With 720 out of 720 marks, 18-year-old Soyeb Aftab from Odisha has hit the bullseye in this year’s NEET, topping the coveted exam for admission to undergraduate medical courses.
“There is no doctor in my family, so I didn’t expect this. I had hoped to make it to top 100 or top 50 but I never expected to score 720/720. The exam was being postponed, so there was a lot of pressure. But the goal was to stay calm and utilise time,” said Soyeb Aftab.
Preparing for the exams amid the pandemic, Soyeb said he turned the crisis into an opportunity and used the lockdown to study even harder. “I haven’t gone back to my hometown since 2018. I studied around 10 to 12 hours every day,” Soyeb was quoted as saying. “I stayed in Kota with my mother and younger sister to study,” he added.
Earlier on Friday, Union Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal thanked National Testing Agency (NTA)for giving a new cohort of doctors this year. The exams were conducted during “testing” times. “I thank NTA for giving a new cohort of doctors this year. Exams were conducted during ‘testing’ times and the spirit of Cooperative Federalism was clearly visible. I thank all the Chief Ministers for the same,” Pokhriyal tweeted.
“As new doctors give the momentum to Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modiji’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, I urge them to serve in rural areas and needy population in future. #NEETResult2020 #NEETUG,” he added. Pokhriyal further said that the students who couldn’t make it should not feel disheartened. “Opportunities in other sectors are waiting for you. An exam cannot define you. The country needs your intellect and acumen in those sectors,” he added.
With agency inputs