NEET ranks surprise most toppers in Karnataka

Time of India

11 hours ago

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Bengaluru: When NEET 2025 emerged as one of the toughest editions in recent memory, many students were stumped in the exam hall. But despite the challenging paper, Karnataka produced several top rankers who shared their surprised reactions and the strategies they had employed in the preparation stage.
Ruchir Gupta | Alpine Public School — AIR 22
"It's my mother's dream that I become a doctor. Her parents are doctors, and I've seen for myself the service they do and the respect they command. For me, there's no other profession through which I can help people as much. I started preparing with Allen in class 11, but when I wrote the paper, all my hopes were shattered. It was so hard, I couldn't digest it wasn't going as planned.
In the middle of the exam, I even thought of switching to engineering.
.. The holidays afterwards were even more stressful than the preparation stage, and I ensured I was always engaged and didn't think too much about the exam. The rank of 22 was a big surprise," said Ruchir.
Tejas Shailesh Ghotgalkar | Sri Chaithanya Techno School, Marathahalli — AIR 38
Even though his parents were engineers, Tejas' interest always lay in medicine.
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"He likes to learn about the body, physiology, and he wants to do research on diseases, especially neuro-related ones that haven't yet found cures. It is a self-discovered interest. He used to watch a lot of series related to medicine while in school — both fictional and otherwise. His other interest is physics. He got through IIT Delhi's engineering physics programme.
But his first choice was always medicine," said his father, Shailesh Ghotgalkar.
Pranshu Jahagirdar | Bangalore International Academy — AIR 42
"I want to lead a life with a purpose. At the end of my life, when I look back, I should have left a footprint in this world. When I started my preparation for NEET with Allen, I realised how difficult it is to crack the exam and understood I'd need intense preparation. I deactivated my social media accounts, barely went out with friends, and dedicated my time entirely to study.
On exam day, the questions were so hard, but the stakes were so high.
I almost went into a trance mode and started answering questions in the pattern we were taught to — minimising negative scores and maximising the marks," said Pranshu.
Harini Sriram | Base PU College, Bannerghatta Road — AIR 72
Medicine was always Harini's first interest, not engineering. "I like the hectic and tight schedules doctors have instead of the regular working hours of an engineer.
School, family, and friends were a big support system. Group discussions with friends helped as it made it easier to remember things. When the paper was tough, I tried not to panic, but I did. With that, time management became an issue. But I somehow managed, and the rank was unexpected," she said.
Diganth S | Narayana NEET Academy Co Kuvempu Bhavan — AIR 80
"I wanted to be a doctor as it is a direct way of touching people's lives.
I prepared hard for the past two years. With the exam being difficult, I was expecting a rank below 200. I'm happy I could make it below 100," he said.
Nidhi KG | Expert PU College, Mangaluru — AIR 84
"Right from the start, I was aiming for a rank below 100. The paper was tough this time, but I gave it my best. For the past two years, I dedicated myself to my studies, staying focused on my goal. I hope to pursue MBBS at AIIMS Delhi or Bangalore Medical College. Outside academics, I find joy in yoga, painting, and art. My father is an ASI and my mother a schoolteacher from Somwarpet, Kodagu," said Nidhi.
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