Tathagat Awatar knew he would score well in NEET UG 2024, but sharing the top spot with 66 others surprised him. Awatar achieved a perfect 720 marks and obtained a 99.997129 percentile. Initially, he scored 715 marks based on the NEET UG provisional answer key. However, after the revised answer key was released on June 4, the only answer marked incorrect in the provisional key was corrected, bringing his score to 720. His all-India rank for counseling is 1.09.
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) result was announced on Tuesday, and 67 medical aspirants share rank 1.
When asked about the NEET UG grace marks policy, Awatar said he is unaware of it. “I don’t know why NTA said it has allotted grace marks to students for exam time,” he mentioned.
NEET UG 2024 Result Highlights
Result Highlights: What led to 67 AIR 1s? Although there are 67 AIR 1s, Awatar remains one of the top scorers. There has been an increase in the cut-off as well.
Amina Kadiwal and Divyansh: Alongside Awatar, Amina Kadiwal and Divyansh, a lung disease survivor, also achieved high scores.
Awatar hails from Bihar’s Madhubani district. The 19-year-old scored 86 percent in Class 10 and 88 percent in Class 12. “I switched to Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) in Class 12 as that school was nearby,” he explained.
Awatar has always been drawn to the intricacies of science, particularly biology. Speaking to indianexpress.com, he shared how he prepared for NEET UG.
How Did You Prepare for NEET UG?
“This was my third attempt at NEET UG. I first appeared in 2022 after completing my Class 12 exams. Then, I took a year off to prepare well for the exam. Although I scored above the cut-off on my second attempt, I believed I could do better, so I took another year off. In my first attempt, I scored 526 marks. In the second and third attempts, I obtained 611 and 720 marks, respectively.
I enrolled in a local coaching program in Class 11 in 2021. However, with Covid and classes going online, my focus on studies got diverted, and the classes couldn’t motivate me much.
Later, I joined Physics Wallah and referred to their coaching material. Apart from that, I mainly focused on NCERT. In class, teachers would give us notes, and we would later solve questions. When the exams were approaching, the coaching institute conducted revision classes.
During my second attempt at NEET, I became overconfident as I solved section-wise question papers abundantly. However, when I took the actual NEET UG exam last year, my strategy for section-wise tests failed as I couldn’t solve questions on time.
In my third attempt, I changed my approach and started doing complete tests. I solved over 100 full mock tests. I answered the biology paper first, followed by physics and chemistry.
While answering biology questions, I started with section A, then B, followed by marking in the OMR sheet. Similarly, for zoology, physics, and chemistry, I attempted section A first, next B, and then marked them in the OMR sheets.
What Is Your Dream College?
I always wanted AIIMS New Delhi. Reading about NEET UG toppers’ preparation and learning how the best institute in the country teaches motivated me. However, considering the number of students on the toppers’ list this year, even if I don’t get AIIMS New Delhi, I am happy that I scored a perfect 720 marks, and I am no less than them. I will probably choose another AIIMS (AIIMS Jodhpur or AIIMS Bhopal) if not AIIMS New Delhi.
How Did You Handle Stress?
I exercised and meditated regularly. The support of my parents also relieved my stress. Both my parents are teachers, and they always wanted me to do my best. There are no doctors in my family, so becoming one was also a motivation in itself.
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