Young minds aspire as high as the sky. As limitless as that can be, students' most common aspiration is to pursue engineering and medicine careers. The first milestone of this journey is to achieve ranking in either the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) or the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) depending on your choice of pursuit. These exams open doors to the most prestigious universities such as the IITs, NITs, AIIMS, and top medical and engineering colleges nationwide. Your performance in these examinations will depend on your thorough understanding of these exams. 

What is JEE?

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is an assessment conducted for entry into various engineering programmes in colleges across India. There are two levels of JEE, JEE-Main and JEE-Advanced. 

The admission process for several institutes such as the 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), 31 National Institutes of Technology (NITs) 25 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and other Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs) depends on the student’s ranking in the JEE-Main or JEE-Advanced examination. 

What is the difference between JEE-Main and JEE-Advanced? 

JEE-Main has 2 papers and is conducted by the National Testing Agency. Students can sit on either one or both of the papers. Paper 1 is for admission to B.E./B.Tech courses and contain multiple-choice questions in a Computer-based test mode. Paper 2 is to evaluate students for admission to B.Arch and B.Planning courses which is also a Computer-based test apart from the Drawing Test which is a pen and paper model offline examination. 

As of the year 2020, an additional paper 3 has been introduced for B.Planning courses separately. JEE-Main has a fixed exam structure of 25 questions per subject with 20 single-choice questions and 5 numerical-type questions. Correct answers are awarded 4 marks while wrong answers lead to a deduction of 1 mark. Unattempted questions carry no value.

If you aspire to get into one of the prestigious IITs, IISc Bangalore, IIST Thiruvananthapuram, Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISERs) or Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGPIT), then JEE-Advance is mandatory. The exam is conducted by any one of the IITs every year through a round-robin method. Only the top 250,000 students of JEE-Main qualify to appear for the JEE-Advanced examination.

What is NEET?

National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) or NEET (UG) was formerly known as the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT). As the name suggests, the exam is for students who want to take up undergraduate medical (MBBS), dental (BDS), and AYUSH (BAMS, BUMS, BHMS, etc.) courses in government and private institutions in the country.

The exam, like JEE, is conducted by the National Testing Agency. The results are then sent to the Directorate General of Health Services under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and State Counselling Authorities for seat allocation. 

NEET (UG) is one of the largest exams with a very high number of applicants in the country. The structure of the NEET exam has 2 sections. Section A consists of 35 mandatory questions while Section B consists of 15 questions out of which 10 should be answered.

Main Differences between JEE and NEET

Which exam is easier to crack, JEE or NEET?

Both JEE and NEET are extremely challenging entry-level examinations in undergraduate courses. The NEET exam is said to have potentially easier questions compared to JEE-Main. However, due to the scarcity of seats in medical institutes, the overall difficulty level of the exam seems increased. The distinct contrast in the availability of seats between medical and engineering colleges makes NEET seem more challenging. 

To put into perspective the difficulty of the questions themselves, JEE-Main emerges as the least difficult, NEET falls in the middle and JEE-Advance is seen as the most challenging. 

The factors that contribute to the difficult perceptions of the exams are annual frequency and limited seat availability.

If I prepare for NEET, would that help me for JEE?

Both NEET and JEE-Main/JEE-Advance have physics and chemistry concurrently. However, JEE explores physics on a deeper level and hence questions in physics in JEE-Advance delve into a deeper understanding of concepts. Albeit, the syllabus for physics and chemistry remains the same for both NEET and JEE. While you can combine preparation for common topics, it is good to keep in mind that the focus of physics and chemistry might be deeper in JEE-Advance than in NEET.

JEE and NEET are both crucial exams and important milestones in the educational journey of candidates. There is no battle won without complete dedication, focused preparation and concentration. Multitasking is a key trait that students should inculcate in themselves when they aim for success. Optimism, positivity and self-confidence will get you through the tumultuous phase of any examination.