During or after class 12 exams students participate in national level entrance exams. These exams give the first-hand experience to students on how to compete at the national level among lakhs of students. Admissions to higher education professional courses are usually decided on the basis of the merits obtained in entrance exams. With board exams right around the corner, application processes have either been completed or are underway for many exams and for many others it is soon to begin.
 Here are a few important entrance exams for class 12 pass students, based on the number of students appearing for it and the number of admissions done on the basis of it:
 JEE Main: This is the only bi-annual entrance exam at the 10+2 level. This engineering entrance exam is held in January and April. There’s no restriction in the number of exams a candidate takes. If the candidate takes both the exam in a year, the best score is considered for admission.
 NEET: The single medical entrance exam of the country, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is held in May. Admission to the undergraduate medical courses or MBBS at all medical colleges including AIIMS and JIPMER is held through the NEET score.
 NCHM JEE: The National Council for Hotel Management Joint Entrance Examination is held for admission to the B.Sc. Course in Hospitality and Hotel Administration (B.Sc. HHA) at 21 Central Institutes of Hotel Management, 25 State Government Institutes of Hotel Management, 01 Public Sector Undertaking and 24 Private Institutes of Hotel Management.
 ICAR Entrance Exam: 10+2 pass students can appear for ICAR’s all India entrance examination for admission to bachelor degree programmes. The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an apex body for research and education in agriculture. It has 75 Agricultural Universities comprising 64 State Agricultural, Veterinary, Horticultural and Fisheries Universities (SAUs), IARI, IVRI, NDRI and CIFE, 3 Central Agricultural Universities (CAU, Imphal, Dr. RPCAU, Pusa and RLB CAU, Jhansi), 4 Central Universities (CUs) having Faculty of Agriculture (BHU, AMU, Viswa Bharati, and Nagaland University).
 Chartered Accountancy: Students can enroll for the CA Foundation course offered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). Students need to register till June 30/December 31 for being eligible to appear in November/May Foundation Course Examination.
 NDA, Naval Academy Exam: This is one of the major exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The exam is held for admission to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the NDA and for the Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC).
 University Entrance Exams: Various universities conduct entrance exams for admission to undergraduate courses, including the JNU entrance exam, the DU entrance exam, Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), etc. The exam dates are announced separately along with the application process.
 Company Secretary Executive Entrance Test (CSEET): Students can pursue the Company Secretary course offered by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). The course comprises subjects like Business Communication, Legal Aptitude, and Logical Reasoning, Economic and Business Environment and Current Affairs, Presentation and Communication Skills.
Few job options are also available for 10+2 pass candidates who wish to get a job after completing the course.