5 Toughest Exams in The World

3. IES 

Difficulty level: 4.8

The Indian Engineering Services (IES) is a prestigious group of civil services that cater to engineering and technical roles within the government of India. Conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, the IES exam is widely regarded as one of the most challenging and competitive engineering exams in the country. What makes it tougher to crack is the intense level of competition. Each year, a large number of candidates vie for a limited number of vacancies. In fact, the competition ratio for IES is approximately 1:300, indicating that for every available vacancy, around 300 candidates compete for it. This fierce competition sets the IES exam apart from other engineering exams, including the GATE exam.