India exams: What you need to know about competitive tests, coaching, and careers

When you talk about India exams, high-stakes academic and professional tests that determine career paths for millions of students across the country. Also known as competitive exams in India, they aren’t just about memorizing facts—they’re about endurance, strategy, and timing. Whether you’re aiming for an IIT JEE, the entrance exam for India’s top engineering institutes, preparing for NEET, the medical entrance test that opens doors to MBBS seats, or chasing a top government job, like IAS or IFS, which offer high salaries and social status, these exams are the gatekeepers. And they’re not easy. They demand months, sometimes years, of focused effort, often in high-pressure coaching hubs like Kota or Delhi.

What most people don’t tell you is that success isn’t just about how many hours you study—it’s about what you study, where you study, and who you learn from. A NEET teacher in a small town might earn ₹15,000 a month, while one in a top coaching center can pull in over ₹1.5 lakh. The same goes for IIT admissions: IIT Bombay has the highest cutoffs, especially for Computer Science, and home state quotas play a big role in who gets in. Meanwhile, an MBA doesn’t require advanced math—it’s about using basic numbers to make smart business calls. And if you’re thinking about government jobs, the Indian Foreign Service and Indian Administrative Service lead in pay, with top officers earning over ₹4 lakh a month including perks.

The real challenge? These exams don’t end when the paper is done. The pressure starts in school, ramps up in coaching centers, and continues long after you get a rank or admit card. Engineering, medicine, and Chartered Accountancy are called the toughest degrees—not because they’re hard to understand, but because they demand relentless discipline. And with eLearning platforms and online coaching on the rise, you don’t need to move to a big city anymore. But you still need a plan, the right resources, and the mental strength to keep going when others quit.

Below, you’ll find real, no-fluff guides on what it actually takes to crack these exams. From how many hours to practice coding if you’re balancing it with NEET prep, to which cities offer the best coaching for IIT or NEET, to what salaries you can expect after an MBA or government job—you’ll see the numbers, the trade-offs, and the truths that most blogs skip. This isn’t about motivation quotes. It’s about what works, what doesn’t, and what you need to know before you start.