NEET UG is the world’s fifth-largest examination by applicant volume, with around 25 lakh candidates, according to a report by SBI Research.

The report, titled The State of Higher Education in India since 2014, compared major examinations across countries. NEET UG was the only Indian examination to feature among the world’s ten largest.

China’s Gaokao tops the list with 12.9 million candidates. It is followed by Brazil’s ENEM with 4.8 million, China’s civil-service examination with 3.7 million and China’s national master’s entrance examination with 3.4 million.

Within India, NEET UG had 2.5 million candidates, compared with about 1.2 million for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 1 million for JEE-Main and 0.8 million for UGC-NET.

SBI Research has recommended a stronger statutory framework for the National Testing Agency, including an expert board, a permanent professional workforce and independent review mechanisms.

NEET UG is the single entrance test for MBBS and BDS admissions across India. The exam is held once a year in pen-and-paper mode. SBI Research said better governance of the exam body would raise confidence.