UPSC Or IIT JEE: Anand Mahindra’s Take On India’s Toughest Exam
Renowned industrialist and chairperson of Mahindra and Mahindra group Anand Mahindra sparked a thought-provoking discussion on India”s education system, particularly regarding the perceived difficulty of entrance exams. In a recent tweet, Mahindra shared insights gained from conversations after watching the award winning Vidhu Vinod Chopra film “12th Fail” that covered the struggles of a person who ventured out to clear UPSC Civil Services exam, and engaging with young minds about the toughness of entrance exams.
Highlighting the perspective of a startup entrepreneur and IIT graduate who also attempted the UPSC exam, Mahindra expressed surprise as the individual emphatically asserted that the UPSC exam surpasses the famed IIT JEE in terms of difficulty. This revelation prompted Mahindra to question the commonly held perception of these exams and whether a reevaluation of their ranking is warranted.
Referring to “The World Ranking,” Mahindra pointed out the current hierarchy of the “Top Toughest Exams in the World.” According to this list, the IIT JEE exam is positioned second, with the UPSC exam following closely in third place. Mahindra”s pondering raises intriguing questions about the rigor of these assessments and their place in the global context.
After seeing #12thFail I checked around and spoke to a number of young people about the relative difficulty of our entrance exams.
One of them was a graduate of IIT who is involved in a business startup but who has also taken the UPSC exam.
He stated EMPHATICALLY that UPSC is… https://t.co/NvGTIHWkrz
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) February 4, 2024
According to some reports, more than 10 lakh candidates apply for less than 1000 vacancies in an year for the UPSC Civil Services exam which is being conducted to fill the vacancies in India’s top services like IAS, IPS and IFS.
IIT JEE Advanced is held by the IIT Council of Indian Institutes of Technology as an entrance examination to for the admission to various undergraduate courses. Students who score highest marks in the first phase of IIT JEE – IIT Main – participate in IIT JEE Advanced examination.
