The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is an engineering entrance examination conducted for admission to various engineering colleges in India and regarded internationally as one of the most challenging undergraduate admission tests. It is constituted by two different examinations-JEE Main and JEE Advanced. The Joint seat allocation Authority (JoSAA) conducts the joint admission process for a total of 23 IITs (Indian Institute of Technology), 31 NITs (national Institute of Technology), 25 IIITs (Indian Institute of Information Technology) and 27 GFTIs (Government Funded Technical Institutes) based on the rank obtained by a student in JEE Main and JEE Advanced. JEE Main is conducted online twice a year by NTA (National Testing Agency). Only the top 2,40,000 (approx.) candidates (including all categories) based on their performance in JEE Main will qualify to appear in the JEE Advanced examination. Admissions to IITs will be based only on category-wise All India Rank (AIR) in JEE Advanced, subject to the condition that such candidates are in the top 20 percentile or secure at least 75% in their respective board examinations. The JEE (Advanced) exam has two question papers, with 3 hours allotted to each. Both question papers are divided into three sections: Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. The questions are objective in nature and test a candidate's comprehension, reasoning, and analytical ability. Incorrect answers result in negative marking in some sections.

The National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) is an entrance examination in India for students who wish to study graduate medical courses (MBBS) and dental courses (BDS) in government or private medical colleges and dental colleges respectively in India. NEET-UG has replaced all individual MBBS exams conducted by states or colleges. NEET-UG is a single entrance test for admissions to MBBS and BDS seats across India. The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts NEET every year. Undergraduate courses at the All-India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) and Jawahar Lal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER) are included in the NEET’s purview.

The Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY), subsumed into INSPIRE, is an on-going National Program of Fellowship in Basic Sciences, initiated and funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, to attract exceptionally highly motivated students to pursue basic science courses and research careers in science. Scholarships are provided up to the pre-Ph.D. level to the selected KVPY Fellows.

The National Talent Search Examination is conducted in two stages every year to reward scholarships to aspiring students in class X. Stage I of the NTSE falls under the purview of the States and UTs. Stage II of the NTSE is designed and conducted by NCERT. Students who qualify for Stage I are eligible for Stage II. Scholarships under the present scheme are awarded to candidates pursuing courses in science and social science up to doctoral level and in professional courses such as medicine and engineering up to second-degree level.

A major national Olympiad programme in basic sciences and mathematics, which connects to the international Olympiads, is in operation in India. The Olympiad programme in Astronomy (junior and senior level), Biology, Chemistry, Junior Science, and Physics is a five-stage process for each subject separately. The first stage for each subject is organized by the INDIAN ASSOCIATIO OF PHYSICS TEACHERS (IAPT). The mathematical Olympiad programmed is a five-stage process conducted under the aegis of the NBHM. The first stage, IOQM (Earlier PRMO), is conducted by the Mathematics Teacher’s Association (India). All the remaining stages are organized by the Homi Bhabha Centre for science Education (HBCSE).