We’ve all been there. You spend months – or even years – studying for an exam, only to turn over the question paper and discover that it has been written in an apparently alien language, discussing topics that have never even danced across one’s memory. However, after some profuse sweating and maybe a few tears, the mortal panic starts to subside and familiar words begin to drift into view; the brain whirs into life, and a torrent of crammed knowledge can finally be unburdened onto the paper. It’s a terrifying enough process even when someone knows their subject, so we certainly don’t envy the thousands of people that sit the world’s hardest exams.
10. Indian Engineering Services Examination
Anyone who wants to work in an engineering role for the Indian government better have a voraciously competitive streak. The Indian Engineering Services (IES) exam is widely regarded as the toughest in India, with the number of candidates outweighing the number of available jobs by a staggering margin. In 2010, for example, 157,649 hopeful candidates competed for just 434 vacant positions. The exam itself consists of a two-part written test spanning 12 hours plus an interview-format personality test. While the number of available engineering posts was said to have risen to up to 763 in 2013, we’re still not sure we’d fancy our chances with this one.
9. Mensa Admission Test
Only a select few will do well in the admission test for Mensa, the oldest and biggest high IQ organization on the planet. In order to become a member of the society, applicants simply need to prove that they have an IQ in at least the 98th percentile of the general population, by way of an approved IQ-testing procedure. Though membership does not confer the same benefits or advantages as some of the other exams on our list, individuals get to join an elite and incredibly smart club. Interestingly, Christina Brown became a member of U.S. Mensa at the terrifyingly young age of two years and eight months, while the oldest person belonging to American Mensa is 102.
8. Chartered Financial Analyst Exam
The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam – which has been dubbed Wall Street’s hardest test – sees less than a fifth of entrants pass on their first attempt. There are actually three separate exams (levels I, II and III), which must be passed in order. The first two are multiple-choice format tests, while the third features essay questions as well as further multiple-choice sections. Only two types of calculator are permitted in the exam, and the level II and III tests are held on a single day once a year, so it’s a long wait for a retake should examinees fail – which, statistically at least, they are likely to do.
7. California Bar Exam
Gruelling questions and ultra-low pass rates are two of the most obvious hallmarks of a tough exam, but when an administrative body is sued for its exams being “unnecessarily difficult,” it’s safe to assume that its tests are no walk in the park. And that’s precisely what happened to the State Bar of California, albeit in 1934. The lawsuit was unsuccessful, but the state’s bar exam retains its fearful reputation to this day, and it is widely regarded as one of the most difficult of its kind in the U.S. The exam is split over three days and consists of 18 hours of essay questions and performance tests. Moreover, its pass rate oscillates between 35 and 55 percent, which is consistently the lowest in the country.
6. Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert Exam
Introduced in 1993, the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification is recognized as perhaps the foremost qualification in the networking industry. Attaining the certification is no mean feat, with a two-stage exam process for which the typical candidate will spend a minimum of 18 months preparing. The first part of the exam is a two-hour written test, featuring 90 to 110 questions, which currently costs $350 to enter and will provide an immediate pass or fail result. The fortunate recipients of a pass then become eligible to spend a further $1,500 on the second part of the program, an eight-hour hands-on lab exam. Fewer than 1 percent of networking professionals hold the qualification, which gives some insight into the toughness of the exam.
5. Malaysia Certificate in Legal Practice Exam
As its name suggests, Malaysia’s Certificate in Legal Practice is one of the qualifications that enables the holder to become a qualified lawyer in the country. The test is conducted annually and requires candidates to complete five papers on subjects including professional practice, evidence and criminal procedure; all five must be successfully passed before the certificate is awarded. Since the exam’s launch in 1984, the pass rate (excluding re-sits) has plunged from near 80 percent in its first year to 26.63 percent in 2012 – testament, it would seem, to the exam’s incredible difficulty levels. The lowest ever pass rate was actually in 2001, where it bottomed out at below 20 percent.
4. Gaokao
China’s National Higher Education Entrance Examination, also known as Gaokao, is the main exam sat by the country’s students who wish to go to college. The test is so important that building work is suspended, the areas around schools are cordoned off by police, and flights are diverted so as to minimize noise. The Olympic torch relay was even rerouted during the 2008 Beijing Olympics to avoid any distractions. Pressure on the high school students sitting the exam is immense and has been associated with fainting, depression and increased youth suicide rates in China. In 2012 reports even emerged of students at one school apparently getting intravenous amino acid drips to help their concentration while studying for the exam.
3. All Souls College Examination Fellowship
Comprised of a written exam of four three-hour papers, the Fellowship Examination at Oxford University’s All Souls College is widely regarded as one of the toughest tests in the world. Perhaps part of that reputation stems from the notorious fifth paper, in which candidates were required to write an essay response to a single word. This element of the exam was dropped in 2010, but the test remains daunting, with just two successful candidates from the 50-plus field in any year. Successful students receive free lodgings, a salary or stipend, and usually have their tuition fees paid for them, so for some it’s probably worth all the anguish. However, with past exam questions having included “Did the left or the right win the twentieth century?” and “Is gardening art?” you might need an imaginative streak as well as knowledge in order to succeed. And who knows? That nightmarish fifth paper may be re-introduced in the future.
2. Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination
The Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) was until recently the bane of around 500,000 Indian engineering students’ academic lives. The annual entrance exam for India’s more prestigious engineering colleges saw its half a million candidates competing for just 10,000 college places. It originally debuted in 1960 and has come to exert such a strong influence on contemporary Indian society that coaching for the exam is itself a multi-billion-rupee industry. Incredibly, some tuition classes even have entrance exams of their own. In 2013 the IIT-JEE was switched for a common exam covering entrance to a wider range of colleges, but whether it’s any easier remains to be seen.
1. Master Sommelier Diploma Exam
The first Master Sommelier Diploma exam took place in 1969 in the U.K. Since then, a mere 202 candidates have made the grade to ascend to the wine world’s highest professional tier. Before the exam can even be taken, three other levels of qualification – introductory, certified and advanced – need to be attained, with pass rates for the advanced test usually no more than 30 percent. The Master Sommelier Diploma exam itself is split into three sections: an oral theory test, a blind tasting and a practical wine service test. Each section costs $795 to enter, and while failed tests can be retaken, all three sections must be passed within a three-year window, otherwise it’s back to square one. Furthermore, if that wasn’t tough enough, the test is said to be getting harder, with just one of 70 U.S. candidates emerging triumphant from an exam that took place in
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I like the "One Word" exam paper. 'The Word is "Bird". ' Now you have 4 hours. lol
