New Delhi: Krishang Joshi and Avika Aggarwal, the All-India Rank (AIR) 3 and 5 in the NEET UG 2025 examination, are still in disbelief about their achievement in the entrance test held for admission in undergraduate medical programmes.
While Krishang is originally from Uttarakhand and appeared for the exam in Maharashtra’s Pune, Avika is a resident of Faridabad in Haryana.
“I still can’t believe I secured rank three. The exam was hard (and) I expected to get a rank of nine or ten but never dreamt of three. It is not always the hard work; luck also plays an important factor,” Krishang told ThePrint over the phone.
Krishang, the son of a former merchant navy officer, went for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) preparation at Aakash Institute, when his father was posted in Goa.
The AIR-3 rank holder started preparing for the NEET since he was in 10th standard and wanted to be enrolled at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. “I have achieved my goal. In medical sciences, I want to pursue (a career in) research and surgical field,” he said.
Similarly, Avika recalled how the results were overwhelming when it was announced Saturday. “I was eagerly waiting for the results—10th June, 11th June, 12th June and so on, finally when I saw rank 5…I started crying and so did my parents,” the 17-year-old told ThePrint. “I cannot believe I am the female topper of NEET UG.”
“Both my parents are doctors, so they helped me in preparing for the NEET exam as they understand it better because they are also involved in coaching for NEET PG,” she said.
Apart from her doctor partners, she credited her success to her physics teacher at Aakash Institute, Faridabad. Like many others, she also achieved the rank in first attempt. In fact, Avika is the only girl in the top 10 candidates.
The Faridabad girl is excited to begin her medical studies at AIIMS, New Delhi.
When the National Testing Agency (NTA) declared the NEET results Saturday, the merit list was topped by Mahesh Kumar from Rajasthan, followed by Utkarsh Awadhiya from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra’s Krishang.
Born to a government teacher couple, Mahesh hails from Hanumangarh in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district. He prepared for the NEET exam at Gurukripa Institute in Sikar, Rajasthan, while staying in a hostel. He completed his 12th from Astha Academy School in Sikar as well.
ThePrint reached out to Mahesh but as he was unwell, his mother Hemlata said that the teenager plans to get admission at the AIIMS, Delhi but is currently undecided on the medical field that he wants to pursue.
“Last year Mahesh was underage to appear for the NEET and this year, he secured rank 1 in the first attempt. We came to know about the result when the people from Guru Kripa Institute informed us,” she said.
The entire family, she added, was elated with the achievement of Mahesh.
Considered a difficult and challenging exam, the NEET 2025 was reported to be tougher than preceding years. The Physics paper was especially said to be hard by many NEET aspirants. This year, candidates had only 3 hours to complete the exam, instead of the usual 3 hours and 20 minutes given earlier.
More than 22 lakh candidates appeared for the NEET-UG exam that was held 4 May across 552 cities at 5,468 different centres. The exam was conducted in 13 languages. Apart from India, the exam was also conducted internationally in 14 cities, including Bangkok, Dubai, Colombo, Singapore, and Muscat.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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