Almost every flagship undergraduate path in India is gated by a national entrance exam. Knowing which exams exist — and which combination fits your target careers — is half the strategy. This guide organises the major exams stream by stream, with what each one unlocks.
Exact dates and patterns change from year to year; always confirm the current schedule on the official conducting body’s website. Beneath The Wings members get curated exam notifications and study materials in the Resources section.
Engineering & technology
- JEE Main — conducted by NTA; gateway to NITs, IIITs, and centrally funded institutes, and the qualifier for JEE Advanced.
- JEE Advanced — for admission to the IITs; requires qualifying JEE Main.
- BITSAT — for BITS Pilani, Goa, and Hyderabad campuses.
- State CETs (e.g., MHT-CET, KCET, WBJEE, EAMCET) — for state engineering colleges.
- VITEEE, SRMJEEE, and other private university entrances.
Medical & allied health
- NEET-UG — the single national entrance for MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, and veterinary seats.
- INI-CET / AIIMS pathways operate at postgraduate level; undergraduate AIIMS admission is via NEET-UG.
- Nursing, pharmacy, and physiotherapy admissions run via NEET in some states and separate university exams in others.
Central & general universities
- CUET-UG — the common entrance for central universities (Delhi University, BHU, JNU, Jamia and many more) across arts, science, and commerce programmes.
- IISER Aptitude Test (IAT) — for the IISERs’ BS-MS research programmes.
- ISI Admission Test and CMI entrance — for statistics and mathematics degrees.
Law
- CLAT — for the National Law Universities’ 5-year integrated law programmes.
- AILET — for NLU Delhi specifically.
- SLAT, LSAT-India, and MH-CET Law — for private and state law colleges.
Management & commerce
- IPMAT — 5-year Integrated Programme in Management at IIM Indore and IIM Rohtak.
- CUET-UG — for B.Com (Hons) and Economics (Hons) at central universities.
- SET, NPAT, and Christ University entrance — for leading private BBA programmes.
- CA Foundation and CSEET — entry exams for the CA and CS professional tracks.
Design, architecture & creative fields
- NID DAT — for the National Institutes of Design.
- NIFT entrance — for fashion design and technology programmes.
- UCEED — for B.Des at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad and IIITDM Jabalpur; open to all streams.
- NATA and JEE Main Paper 2 — for B.Arch (architecture).
Defence & services
- NDA (via UPSC) — for the National Defence Academy after class 12; now open to women candidates.
- Agnipath/Agniveer entry schemes — for soldier-level entry into the armed forces.
- Coast Guard and merchant navy entrance routes (IMU CET for maritime university programmes).
Hospitality & others
- NCHM JEE — for hotel management institutes under the National Council.
- ICAR AIEEA — for agriculture and allied science degrees.
- CUET remains the catch-all for dozens of other university programmes.
How to build your exam strategy
- Shortlist target careers first — exams are means, not goals. A psychometric assessment plus counselling narrows the field.
- Map every exam that gates your shortlisted paths, including one backup tier (state CETs, private university exams).
- Check eligibility early — subject requirements (e.g., Maths for certain courses) are fixed at class 11 subject selection.
- Build a single calendar of application windows and exam dates from official sources, and revisit it monthly.
- Balance depth vs breadth — preparing seriously for two related exams beats preparing thinly for five unrelated ones.
Not sure what fits you best? Find out scientifically.
Take the Beneath The Wings psychometric assessment and sit down with an expert counsellor — online from anywhere in India, or in person in Gurugram & Delhi NCR.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which are the biggest entrance exams in India after 12th?
By registration volume, the largest are NEET-UG (medical), JEE Main (engineering), and CUET-UG (central universities). CLAT (law), NDA (defence), and NIFT/NID/UCEED (design) lead their respective fields.
Can I prepare for two entrance exams at once?
Yes, if they overlap in syllabus — JEE Main + BITSAT, or NEET + state medical CETs pair naturally. Combining unrelated exams (say JEE + CLAT) splits preparation badly; choose based on a clear career decision first.
Where do I find official exam dates and notifications?
Always use the official conducting body websites — nta.ac.in for JEE/NEET/CUET, consortiumofnlus.ac.in for CLAT, upsc.gov.in for NDA. Beneath The Wings members also receive curated notifications in the Resources section.
Do design entrances require a Science background?
No. UCEED, NID DAT, and NIFT are open to students from all streams. B.Arch (NATA/JEE Paper 2) does require Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in class 12.
How do I decide which exams are right for me?
Work backwards from careers, not forwards from exams. A psychometric assessment identifies your best-fit career clusters; a counsellor then maps the minimal set of exams that gate those paths, plus a backup tier.