Engineering remains a favourite career in India for several reasons. For one, a lot of prestige goes along with an engineering degree. And an engineering degree opens up avenues to high-paying jobs in India and abroad. Furthermore, graduating as an engineer is proof of sorts of your mental abilities and intelligence.

As a result, nearly 1.5 million students graduate as engineers in various fields from some 4.382 colleges every year. Sounds like good news for a booming economy like India.

Here's Bad News

But this is where the dream run stops. Over 80 per cent of engineering graduates in India remain unemployed. Or are forced to take jobs that don't pay well.

Why does this occur? Due to the skills gap. Meaning, they lack skills that an employer would expect from an engineering graduate.

That is because they enroll and study at engineering colleges and universities of dubious repute. Of the 4,382 engineering colleges spread across India, some are mere 'degree-granting portals', as a former Vice President of India had said.

Avoiding this Trap

Let's consider you're genuinely interested in pursuing engineering as a career. What would you do? Naturally, the first step is to appear for an entrance exam that ensures admission to any of the topmost engineering colleges and universities in India. This helps you avoid the trap set by dubious engineering colleges and universities to lure you into admissions while paying exorbitant fees.

Obviously, you'll wish to know which is the best entrance exam for engineering studies after completion of your Higher Secondary Certificate or equivalent. Here is our curated list of the best entrance exams for engineering after HSC.

Best Entrance Exams for Engineering

Unlike in foreign countries, there are different entrance exams for engineering after HSC in India. Here we look at exams that would more or less guarantee your admission to any of the topmost engineering colleges in India and make an excellent career.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Engineering Entrance Exam

Also known as JNUEEE, this is one of the toughest entrance exams for engineering after HSC. Because it's the only exam that can secure you a seat at the College of Military Engineering, Pune. CME Is renowned as one of the best military engineering institutes worldwide.

CME is affiliated with Jawaharlal Nehru University and has academic collaboration with the Indian Army Corps of Engineers. It is recognized by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

The entrance exam and other requirements to qualify for a seat at CME are very tough. Other than a written and oral exam, you'll also have to pass tests for physical endurance and mental alertness.

That is because military engineers may have to provide services in war zones and during natural calamities. Military engineers learn everything from building toilets to repairing combat aircraft, defusing bombs to handling weapons.

CME offers four-year Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degrees in Civil, Mechanical and Electrical engineering.

Joint Entrance Exam- Main

You'll surely know that the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) is among the premier engineering colleges in India for civilians. To study engineering at IIT, you'll have to pass the JEE-Main with flying colours.

Additionally, JEE-Main is also the entrance exam for engineering after HSC if you wish to study at any of the National Institutes of Technology that is operated by the Indian government and ranks among the premier engineering colleges of India.

JEE- Advanced

JEE-Advanced is a tougher version of the above JEE-Main. You can appear for JEE-Advanced after HSC too. This entrance exam for engineering can get you admission to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Indian Institute of Science and Indian Institute of Science Education & Research. These are highly prestigious engineering colleges in India.

Cracking a good score in JEE-Advanced also offers an opportunity to do a B.Tech course from the Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology which functions directly under the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

There is also an opportunity for scholarships for B.Tech engineering students.

BITSAT

Another superb engineering college in India is the Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) which has three campuses- Pilani, Goa, and Hyderabad. To qualify for studies at BITS, you'll have to appear for the BIT Science Aptitude Test or BITSAT.

This is an online test that you'll have to pass with a superb score, as there are ample of opportunities in an engineering career. That is because BITS students graduate with all skills that are expected from an engineer. Usually, BITS graduates also get job offers before and during convocation.

Common Entrance Test (CET)

Common Entrance Tests (CETs) are essential for any student after HSC, if they wish to join a highly reputed engineering college or university that functions under a state or Union Territory government in India.

It is a highly competitive exam, organized by Technical Education Boards of various state governments. Therefore, you’ll find some differences in CET exams conducted by various states, though the basics are similar.

Nowadays, some private engineering colleges also accept CET scores informally to grant admissions to their engineering courses.

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)

Want to study engineering in the US or another foreign country? In every probability, you'll have to appear for Scholastic Aptitude Test or SAT after HSC. Nowadays, lots of engineering colleges in India also accept SAT scores to grant admissions to their courses.

However, this is an exception and not a rule among Indian engineering colleges. While SAT does enable you to get admission to undergraduate engineering courses in the US and elsewhere, it's an extremely competitive and tough exam to crack. 

Furthermore, foreign engineering colleges may ask you to undergo more than one entrance exam including SAT after HSC.

Selecting Engineering Entrance Exams

The above six exams can land you admission to highly respected engineering colleges and universities in India. Hence, they are tough when compared to those administered by certain private engineering colleges with dubious credentials that issue useless degrees. Hence, select any of these best engineering exams. There are others too that are operated independently by some very reputed engineering colleges. However, they are college or university-specific.

Before rushing to apply for an entrance exam, ensure that your engineering college accepts its scores. Usually, SAT tests are acceptable by some excellent engineering institutes since it complies with international standards.

In Conclusion

Studying engineering requires skills and aptitude. Hence, these six exams are tough. Appearing for them and passing with high scores prepares you for an excellent career in engineering. So for that, you have to be fully prepared with this and also need to do revision on a daily basis.

And all these entrance exams for engineering are open for you after completion of HSC or its equivalent. An entrance exam can open doors to a wonderful course and a lucrative career.

Hence, select the right ones from the above list. If in doubt, always check with the engineering college about the entrance exams they accept.