NEET UG is world's fifth-largest exam with about 25 lakh candidates, says SBI Research report
A State Bank of India research report ranks NEET UG fifth globally by candidates and calls for a statutory NTA Act to strengthen the National Testing Agency.
NEET UG, India's medical admission test, has been ranked the world's fifth-largest examination by number of candidates, with about 25 lakh sitting it. The finding is in the State Bank of India (SBI) research report "The State of Higher Education in India".
The report compares major examinations in India and several other countries. China's Gaokao tops the list, with about 1.29 crore candidates, according to SBI Research data.
Brazil's ENEM follows with about 48 lakh candidates. China's Guokao civil service exam draws about 30 lakh and China's National Master's Degree Entrance Examination about 34 lakh. NEET UG comes fifth with about 25 lakh candidates. It is followed by Turkiye's YKS with about 24 lakh, Nigeria's UTME with 22 lakh and the SAT with about 20 lakh.
The report says several other Indian examinations also draw large numbers: about 25 lakh for NEET UG, about 12 lakh for the UPSC civil services recruitment examination, about 10 lakh for JEE Main, the engineering admission test, and about 8 lakh for UGC Net, the eligibility test linked to higher education.
SBI Research also describes how the Gaokao is organised in China. About 1.29 crore candidates registered for it in 2026. The examination was held at 7,981 centres across the country, with 3.48 lakh examination rooms and 21,050 reserved rooms. Special facilities were provided for candidates with disabilities.
Exam security relies on a secure printing facility, round-the-clock CCTV surveillance, armoured vehicles tracked by GPS to carry question papers, police protection and secure storage. Students' identities are checked strictly at the centres, as are prohibited items. Attention is also paid during the exam to traffic management, noise control, food and health safety, and the weather.
Given this experience of conducting large examinations, the report says some changes are needed in India's examination system. The National Testing Agency (NTA) is currently a body registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. By July 2024, the NTA had conducted more than 240 examinations in which over 5.4 crore candidates took part.
On the NTA's staff, the report says about 18 per cent of all employees were on contract or outsourced. SBI Research has recommended that Parliament enact an "NTA Act" to give the agency a stronger legal framework.
