Ludhiana: Aryan Gupta, who secured the top position with an All India Rank (AIR) of 1 in the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, considered himself fortunate, thanking God for the chance to surpass his predicted score after the May 3 exam was cancelled amid paper leak claims.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the results of the NEET-UG 2026 exam on Thursday.
Aryan Gupta, who hails from Punjab's Ludhiana, said he comes from a family of doctors and that it was his childhood dream to enter the profession.
In an interaction with IANS, he said: "My parents, grandparents, maternal uncle and aunt, and even my paternal aunt and uncle are all doctors."
Speaking about his preparation for the national-level examination, he said: "I simply followed what was taught in class and regularly completed whatever assignments my teachers gave me. That's how the two years went. "
"I did take a break and watched OTT content, but only for 20 minutes, that too while eating. While studying, I only focused on the task at hand. On average, I studied for 12-13 hours a day, but going into the examination, studying for 16-17 hours is also required. All students do that," he added.
He further said: "I worked as hard as I could, but yes, there are also God's blessings and luck factor which were also by my side."
About the cancellation of the previous exam and the subsequent re-examination, Gupta said: "I was shocked a bit by the news of the paper leak. I had stopped studying, but again I had to start my preparation."
However, he mentioned that the re-exam helped him to improve his marks and rank, given that he had predicted a score of 696 after the May 3 examination.
"Whereas I scored 715 this time, despite the question paper being more difficult. So, I believe God gave me another chance to improve," he added.
The topper said that since his older brother, Aditya Gupta, had also qualified for the NEET-UG exam, he got help with his guidance during the preparations.
"My brother has been my biggest inspiration and role model in the past two years," he said.
Aryan's parents hailed his achievement after the results came out.
His mother, Reenu Gupta, said: "Not just today, my children have been making me proud since their school days. My elder son had secured an all-India topper rank in Class 10... now, Aryan has not only reached great heights himself but has also taken us to new heights."
"When children themselves are so interested (in studying medicine), then as parents it is our duty to support them," she asserted.
Father Sachin Gupta added: "We did not put any pressure on him (Aryan) to pursue medical but he himself chose to go for it."
"Achieving the top rank among nearly 23 lakh candidates is a remarkable accomplishment. We are extremely proud of him," he said while beaming with pride.
Meanwhile, Uplaksh Goyal, who secured AIR three, said: "Success is not just an achievement but happiness."
"Even in difficult circumstances, my parents always supported and reminded me that my only focus should be on preparing for NEET. They believed that my education would shape my future and take me far. I studied with sincerity, dedication, and discipline. My teachers also guided me well and urged me to remain motivated," he told IANS.
--IANS
