Top 10 Toughest Exams in the World in 2025 (Complete List)

Some exams are so difficult that only a few candidates pass each year. These tests demand years of preparation, extreme focus, and mental stamina.

Here's a list of 10 of the toughest exams in the world, which are the hardest to crack:

• Gaokao Exam in China: Students face extreme pressure to score high for university admission.
• JEE Advanced Exam: Only top rankers can secure seats in India’s premier engineering institutes.
• UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE): The exam tests knowledge, personality, and endurance for civil service jobs.
• USMLE: Medical graduates must pass this to practice medicine in the United States.
• Master Sommelier Diploma Exam: Very few candidates succeed in this challenging wine mastery test.
• All Souls Prize Fellowship Exam: This exam is famous for its extremely low pass rate and tough essays.
• ICAI CA/ ICMAI CMA Exams: Accounting and finance aspirants must clear multiple levels to become certified.
• CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert): Networking professionals need expert-level skills to pass.
• Mensa International: Candidates must score in the top 2% on an IQ test to qualify.
• CFA: Finance professionals face three levels of exams to earn the charter.

Let us know about the toughest exams in the world (rank-wise) in detail, below: 

The Gaokao is China’s national college entrance exam and is known to be the toughest exam in the world. It decides which universities students can join and is known as one of the hardest school-leaving tests in the world.

Why is Gaokao the Toughest Exam in the World?

The following are the reasons why the Gaokao exam in China is so difficult to crack:

• Marathon exam length: The test runs for 9 hours spread over two days, which drains both mental and physical stamina.
• Regional quotas: Students from rural provinces face stricter cut-offs than those in cities like Beijing or Shanghai, making admission harder.
• Single attempt pressure: Students usually get only one serious chance to sit for Gaokao, unlike other exams with multiple tries.
• Sheer scale: Over 12 million students take the exam every year, making it one of the largest academic competitions in the world.
• Comprehensive coverage: The paper tests Chinese, Maths, Foreign Language, Sciences, and Humanities, demanding excellence across all streams.

Overview of Gaokao Exam

Here is the table that showcases the main details of the Gaokao exam:

The JEE Advanced is the entrance exam for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Only students who qualify through JEE Main can appear for it. Many students compare exams like the JEE Vs SAT, but it’s clear that cracking the JEE is far more challenging.

Similarly, students planning for graduate programs abroad take the GRE, which tests analytical, verbal, and quantitative skills over multiple sections.

Why is JEE Advanced the Toughest Exam in the World?

Here are the key reasons JEE Advanced is counted among the toughest exams:

• Limited eligibility: Only about 2.5 lakh students who clear JEE Main can sit for JEE Advanced.
• Very low success rate: Out of more than a million JEE Main takers, less than 2% finally secure IIT seats.
• Concept-heavy questions: Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics problems demand deep application of concepts.
• Time pressure: Candidates solve long, multi-step problems within strict time limits.
• Unpredictable format: The exam often introduces new question types, including numerical value questions.
• Multiple correct answers: Many questions have more than one right option, raising the difficulty.
• Negative marking: Wrong attempts can reduce scores sharply, increasing risk for candidates.

Overview of JEE Advanced

This table explains the important information about the JEE Advanced exam:

The UPSC CSE is India’s toughest exam with a success rate of only 0.2%. It recruits officers for the IAS, IPS, IFS, and other civil services. It is known for its vast syllabus and very low selection rate.

Why is UPSC the Toughest Exam in the World?

The UPSC Civil Services Exam is more than just an academic test. Here’s why it is regarded as the toughest exam in the world:

• Massive syllabus: It stretches across history, geography, polity, ethics, economics, current affairs, and even philosophical questions.
• Lengthy exam structure: The exam has three stages, including prelims (May), mains (October), and an interview (Jan/Feb), which takes place in a year. The main stage alone has 9 descriptive papers, and clearing each one is crucial.
• Negative marking in prelims: Even the first stage filters out lakhs of students because a single wrong guess reduces marks.
• Steep competition for IAS roles: While lakhs appear every year, only a tiny fraction secure positions like IAS, IPS, or IFS.
• Years of preparation: Many spend 2 to 3 years just preparing, and it can take an entire year for many to understand the exam’s format.
• Test of mental strength: This exam is not just about knowledge. It challenges patience, self-belief, and the ability to remain motivated despite repeated failures.
• Personal perception matters: Unlike technical exams, UPSC often asks questions that reflect your understanding of society and governance. No coaching can give you a personal worldview, which comes only from your own thinking.

Overview of UPSC Exam

Here is the table that explains the key highlights of the UPSC Civil Services Exam:

After studying MBBS in the USA, doctors must pass the USMLE exam to work in the further. It checks how well they know medicine and how they treat patients.

Why is USMLE the Toughest Exam in the World?

These challenges explain why the USMLE in the USA is so difficult to pass:

• High competition: Every year, thousands of medical graduates from the US and abroad take the exam, but only those with top scores secure residency spots in the best hospitals.
• Years of preparation: Students often prepare for 4-6 years during medical school before attempting the exam.
• Three-step format: Candidates must clear all three steps (basic sciences, clinical knowledge, and patient skills) spread over several years.
• Clinical simulations: Step 2 and Step 3 include real-life patient scenarios where candidates must make instant decisions, not just write answers.
• Strict scoring system: Even a small difference in score decides whether you get into a top residency or none at all.
• Exhaustive question length: Exams last 8-9 hours in a single day, testing both knowledge and stamina.
• Residency bottleneck: International students often score well but still struggle due to limited residency seats in the US.

Overview of USMLE

The following table shows the key information you need to know about the USMLE exam:

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The Master Sommelier Diploma Exam is one of the hardest wine exams in the world. It checks how well you know wine, drinks, and how to serve them.

Why is Master Sommelier Diploma the Toughest Exam in the World?

Here is why the Master Sommelier Diploma Exam is so difficult to crack:

• Extremely low pass rate: Since the exam began in 1969, fewer than 300 people worldwide have passed. The pass rate often stays below 10%.
• Years of training: Candidates usually spend 8-10 years studying wines, regions, grapes, service, and tasting before attempting the exam.
• Blind tasting challenge: Students must identify six wines in just 25 minutes by grape, region, vintage, and quality level, a task even experts struggle with.
• Service under pressure: The exam checks service skills with pretend diners, and even small mistakes reduce marks.
• Dynamic syllabus: The wine world keeps changing with new vintages, regions, and styles, so candidates must update their knowledge every year.

Overview of Master Sommelier Diploma Exam

Take a look at the table below that explains the main details of the Master Sommelier Diploma Exam:

The All Souls Prize Fellowship Exam takes place at the University of Oxford. It is known for its long essay questions and tough selection. Successful candidates are awarded a fellowship for seven years, with opportunities to pursue research, teaching, or other academic or non-academic careers.

Why is the All Souls Prize Fellowship the Toughest Exam in the World?

These points explain why the All Souls Prize Fellowship is seen as the toughest exam:

• Extreme competition: Only two candidates are selected each year, while hundreds apply, making the success rate close to zero.
• Unpredictable essay topics: The exam includes long essays on subjects ranging from philosophy to politics to history, without any fixed syllabus.
• Mental stamina required: Candidates write essays for hours at a stretch, demanding both deep knowledge and clear thinking under pressure.
• Depth over facts: Success depends on original ideas, critical thinking, and argument-building, not memorisation.
• High-stakes outcome: A seven-year fellowship with full academic freedom is rare, which adds to the pressure of performing flawlessly.

Overview of All Souls Prize Fellowship Exam

This table shows the main facts you should know about the All Souls Prize Fellowship exam:

ICAI CA/ICMAI CMA Exams are among the toughest professional exams in India. They demand strong analytical and accounting skills, with candidates often attempting multiple times before qualifying. Passing them opens doors to top careers in finance, taxation, and corporate advisory.

Why is ICAI CA/ICMAI CMA the Toughest Exam in the World?

Many students find these exams the hardest to clear because of the unique hurdles they bring:

• Extremely low pass percentage: The CA Final pass rate usually stays between 5% to 10%, making it one of the lowest globally. CMA exams show a similar trend.
• Multiple years of attempts: On average, students need 4-6 years to fully qualify, even though the structured course is shorter.
• Complex syllabus depth: The syllabus covers taxation, auditing, corporate laws, costing, and strategic finance, with constant updates in tax laws and accounting standards.
• No fixed attempt limit: Many aspirants appear multiple times, adding years of mental and financial pressure.
• Practical training requirement: Articleship or practical training is mandatory, which means students balance tough exam prep with demanding real-world work.
• Sheer candidate volume: Every year, over 1 million candidates register for CA and CMA exams combined, but only a small fraction reach the final qualification.

Overview of ICAI CA/ICMAI CMA

Here is a quick table that presents the main details of the ICAI CA/ICMAI CMA exams:

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The CCIE is Cisco’s highest-level certification in networking. It is known for its tough lab exam, where candidates must troubleshoot complex networks under time pressure. Very few manage to pass each year, which makes it one of the hardest IT certifications in the world.

Why is CCIE the Toughest Exam in the World?

Here are the reasons that make the CCIE exam one of the hardest certifications to achieve:

• Low pass rate: The CCIE lab exam has a pass rate of less than 3%, meaning most candidates fail on their first attempt.
• Intensive lab exam: Candidates face an 8-hour practical lab where they must configure and troubleshoot complex, enterprise-grade networks under strict time limits.
• Constantly changing syllabus: Cisco updates the exam blueprint regularly to keep up with new networking technologies like automation, security, and cloud.
• High financial cost: Each lab attempt costs about USD 1,600 (INR 1.33 L), not including travel, study material, or training, making repeated attempts financially draining.
• Global benchmark status: Many IT firms consider CCIE holders as top-tier experts, which raises the competition level among professionals worldwide.

Overview of CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert)

You can understand the scope of the CCIE exam better with this snapshot of its key details:

Mensa International is the world’s largest and oldest high-IQ society, founded in 1946 in England. It accepts members who score in the top 2% on approved intelligence tests and today has more than 150,000 members across 90+ countries.

Why is Mensa International the Toughest Exam in the World?

Here are the reasons that make Mensa International one of the hardest exams to clear:

• Ultra-high benchmark: Only those who score in the top 2% of IQ tests can qualify, which naturally eliminates 98% of candidates.
• No fixed preparation route: Unlike academic exams, Mensa does not have a set syllabus, so candidates cannot rely on textbooks or coaching.
• Cognitive test style: The exam checks logic, abstract reasoning, memory, and pattern recognition, skills that cannot be memorised or crammed.
• Global competition: Over 100,000 people apply annually worldwide, but only a fraction achieve the required percentile.
• Mental pressure: Since results depend purely on intellectual ability, candidates often face immense anxiety about whether their natural aptitude is enough.

Overview of Mensa International

Here’s a simple table that lays out the essential details of the Mensa International test:

The CFA exam is one of the hardest finance qualifications in the world. It tests deep knowledge of investment management, accounting, economics, and ethics, making it a benchmark for financial professionals globally. 

The GMAT helps MBA aspirants who want to study abroad show their skills in math, English, and analytical writing.

Why is CFA the Toughest Exam in the World?

Here’s what makes the CFA extremely challenging and one of the toughest exams for candidates:

• Three-level structure: Candidates must clear Level I, II, and III sequentially, each with increasing difficulty and complexity.
• Low pass rates: Historically, pass rates range from 40% to 50% per level, and very few complete all three levels on the first attempt.
• Extensive syllabus: Covers financial reporting, equity analysis, portfolio management, economics, and ethics, requiring both breadth and depth of knowledge.
• Years of preparation: On average, candidates spend 4 to 5 years to fully complete all three levels while balancing work commitments.
• Exam format challenges: Each level uses multiple-choice, item sets, and essay-style questions, testing analytical and applied knowledge.
• Global competition: CFA is recognised worldwide, with over 300,000 candidates taking exams each year, making it highly competitive.

Overview of CFA

This table summarises the key facts and important information about the CFA exam:

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The table below compares some of the world’s toughest exams with their closest Indian equivalents. It helps you quickly understand which Indian exams match the difficulty and focus of these international tests:

Exams can be a challenging aspect of being a student or working, but getting good marks can help you gain admission to reputable universities and jobs across the globe. If you are a study-abroad aspirant, you must take several exams along the way. For admission to varied programs, the majority of institutions in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and elsewhere need language proficiency test results (like the IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, or Duolingo), entrance exams (like the GRE, GMAT, USMLE, or LSAT), and other qualifying exams.

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