Toughest Exams

Gaokao Vs JEE 2025

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

China's Gaokao: World’s toughest exam (Explained) | Comparison of Gaokao, JEE, and SAT Comparison between Gaokao and JEE 2025


Aspirants can go through the differences and similarities between JEE and Gaokao here.

Gaokao Vs JEE 2025 - Exam Overview

  • 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.

Gaokao Vs JEE 2025 - Rate of Acceptance

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.

Gaokao Vs JEE 2025 - Preparation

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)

1. Is Gaokao tougher than JEE Advanced?

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. 

2. Is Gaokao tougher than UPSC?

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. 

3. Is GATE harder than IIT JEE?

Yes, GATE is considered harder than IIT JEE because of the level of the exam. GATE is held for admission to Master level courses.

4. How many attempts for JEE Mains?

Aspirants can take JEE Mains six times in three consecutive years starting from the year of clearing the 12th class.

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Questions related to JEE Main

Have a question related to JEE Main ?

Hello,

I hope you are doing well. As per your mentioned query, before starting any preparation analyse the syllabus first. It is the primary objective of any competitive exam.

To know the syllabus, kindly refer this:

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/jee-main-syllabus-2026

Good wishes!

Hello Aspirant,

Yes, you can definitely apply for NIPER JEE 2025 with the GPAT marks of 70 if you fulfill the other eligibility criteria like:

  • Having a valid GPAT score (you have),
  • Having a Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy (B.Pharm) from an Institute approved by AICTE,
  • A minimum of 60% marks (or equivalent CGPA) in qualifying examination (with relaxation for reserved category as per norms),
  • Any category-specific or document requirements as per NIPER guidelines.

With an OBC rank of 5600 in JEE Main, you're in a good position to get into a variety of NITs and IIITs. You'll likely be able to secure a spot in a reputable engineering program, though it may not be in the top-tier NITs for the most competitive branches like CSE/IT.

Here's a breakdown of your options:

Top-Tier NITs:

For top-tier NITs (like NIT Trichy, NIT Warangal, NIT Rourkela, etc.), you may not be able to get into the most sought-after branches like CSE or IT with an OBC rank of 5600. You might be able to get into other core engineering branches like Mechanical, Electrical, or Civil.

Mid-Tier and Lower-Tier NITs:

You have a strong chance of getting into many mid-tier and lower-tier NITs with a good branch selection. You may also be able to get into some top branches like CSE/IT in less competitive NITs.

IIITs:

IIITs are a great option, especially with a rank like yours. Many IIITs accept JEE Main scores and offer excellent engineering programs.

GFTIs:

Government Funded Technical Institutes are also worth considering.

Private Colleges:

If you are not able to get into an NIT or IIIT, you may need to consider private colleges, but these are typically more expensive.

To maximize your chances, consider:

Branch Preference:

Be realistic about your branch preferences. If you're not able to get into CSE/IT in top-tier NITs, explore other core branches like Mechanical, Electrical, or Civil.

State-Level Counseling:

Check for state-level counseling options in your home state.

IIIT and GFTI Options:

Explore options in IIITs and GFTIs as they often have lower cutoff ranks than NITs.

Private Colleges:

If you are not able to get into an NIT or IIIT, you may need to consider private colleges, but these are typically more expensive.

Some specific examples of colleges you might consider:

NITs: NIT Hamirpur, NIT Kurukshetra, NIT Silchar, NIT Durgapur, NIT Raipur, NIT Jamshedpur

IIITs: IIIT Gwalior, IIIT Lucknow

In summary: With a rank of 5600, you have several excellent options for engineering education. Be strategic with your branch preferences, explore different types of colleges, and don't be afraid to consider alternatives if you're not able to get into your top choice initially.

Hello Bhuvan,

This is a personal decision based on a few important components:

  1. Goal Clarity: If IIT Bombay is your dream school and you feel you can prepare for the next iteration of JEE Advanced, dropping a year to study for JEE Advanced is a reasonable option. A dedicated and focused drop year has helped many students achieve great scores on JEE Advanced, and the top ranks.
  2. Current Opportunity: NIT Surathkal is one of the top NITs with opportunities for excellent placements, research opportunities, and the opportunity for interactions with top companies - especially for ECE/EEE. After that, with good academics, you can potentially earn your way into top M.Tech programs like MIT, Stanford, or IITs via GATE or GRE.
  3. Risk vs Reward: Dropping a year has a risk component: mental and academic risk. Think about whether you can handle that level of pressure and if your performance at JEE Advanced can improve with one more year of preparation.
  4. Ambition for MIT M.Tech: For M.Tech, you don't need an IIT degree to get into MIT. Strong research and projects, GRE scores, and thoughtful and compelling YES at SOP matter more than an IIT degree. Many students from top NITs get into MIT and other institutions throughout the world.

Hello Mr. Krishna,

With a JEE Mains percentile of 94.32 and 86% in 12th post, EWS, your son stands a good chance to get seat in SASTRA University. SASTRA considers the JEE Mains score (Stream 1) and board marks (Stream 2) during admission. Your son has a strong profile, and it will be especially competitive for the well-known branches like CSE or ECE, if EWS quota is applicable. Keep monitoring the cutoffs and counseling updates for this specific year, since they may vary ever so slightly and a range of 0.5 is acceptable.  Check this link for more information: SASTRA University Thanjavur: Admission 2025

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