NEW DELHI: Panshul Bansal, AIR 2, scored 715 out of 720 marks in the NEET-UG re-exam, the highest in the country, which he shared with Aryan Gupta from neighbouring Punjab.
He is a native of Faridabad who commuted daily to Greater Kailash in Delhi for his class 12 studies at K R Mangalam School and his coaching centre. His mother Monika Bansal recalls that there were several days when he left home at 6.45 am in the morning and returned by night, adding that she was relieved that all his hard work paid off handsomely.
The 18-year-old Panshul is overwhelmed by all the attention he has been receiving since the declaration of the results, with his phone ringing non-stop. He scored 180 out of 180 in both physics and chemistry and 355 out of 360 in biology.
Panshul attributes his success to consistency. He said he studied for five to six hours every day after entering Class XII as part of his NEET-UG preparation. “In the May exam, which was later cancelled, I expected to score around 700 marks. The re-examination gave me additional time to prepare. I was confident of scoring well and thought I might secure a place among the top 20 ranks, but AIR 2 was completely unexpected,” he said.
Besides academics, he is a chess player and holds international qualifications in piano. Explaining his choice of career, he said, “I am drawn to medicine because it offers an opportunity to serve people.”
Kashvi Dhall, the Delhi topper with an AIR 24, is another Faridabad native. She left her family two years ago and relocated to a hostel near her coaching centre at Janakpuri.
“I have always been attracted towards academics. I scored 98.45% in the CBSE Class XII results, with 100% marks each in physics, chemistry and biology. Consistency, perseverance and self-motivation have made me succeed. I was hoping to get a rank within 100, but within 25 was a dream.”
The second rank-holder in Delhi (AIR 49), 17-year-old Thejas Varun Reddy scored 695 marks and hopes to get into AIIMS, Delhi. “I have balanced my personal interests with my studies. It was never all studies for me.” He is thankful for the re-NEET, though.
“The nervousness of appearing in an all-India exam vanished after the first attempt. However, my coaching centre conducted repeated mock tests on a frequent basis, and that really helped.”
