NEET-PG topper says she became doctor as she loved studying bio in school

On Tuesday, Dr Aarushi Narwani, 23, became only the second woman ever to top the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) or NEET-PG examination, scoring 725 out of 800

As a child, Dr Aarushi Narwani did not believe that she would follow in her parents’ footsteps and become a doctor. According to her, it was only when she was in class 12 that she weighed her career options and decided to give medicine a chance as her favourite subject was biology.

Dr Aarushi Narwani is as student at Delhi’s Vardhman Mahavir Medical College. (HT Photo)

On Tuesday, Narwani, 23, became only the second woman ever to top the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) or NEET-PG examination, scoring 725 out of a cumulative score of 800.

A student at Delhi’s Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC), which is affiliated with Safdarjung Hospital, Narwani, a resident of Jaipur, said both her parents are doctors, but she gravitated towards medicine only in class 12 as her favourite subject in school was biology. “Unlike a lot of students, my dream growing up was not to be a doctor, but I gave it a shot and got through to VMMC in 2017,” she said.

Her mother, Dr Riya Narwani, is a professor of anatomy at Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Medical College, while her father, Dr Sanjay Narwani, is an ENT surgeon.

Speaking about her preparations for the NEET-PG exam, Narwani said, “I started preparing for NEET-PG in 2020. The Covid-19 lockdown was going on, so most of my preparations happened at home... Preparations started becoming intense when I started my internship at Safdarjung… We have to be on duty for 12 hours, and sometimes even 24 hours.”

Narwani is now planning to pursue her Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, and while she is yet to make a final decision, she is leaning towards radiology. “I am yet to make that call,” she said.