NEET 2024 Topper Interview: “Confident about getting into AIIMS, Delhi,” says AIR 1, Mridul Manya Anand

The NEET UG 2024 results are here and so is the list of top rankers. To everyone’s surprise, a total of 67 medical students have secured AIR 1 in this year’s NEET results by scoring full marks. One of those 67 students who scored AIR 1 in NEET UG is a Greater Noida resident, Mridul Manya Ananad who got 99.997129 percentile. Confident about getting a seat in AIIMS, New Delhi, Mridul shared some strategies which helped him crack NEET UG.

In conversation with Careers360, Mridual shared how Aakash helped him achieve a top rank in India’s single largest UG medical exam. The NEET topper scored 98% in Class 12 and 94% in Class 12. During his NEET preparation journey, he spent time with his batchmates and took frequent breaks from his studies. Read the complete interview of NEET 2024 AIR 1, Mridul Manya Anand below.

Careers360: What motivated you to choose medicine as a career?

Mridul: I have always been fascinated with Biology and wanted to study more of it.

Careers360: When did you start your preparations for the NEET exam?

Mridul: I started my NEET preparation in Class 10, and that’s when I joined Aakash classroom coaching. In school, I focused on NCERT for all three subjects Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

Careers360: How did you study for NEET after your board exams?

Mridul: I focused on the revision after my board ended and in Aakash, we had a system of polls. This means that if we study NCERT in the evening, the next day we will have to solve 20 questions. This way, I was able to revise the concepts properly. Overall, my revision strategy in Aakash was very regressive.

Additionally, after the boards, in Aakash, we used to have tests each day which consisted of 720 marks. I used to analyse the mistakes that occurred in the tests and check what I was lacking. This helped me a lot and the result is in front of everyone.

Careers360: Did you find any difficulty studying for NEET after the board exams?

Mridul: Not so much. However, I went to the Olympiad after my boards and missed my classes. So, after I came back, it took me some time to cope with the NEET syllabus.

Careers360: Any questions you find difficult or time-consuming in this year’s NEET paper?

Mridul: I found the NEET 2024 question paper pretty easy, however, there was just one question in Botany that I took time to solve.

Careers360: Do you think NTA’s decision to give grace marks to students is right?

Mridul: No, I do not think it’s right. It’s unfair to students who scored good marks on their own.

Careers360: Do you think you have a chance of getting AIIMS, New Delhi considering there are 67 students who scored AIR 1 and limited MBBS seats in the college?

Mridul: Yes, I do think I can get AIIMS, New Delhi because NTA has provided a counseling rank and mine is 3, which means I will get third preference during the seat allocation.

Careers360: Did you feel nervous during your NEET preparation? How did you handle stress during those times?

Mridul: Yes, sometimes I used to feel overwhelmed, especially with the syllabus because it is so vast. But when I started with Aakash’s revision, I started feeling confident. I used to take breaks during my study hours.

Careers360: How different was this year’s question paper from the previous year’s NEET question paper?

Mridul: This year’s question paper did not have controversial questions, unlike the previous year’s NEET question paper. This year’s paper was designed to test a student’s knowledge.