"I wanted to pursue Arts subjects in school final years and dreamt of pursuing UPSC. But my life took a turn now after I took biology as my sister advised," said Mahesh Kumar (18), a native of Rajasthan's Hanumangarh who topped in the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) this year.
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Mahesh, who had been studying in a reputed coaching centre in Sikar, secured 99.99% in the exam on Saturday. "It was my first attempt. I started preparing for the exam in 2022 but could not appear for it as I was under-age. Though I expected a good result, I could not believe that I would top in the country," Mahesh said.
Mahesh used to study 6 to 7 hours in a day. "I used to study 6 to 7 hours daily. I also reduced it to 4 to 5 hours a month before the exam to keep myself stress-free."
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{{/usCountry}}Both of Mahesh's parents are government school teachers. "They have never put any pressure on me. A week before the exam, my mother also arrived in Sikar and started staying with me. I used to struggle a bit with Biology in my initial coaching days. But I developed my strength gradually. This year, the questions were also very unexpected. I could never imagine that I would be able to top," said Mahesh while attending a grand-celebration organised by his coaching centre in Sikar.
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Apart from Mahesh, at least three more students from Rajasthan - Tany, Soumya Sharma, and Manavendra Rajpurohit secured their positions in the top 15, showed the NTA website.