Bhopal: Expected low AIRs, say JEE Advanced top rankers

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Besides the city topper Dhruv Agrawal, who got AIR 384 in JEE (Advanced), many other aspirants from the city have scored under-1000 AIRs in the IIT entrance test, the results of which were announced on Sunday.

Free Press talked to some of them. Excerpts:

Didn’t expect it

My rank was unexpected. I was hoping for AIR 1700 or thereabout. Whenever I was taught any topic, I sought information about it from other sources such as college-level textbooks or other books. In-depth study helped. My father, a government doctor, retired last year. My mother is a homemaker. My elder brother who graduated in electrical engineering also guided me. My first preference is mathematics and computing. I will choose between IIT Kanpur and IIT Guwahati.

- Mohd Sufiyan (AIR 610)

Took 100 mock test

"I was expecting an AIR of around 3000. I have been preparing for the examination since class 11. I took around 100 mock tests. My mother is a teacher and my father is a scientist at Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering. I got full support of my parents, although they never mounted pressure on me for marks. I want to join IIT Varanasi."

- Abhinav Gangil (AIR 671)

Brother, an inspiration

"I was hopeful of a good rank. Hard work was my success mantra. I spent 8-10 hours on self-study. My father works for the railways and my mother works at a beauty parlour. I liked mathematics and that was why I chose to make a career in engineering. My brother, a BIT graduate, was an inspiration."

- Shreyanshu Gurjar (AIR 689)

Shunned social media

"I devoted five hours everyday to self-study. My dad is a doctor while my mom is a homemaker. My AIR in the Main was 1417 and I was expecting a rank below 1000 in Advanced. I was not on social media. I played guitar and listened to music to burn stress."

- Samartha Rathore (AIR 792)

Pleasantly surprised

"My results are unexpected. I was hoping for a much lower rank. I am pleasantly satisfied with my rank. My father is a BSNL employee. I spent 8-10 hours on self-study. I decided to become an engineer when I was in class 7. Taking mock tests was my success mantra. My elder brother gave me tips."

- Dev Gupta (AIR 807)