The Hunter and Chunin Exams were tests from the Hunter X Hunter and Naruto universes, respectively. Both of them were braved by the heroes and defined their success (or lack thereof) in the future for what possibilities they introduced.
However, the games are treacherous and notoriously difficult to win, as seen through the struggle of Gon, Naruto, and their allies. Through measuring similarities and differences between the two exams, we can best appreciate the anime's distinctiveness and in the many ways the trials are alike to one another.
10 SIMILAR: Both Are Potentially Deadly
An unfortunate truth behind both exams is that they herald tremendous risk for those who choose to partake in them. The Chunin Exam has sinister ninja who are willing to capitalize on the Forest of Death's subterfuge to kill their adversaries, such as what Dosu intended for Rock Lee.
The Hunter Exam's perils are more diverse but nonetheless severe. Candidates are expected to dive into vast ravines, attack colossal monsters, and even contend with each other. Given the massacre Hisoka committed on many participants, it's just as hazardous as its Naruto counterpart - if not worse.
9 DIFFERENT: The Function Of The Tournament
While the fact that each exam concludes with a tournament is a similarity in itself, they are run so fundamentally different that it cannot be counted as such. The Chunin Exam works as a standard competition, where winners advance and losers are banished through single elimination.
The Hunter Exam works in the opposite way. There will only be one person to fail the final test - everyone else will pass and receive their Hunter's License. In the first canon instance, Killua lost since he broke the competition's only rule not to kill his opponent.
8 SIMILAR: Each Have Hunting Missions
Both exams have a test where they must obtain items from other participants in order to advance to the next stage. For the Chunin Exam, this manifests through the ninja's necessity to seize heaven and earth scroll. As a result, the fledging shinobi must be intelligent in how they choose their fights.
The Hunter Exam is slightly different though fundamentally similar. Every participant is assigned a badge for their target - should they collect the insignia they have been assigned (or a greater quantity of the trinkets held by unrelated competitors), they will pass to the next round.
7 DIFFERENT: The Intended Competitors Don't Have Much In Common
Though it's possible for the Chunin Exams to be partaken by older contestants (such as Kabuto or the less well-known Kosuke Maruboshi), it is designed mostly for children who seek to advance their status from genin and begin their careers as respected ninja.
Conversely, the Hunter Exam is intended for participants from all walks of life and at whatever age of their choosing. The man that Killua killed to disqualify himself was elderly, demonstrating how diverse the test that Netero arranged actually was.
6 SIMILAR: They Don't Profile Their Candidates
The Chunin and Hunter Exams have both shown an abysmal capacity to profile their participants. The former was infiltrated by Orochimaru himself, leading to a citywide disaster and later Sasuke's defection from the Leaf.
The latter contained Hisoka and Illumi Zoldyck, both of who would become future members of the Phantom Troupe (an organization whose illicit deeds are not covered under the generous provisions of the Hunter's License). However, Isaac Netero was less concerned about the identity of the Hunters than Sarutobi was on account of his inherent lust for danger.
5 DIFFERENT: The Usage Of Third Party Threats
As difficult as the Chunin Exam may have been, the only danger its contestants faced was ultimately each other. This allowed for a straightforward and predictable contest that was at least somewhat feasible for proctors to contain.
By contrast, the Hunter Exam employed career criminals (including a mass murderer) in order to give a wide variety of challenges that its prospects will contend with in the world beyond the test. This introduces a rogue element to the competition, one which portends peril for those who attempt to brave onward.
4 SIMILAR: Each Began The Main Protagonist's True Journey
A commonality between both tests can be observed on a narrative level. Each exam began the hero's true journey and paved the way for what events followed.
Though Naruto did not become a chunin after the exam, he learned valuable information about the realities of the shinobi world. While Gon successfully graduated and earned his Hunter's License, he uncovered more about the nature of Killua and was inspired to follow him home, saving him from his overbearing family.
3 DIFFERENT: Each Exam Measures Success Differently
A bizarre reality about the Chunin Exam is that one does not need to win it in order to be promoted (and hence, fulfill their intention for taking it in the first place). Though Shikamaru forfeited his match against Temari, he was selected to graduate regardless of his deliberate failure.
Conversely, the Hunter Exam works much more like a conventional contest. While it may significantly limit its number of victors, those that win are not subject to their own sensei's arbitrary judgment in order to determine whether or not they passed.
2 SIMILAR: Both Contests Are Psychologically Demanding
The exams have been deliberately designed so that only the most stolid contestants may pass. In Naruto's case, he was forced to excel in a taxing written test overseen by the village's inquisitor, a man that promised he would never be able to take the trial again if he did not answer the last question successfully.
While the Hunters' dilemma is less intellectual, it is equally horrifying. They were instructed to dive into large chasms even though many of their users had not yet mastered Nen at the time (including all of the series' heroes).
1 DIFFERENT: The Reward Offered For Success
The rewards offered for success in both exams are each desirable but fundamentally different. In the Chunin Exams' case, its victors are promoted and become a respected member of the shinobi world. It is closer to a rite of passage than a staggeringly impressive feat.
Conversely, the Hunter's License grants its user tremendous freedom and is worth a massive sum of money of its user intends to sell it. However, given all of the other possibilities that it affords (such as reduced responsibility even for murder itself), cashing in is ill-advised.