25 lakh candidates make NEET UG world's fifth-largest exam

India's National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) has emerged as one of the world's largest competitive examinations, drawing around 25 lakh candidates, according to a new State Bank of India (SBI) Research report.

The scale places NEET UG fifth among the world's largest examinations by candidate volume, according to the report. China's Gaokao leads the list with 1.29 crore candidates, followed by Brazil's ENEM with 48 lakh, China's national civil-service examination, Guokao, with 37 lakh, and China's national master's entrance examination with 34 lakh.

Other large examinations include Türkiye's YKS, with around 24 lakh candidates, Nigeria's UTME with 22 lakh and the SAT, taken in the US and internationally, with around 20 lakh candidates.

How India's major exams compare globally

The SBI Research report, titled The State of Higher Education in India since 2014: A decade of proliferation with empowerment of women & marginalised sections, compares India's major examinations with large-scale tests conducted in countries including China, Brazil, Türkiye and Nigeria.

Beyond comparing numbers, the report examines how countries manage examinations involving millions of candidates and identifies practices that could strengthen India's examination system.

Gaokao shows the scale of mass testing

China's Gaokao, the country's national college entrance examination, registered 12.90 million candidates in 2026. The examination was conducted across 7,981 centres, covering 3.48 lakh examination rooms and 21,000 reserve rooms.

The scale is matched by extensive logistical and security arrangements. The SBI report notes that more than 14,000 candidates with disabilities received examination accommodations.

Security measures include secure printing facilities, round-the-clock surveillance, armoured and GPS-tracked vehicles for transporting question papers, police escorts and monitored, reinforced storage facilities.

Candidates undergo identity verification and checks for prohibited items, while examination centres are placed under video surveillance. Authorities also coordinate traffic management, noise control, food, healthcare and contingency arrangements for weather-related disruptions.

The report does not suggest that Gaokao is immune to problems. Instead, it points to broader lessons for India, particularly around secure custody of examination material, advance planning for contingencies, transparent evaluation, grievance redressal and accountability.

India's examination system faces a different scale of challenge

The comparison assumes significance as India continues to conduct several examinations involving millions of candidates each year, including NEET UG, JEE Main and examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission.

The SBI Research report notes that the National Testing Agency (NTA) continues to operate as a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

By July 2024, the agency had conducted more than 240 examinations involving over 5.4 crore candidates, according to government data cited in the report.

The report also highlights concerns around the agency's staffing structure. Of 194 disclosed personnel, 171 were contractual or outsourced, accounting for about 88% of the workforce.

For an organisation responsible for examinations involving millions of students and aspirants, the report argues that institutional capacity and accountability need to keep pace with the scale of its responsibilities.

SBI Research proposes a stronger framework for NTA

Against this backdrop, SBI Research recommends placing the NTA on a stronger statutory footing through an NTA Act of Parliament.

The report proposes an expert-led governing board, a permanent professional workforce and independent review mechanisms. It also calls for a candidate charter, stronger grievance-redressal systems and greater public accountability.

The global comparison therefore goes beyond the sheer number of candidates. It highlights how the growing scale of India's competitive examinations requires examination bodies to build systems that can handle not only massive candidate volumes but also security, technology, staffing, transparency and candidate grievances with greater institutional strength.

For millions of students whose education and careers depend on a single examination, the report's central focus is clear: the credibility of a mass examination depends not only on conducting it at scale, but also on ensuring that every stage of the process is secure, transparent and accountable.