Scoring 715 out of 720 marks, Punjab's Aryan Gupta and Haryana's Panshul Bansal have emerged as the joint toppers at the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate 2026 exam.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) declared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2026 results on July 16, bringing relief to over two million medical aspirants across the country.
The entrance examination was conducted on May 3, 2026, while a re-examination for eligible candidates was held later following the Supreme Court's directions.
NEET-UG 2026 toppers
Punjab's Aryan Gupta and Haryana's Panshul Bansal emerged as the joint toppers, securing All India Rank (AIR) 1 with 715 marks out of 720.
Speaking to PTI, topper Aryan Gupta described the achievement as a dream come true. "I secured All India Rank 1; I scored 715 out of 720. My father and mother are doctors... I worked hard. I would not get sleep but it is feeling surreal now, looking like a dream. Everyone is happy," said Aryan.
Sharing his preparation strategy, he said he studied for "16 to 17 hours a day".
He also revealed the personal reason that inspired him to pursue medicine.
"I want to become an oncologist. My grandmother had died from cancer. I was in third standard; then, I had taken a pledge. There is so much to do in life but I am feeling good."
Aryan shares his inspiring NEET preparation journey:
Aryan credited his parents and elder brother for constantly motivating him during his NEET preparation.
"My family's support was immense. My elder brother has been a role model for me for two years. He made sure someone was sitting with me. Every night, Papa would come after work and sit with me. The family has been very supportive," Aryan told ANI.
See how he celebrates his success with his family :)
Ayush Bhalotia, who scored 710 marks and secured AIR 4, told ANI that he spent "five to seven hours on self-study and attended six hours of classes every day".
Here's what he did to help him achieve this amazing success:
How the NEET re-exam benefitted students
Jabalpur student Aryaman Solanki, who secured All India Rank (AIR) 46 in NEET-UG 2026, said the re-examination proved beneficial for him.
Speaking to ANI, Aryaman said he was initially disappointed after the cancellation of the first examination but later accepted it and focused on his preparation.
"When re-NEET was announced, it was a very depressing and sad atmosphere because the May 3 NEET had gone quite well. But then I thought that NEET is for all 22 lakh children and maybe the true rank or potential had not come out. Re-NEET was the right decision and, because of that, my marks and rank improved significantly," he said.
"When I gave the first exam, my marks were quite good. But as other children's marks were coming out, my rank wouldn't have been as high as it is this time. I mean, it would have been a slightly worse rank. Because of this, re-NEET proved to be quite beneficial for me."
Aryaman said he prepared with full focus during the additional preparation period and concentrated mainly on solving questions and revising key concepts.
"During that time, I did not start any new topics. I focused on solving questions in physics and chemistry. In biology, I only read NCERT. The coaching institute also provided papers and I appeared for full syllabus tests every day."
Talking about his future plans, Aryaman said he currently has an inclination towards urology but wants to keep his options open.
About NEET UG 2026 results
According to the NTA, 20 lakh candidates appeared for NEET-UG 2026 at 5,440 centres in 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad; 11.21 lakh candidates have qualified for admission to undergraduate medical, dental, AYUSH and allied programmes.
While toppers Gupta and Bansal scored 715 marks each, 19 candidates secured 700 marks, 138 candidates scored 690 and 1,492 candidates obtained 650 or above.
A total of 10,160 candidates scored 600 or more. More than 58 per cent of the qualified candidates are girls.
This year's NEET-UG remained under intense public scrutiny following the paper leak controversy that led to the cancellation of the earlier examination. The re-examination took place amid continuing political debate over the integrity of competitive examinations and concerns over student welfare.
The NTA said the results were declared in time to ensure that the counselling and medical college admission schedule remains on track.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff and Hemantkumar Shivsharan/Rediff
With inputs from PTI and ANI.
