NEET UG 5th among world's largest exams, Gaokao tops list with 1.29 crore
India's National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) is among the world's largest examinations, with around 25 lakh students taking the exam, according to a State Bank of India Research report.
Based on candidate volumes, NEET UG would rank fifth globally. China's Gaokao tops the list with 1.29 crore candidates, followed by Brazil's ENEM with 48 lakh, China's Guokao civil-service exam with 37 lakh, and China's national master's entrance exam with 34 lakh.
Turkiye's YKS has around 24 lakh candidates, Nigeria's UTME around 22 lakh, and the US/international SAT around 20 lakh.ExaminationCountryApproximate candidatesPurposeGaokaoChina1.29 croreHigher-education selectionENEMBrazil48 lakhSchool assessment and higher-education accessGuokaoChina37 lakhCivil-service recruitmentYKSTurkiye24 lakhHigher-education selectionUTMENigeria22 lakhHigher-education admissionSATUS/international20 lakhHigher-education admissionsSSC/ equivalentBangladesh18 lakhSchool examinationACTUS14 lakhHigher-education admissionsHSC/equivalentBangladesh12 lakhSchool examinationNEET-UGIndia25 lakhMedical education admissionJEE MainIndia10 lakhEngineering education admissionUPSC CSEIndia12 lakhCivil services recruitmentUPSC NETIndia8 lakhEligibility for higher education/academic careers
The new SBI Research report, titled The State of Higher Education in India since 2014: A decade of proliferation with empowerment of women & marginalised sections, compares major exams and suggests lessons for India.
In 2026, 12.90 million candidates registered for Gaokao. It was conducted across 7,981 centres with 3.48 lakh examination rooms and 21,000 reserve rooms. More than 14,000 candidates with disabilities received accommodations.
The report highlights its security arrangements, including secure printing facilities, 24-hour surveillance, armoured and GPS-tracked vehicles for transporting question papers, police escorts, and monitored, steel-reinforced storage. Candidates undergo identity and prohibited-item checks, while centres are under video surveillance. Departments also coordinate for traffic, noise control, food, health and weather contingencies.
The report does not present Gaokao as failure-proof, but notes lessons in accountable custody of material, pre-planned remedies, transparent marking, redress mechanisms and evidence-based evaluation.WHAT INDIA CAN LEARN FROM THESE EXAMS
The comparison comes as India grapples with conducting large-scale exams securely and transparently.
The report notes the National Testing Agency (NTA) remains a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. By July 2024, it had conducted more than 240 exams involving over 5.4 crore candidates.
Of 194 disclosed personnel, 171 were contractual or outsourced, accounting for around 88 per cent.
Against this backdrop, SBI Research recommends giving NTA a stronger statutory framework through an NTA Act of Parliament. It proposes an expert board, a permanent professional team, independent review mechanisms, a candidate charter and greater public accountability- EndsRead | Two nations, two exam crises: India's integrity problem, China's obsessionRead | China's dig at India over NEET row as embassy flaunts glitch-free Gaokao exam
