How difficult is it to become a doctor or an engineer in India?

Stude t
p otest
i
Ja ta
Ma ta
(
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Fo
a
ve y
lo g
time,
a yo e
co side ed
pa ticula ly
good
at
studies
i
I dia
was
almost
automatically
tipped
to
become
a
docto
o
a
e gi ee .

3
Idiots
made
a
joke
of
that
atio al
fixatio
yea s
ago,
showi g
a
wo ld
i
which
pa e ts
a d
p ofesso s
seemed
co vi ced
they
k ew
what
success
ought
to
look
like.Alte ative
st eams
of
educatio
have
slowly
gai ed
popula ity
si ce
the .
The
ace
to
become
a
docto
o
e gi ee ,
howeve ,
has
ha dly
become
easie .
As
the
pool
of
aspi a ts
expa ds
beyo d
the
met os,
competitio
fo
a
coveted
seat
has
o ly
become
ha de .
Ma y
tuitio
ce t es,
almost
like
facto ies,
i
Kota
a d
othe
places
t ai
stude ts
igo ously
to
pass
these
coveted
exams.The
May
3
NEET-UG
exami atio
was
ca celled
afte
the
pape -leak
co t ove sy
a d
ea ly
20
lakh
ca didates
etu ed
fo
a
e-exami atio
o
Ju e
21.
The
a ge
t avelled
f om
coachi g
ooms
to
Ja ta
Ma ta
a d
towa ds
Pa liame t,
p opelled
by
the
youth-led
Cock oach
Ja ta
Pa ty.
Dha me d a
P adha
esig ed
as
educatio
mi iste
o
July
25.
The
CBI
cha gesheet
has
si ce
amed
13
accused,
i cludi g
th ee
subject
expe ts
associated
with
NTA,
while
CJP
has
dema ded
that
the
testi g
age cy
itself
be
eplaced.
Simila
p otests
ove
exam
leaks
have
ow
e upted
i
Jha kha d.The
a ge
that
e upted
at
Ja ta
Ma ta
afte
the
leak
is
me ely
a
eflectio
of
the
deepe
a xiety
ove
competitio
fo
quality
jobs
a d
the
yea i g
fo
a
st o ge
CV,
which
fo
ma y
begi s
with
studyi g
at
a
hallowed
i stitutio .
How
difficult,
the ,
is
it
to
get
i to
a
top-tie
e gi ee i g
o
medical
college
i
I dia?

The
IIT-NIT
fu el

E gi ee i g
he e
mea s
the
oute
to
the
cou t y’s
most
sought-afte
public
e gi ee i g
i stitutio s,
pa ticula ly
the
IITs
a d
NITs,
ot
eve y
e gi ee i g
college.

The
pathways
a e
slightly
diffe e t.
JEE
Mai
is
the
di ect
gateway
to
the
31
NITs
pa ticipati g
i
JoSAA
2026,
while
it
also
acts
as
the
sc ee i g
stage
fo
ca didates
hopi g
to
each
the
IITs
th ough
JEE
Adva ced.NTA
eco ded
15,38,468
u ique
ca didates
appea i g
fo
JEE
Mai
2026.
Of
the
1,87,389
who
egiste ed
fo
JEE
Adva ced,
1,79,694
appea ed
i
both
pape s
a d
56,880
qualified.
The
JoSAA
2026
mat ix
p ovides
18,826

IIT
seats.Put
a othe
way,
the
o igi al
Mai
ca didate
pool
is
oughly
82
times
the
umbe
of
IIT
seats.
Eve
afte
eachi g
JEE
Adva ced,
the e
we e
9.5
test-take s
a d
almost
exactly
th ee
qualifie s
fo
eve y
IIT
place.

How
competitive
is
the
field

Not
eve y
JEE
Mai
ca didate
is
a
se ious
IIT
co te de ,
so
the
82-to-o e
compa iso
is
la gely
academic.
It
is
a
measu e
of
the
scale
of
the
field,
ot
a
i dividual’s
admissio
p obability.
Seats
a e
allocated
ac oss
catego ies
a d
othe
ese vatio
ules.
But
i
both
IITs
a d
NITs,
the
fight
is
ot
o ly
fo
a
seat,
but
also
fo
a
p efe ed
st eam
a d
college.I te est
i
admissio
wa es
co side ably
as
o e
goes
dow
the
value
chai .
That
disti ctio
becomes
clea e
whe
o e
looks
at
the
est
of
I dia’s
e gi ee i g
system.
The
latest
Rajya
Sabha
disclosu e
by
the
mi ist y
states
that
BTech/BE
e olme t
i
AICTE-app oved
i stitutio s
ose
to
13.56
lakh
i
2025-26.
Yet
addi g
up
the
state-wise
vaca cies
i
the
same
a exu e
p oduces
2,52,914
empty
seats.
I
the
same
yea ,
67
AICTE-app oved
e gi ee i g
a d
tech ology
i stitutio s
applied
fo
closu e
o
we e
listed
as
closed.
So
I dia
does
ot
lack
e gi ee i g
seats.
What
it
lacks
a e
the
seats
stude ts
value
most
i
IITs,
top
NITs
a d
othe
highly
sought-afte
i stitutio s.

What
gove me t
told
i
Pa liame t

The
e gi ee i g
ace
does
ot
ecessa ily
e d
with
a
BTech
fo
all.
Fo
those
aimi g
fo
a
MTech
f om
a
IIT,
NIT
o
a othe
p emie
i stitutio ,
GATE
becomes
a othe
competitive
gate.The
umbe s
a e
substa tial.
I
GATE
2026,
2,11,020
ca didates
appea ed
fo
the
Compute
Scie ce
a d
I fo matio
Tech ology
pape ,
while
95,752
appea ed
fo
Elect o ics
a d
Commu icatio ,
76,385
fo
Civil
E gi ee i g
a d
69,242
fo
Data
Scie ce
a d
A tificial
I tellige ce.Those
figu es
ca ot
simply
be
co ve ted
i to
applica ts-pe -MTech-seat
atios.
Ca didates
ca
sit
mo e
tha
o e
GATE
pape .
Fo
NITs,
the
pool
is
still
b oade .
CCMT
2026
accepts
valid
GATE
sco es
f om
2024,
2025
a d
2026.
So
ca didates
fo
these
seats
ca
effectively
be
competi g
with
mo e
tha
o e
yea ‘s
GATE
coho t.
Howeve ,
suffice
to
say,
the
odds
a e
tough
fo
aspi a ts.

Medici e
has
its
ow
hie a chy

Medical
educatio
u s
o
the
same
p efe e ce
fo
high-value
seats.
Fo
the
valid
Ju e
21
NEET
e-exami atio ,
22,79,743
ca didates
we e
egiste ed,
19,99,895
appea ed
a d
11,21,185
qualified.
The
ca cellatio
itself
affected
the
de omi ato ,
with
2,79,848
egiste ed
ca didates
ot
sitti g
the
e-test.Agai st
this
pool,
the
NMC’s
July
mat ix
lists
1,36,939
MBBS
seats
fo
2026-27,
excludi g
I stitutes
of
Natio al
Impo ta ce
such
as
AIIMS.
The
NEET
test-take
pool
is
about
14.6
times
the
listed
MBBS
capacity,
while
the
umbe
of
qualified
ca didates
is
about
8.2
times
the
capacity.
These
a e
b oad
atio al
compa iso s,
ot
i dividual
admissio
odds,
si ce
seats
a e
divided
ac oss
quotas,
catego ies
a d
state
eligibility
ules.
But
the
headli e
umbe
co ceals
a othe
hie a chy.Of
those
1,36,939
NMC-listed
seats,
63,296
a e
i
gove me t
colleges
a d
73,643
a e
p ivate.
P ivate
colleges
accou t
fo
about
54%
of
the
listed
capacity.
If
we
compa e
the
NEET
e-test
pool
o ly
with
NMC-listed
gove me t
seats,
the
ca didate
pool
is
oughly
31.6
times
the
available
gove me t
capacity.

Level
of
competitio

Gove me t
seats
a e
p ized
because
of
substa tially
g eate
affo dability,
the
eputatio
of
established
i stitutio s
a d,
i
ma y
la ge
public
hospitals,
the
p ospect
of
exte sive
cli ical
exposu e.
This
yea ‘s
expa sio
makes
that
disti ctio
sha pe .
NMC
app oved
9,911
additio al
MBBS
seats
fo
2026-27.
Of
these,
7,800
a e
p ivate
a d
o ly
2,111
gove me t.

Skewed
atu e
of
g owth
of
MBBA
seats

Nea ly
fou
out
of
eve y
five
ewly
app oved
seats
we e
added
o
the
p ivate
side.
So
medici e
a d
e gi ee i g
a e
mo e
alike
tha
they
look.
I
both,
the
eal
co test
is
i c easi gly
ove
which
seat,
i
which
i stitutio ,
a d
at
what
cost.
The e
is,
howeve ,
a
impo ta t
diffe e ce
betwee
the
e gi ee i g
a d
medical
jou eys.A
e gi ee
ca
e te
a othe
fie ce
competitio
th ough
GATE
fo
MTech,
but
postg aduate
study
emai s
a
optio al
oute
fo
most.
Fo
docto s
who
wa t
to
specialise,
postg aduate
t ai i g
is
much
close
to
a othe
ecessa y
ca ee
gate.The
latest
completed
NEET-PG
exami atio
makes
the
scale
clea .
Mo e
tha
2.42
lakh
ca didates
appea ed
fo
NEET-PG
2025,
acco di g
to
the
Natio al
Boa d
of
Exami atio s
i
Medical
Scie ces.
NEET-PG
2026
is
yet
to
be
held
a d
is
scheduled
fo
August
30.A d
the
postg aduate
pool
is
much
smalle
tha
the
u de g aduate
u ive se.
The
Ce t e
said
i
July
that
I dia
had
86,360
postg aduate
medical
seats
i
2025-26.
Ea lie
this
yea ,
it
said
8,967
additio al
PG
seats,
i cludi g
those
i
AIIMS
a d
othe
I stitutes
of
Natio al
Impo ta ce,
had
bee
app oved
fo
2025-26.
Fo
some
who
pu sue
supe -specialisatio ,
the e
may
still
be
a othe
competitive
gate
beyo d
that.

Gove me ts
have
t ied
to
build
capacity

Gove me ts
have
t ied
to
accommodate
mo e
stude ts
i
quality
i stitutio s.
Seve
IITs
have
bee
established
si ce
2014,
while
app oved
expa sio
at
five
ewe
IITs
is
i te ded
to
c eate
capacity
fo
a othe
6,500
stude ts.
I
medici e,
157
gove me t
medical
colleges
have
bee
app oved
u de
o e
ce t al
scheme,
with
137
al eady
fu ctio al.
Sepa ate
gove me t
p og ammes
have
also
expa ded
u de g aduate
a d
postg aduate
capacity.But
addi g
seats
does
ot
automatically
solve
the
p oblem.
The
latest
figu es
placed
befo e
Pa liame t
show
15.35
lakh
egiste ed
allopathic
docto s
a d
7.52
lakh
AYUSH
p actitio e s
a d,
assumi g
80%
availability
i
both
g oups,
a
gove me t-estimated
combi ed
p actitio e -populatio
atio
of
1:778.
Yet
the
existe ce
of
i ce tives
fo
ha d-to-se ve
a eas
u de li es
a othe
p oblem.
Docto s
a d
specialists
a e
ot
dist ibuted
eve ly.
So
hie a chy
exists
beyo d
educatio al
i stitutio s
too,
which
makes
the
wo k
of
policymake s
eve
ha de
i
a
la ge
cou t y
like
I dia.

How
othe
cou t ies
filte
thei
best

I
the
US,
54,699
people
applied
to
MD-g a ti g
medical
schools
i
2025
a d
23,440
mat iculated,
but
ca didates
ge e ally
apply
afte
o
du i g
u de g aduate
study
a d
typically
take
the
MCAT.
I
E gla d,
medici e
emai s
o e
of
the
most
competitive
u ive sity
outes,
with
a
sizeable
socioeco omic
gap
i
accepta ce
ates.F a ce
pushes
much
of
the
filte
i side
u ive sity,
with
two
i
five
stude ts
e te i g
its
PASS
o
L.AS
health
outes
i
2022
eachi g
medici e
o
a othe
majo
health
discipli e
withi
two
yea s.
Chi a’s
Gaokao
had
1.29
c o e
egist atio s
i
2026,
but
admissio s
a e
dist ibuted
ac oss
p ovi ces,
u ive sities
a d
p og ammes
athe
tha
th ough
a
si gle
NEET-style
medici e
pool.
Russia
uses
a othe
leve
altogethe ,
with
ta geted
state-fu ded
medical
t ai i g
li ked
to
futu e
employme t
a d
wo kfo ce.

Eve y
cou t y
has
t ied
diffe e t
app oaches
based
o
the
eality
of
the
la d.
Whethe
a
test
like
NEET
is
the
best
way
fo wa d
is
still
bei g
i te sely
debated.
Howeve ,
fo
policymake s,
the
o ly
feasible
solutio
seems
to
be
buildi g
mo e
i stitutio s
of
compa able
quality,
o es
stude ts
believe
ca
offe
st o g
educatio ,
c edible
employme t
p ospects
a d
a
bette
quality
of
life.
Simply
multiplyi g
seats
is
u likely
to
be
e ough
if
aspi a ts
co ti ue
to
see
o ly
a
small
p opo tio
of
them
as
wo th
fighti g
fo .

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