Just why

So my close friend is about to appear for a medical exam (not an actual procedure, the written exam), and he's concerned about the difficulty level and seems fed up with the whole thing. I myself haven't prepared for any kind of entrance exam but I've heard horror stories about them from my friends. One thing you should know; entrance exams in India are similar to having a colonic procedure done. They stick your hand into your posterior and even after the pain, there may be more bad news. In this case, I'm talking about the JIPMER exam, whose full form I don't feel like typing. The selection rate is less than 0.01%. That's right. You have a higher chance of going out with Emma Watson. I realise the calibre of graduates and successful people is phenomenal, but it's medicine, not solving the unification of quantum mechanics and general relativity. It's a rigorous course, but I don't understand why it has to be so inhumanely hard. There's a point (let's call it the A point) after which a career path becomes demoralising and there's little motivation. The same is true for engineering. I've seen countless jokes online about engineers who are friendless, jobless, and lifeless. As usual, Indians just don't know when to stop pushing people, and often end up pushing them over the edge. This is someone's possible future we're talking about. There should be some perspective. Admittedly, my friend is kind of lazy sometimes, but he's actually a smart guy when he has the drive to do something. The reward later on is really awesome. I mean, it's saving lives! But you have to wonder if all the nonsense people go through for it is worth it. I mean being a doctor in itself isn't without stress; there's lives hanging in the balance, botched up surgeries, etc. Please comment if you have opinions on this.