Grit and Burnout among NEET and JEE Aspirants in India: A Systematic Review

Abstract

NEET and JEE are the most mentally challenging examinations in India for gaining entry into medical and engineering schools, respectively. An understanding of the risk of developing 'grit' and 'burnout' is key for these aspirants and evidence is accumulating, but remains systematic and infrequent. This is a Systematic Review of Empirical Studies on Grit, Burnout and their association with NEET and JEE students in India. A comprehensive search of Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and Crossref was carried out in Google databases until December 2025 to look for the studies related to the NEET and JEE aspirant population in India and the studies related to the term of Grit and/or Burnout. Three peer-reviewed studies were included of 312 records screened and 41 full texts assessed. All studies included used cross sectional design and self-report instruments like the Duckworth Short Grit Scale and variants of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Amongst the NEET and JEE aspirants, there was significant negative correlation of Grit with burnout dimension (r = −0.42 to −0.55) and the correlation with the dimension of perseverance was also negative but stronger (r = −0.58 to −0.61) than the correlation with the consistency dimension (r = −0.18 to −0.31). The prevalence of burnout among the included studies ranged from 36-42% which was significantly higher than the prevalence observed in general school populations. However, there was some gender differences with females having higher levels of burnout (41-48%) compared with males (37-44%). Preparation demands moderated the grit–burnout relationship, with protective effects found at lower preparation demands (> 10 hours per week). Academic self-efficacy was a partial mediator for the protective effect of grit. No causal inference could be made as all studies included were cross-sectional. There are several gaps that need to be addressed in the critical research, such as longitudinal trajectories, effectiveness of interventions, mechanisms in the emergence of gender differences, and culturally appropriate measurement instruments in Indian context of NEET and JEE.