Delhi’s Shreyas Mishra tops JEE Main 2026 Session 1 with perfect score

Mishra says while he aimed to get into one of the top institutes in the country, he had not expected to top the prestigious entrance exam and it came as a complete surprise

Delhi’s Shreyas Mishra emerged as the topper of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) (Main) 2026 Session 1, the results of which were announced on Monday evening. The 17-year-old, who resides at a paying guest facility in Punjabi Bagh, topped the prestigious exam on his first attempt, which he said was “completely unexpected”.

Mishra (above) is one of 12 students who scored a perfect 100 in JEE Main and the only one from Delhi; the others are from Rajasthan, Bihar, Odisha, and Haryana. (HT Photo)

“While I began preparation early on, it was only two years ago that I shifted to a PG in Punjabi Bagh, away from my parents who stay in Greater Noida, to start a full-fledged aspirant’s journey. My fascination with maths pulled me towards JEE. While I aimed to get into the country’s top institutes, topping the exam was completely unexpected,” said Mishra, who is set to appear for his board exams in a few days from Ashok Vihar-based Kulachi Hansraj Model School (Senior Wing).

Mishra is one of 12 students who scored a perfect 100 in JEE Main and the only one from Delhi; the others are from Rajasthan, Bihar, Odisha, and Haryana.

The 17-year-old, who stays away from his family to save travel time, said his preparation focused more on covering topics than on counting hours.

“My schedule wasn’t fixed in terms of hours. Some days it used to be five to six hours, whereas on other days it stretched to 10 or 11. I tried to dedicate as much time as I could, but I still feel I wasted a lot of time,” Mishra said while describing his schedule over the past two years. He added that after the pre-board exams, he was able to devote more hours to JEE preparation.

“The last one-and-a-half months were spent giving numerous mocks, doing in-depth analysis, and getting doubts cleared in classes and discussions among peers,” he said.

But not all days were smooth. Mishra said the journey was long, and he took breaks to listen to music and hang out with friends to avoid burnout. He kept himself away from social media and maintained in-person interactions with friends.

“From the start, I used to take time out to avoid burnout. Listening to classical music, playing cricket, and spending quality time with friends remained a priority to avoid stress,” Mishra said.

While he ensured his preparation never went off track, the support of his family and friends played an equally significant role in his journey. His father, Sumant Mishra, said meaningful conversations at home were crucial in keeping the process stress-free.

“When it comes to competitive exams, it’s not just the aspirant who prepares; the entire family is involved,” said Sumant Mishra, a cybersecurity consultant.

“My wife and I made it a point to have meaningful conversations with him every day over the phone. We ensured he never felt isolated. We continued to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, and enjoyed festivals together — everything in a balanced and controlled manner.”

He further noted that the strong academic backgrounds of both him and his wife, who is a computer science professor at Amity University Noida, made the journey smoother for their son.