NEET success story: Meet Dhruv Advani, only Karnataka student in Top 10, reveals success mantra

Dhruv Advani from Karnataka achieved a spectacular feat in the NEET UG 2023 exam, earning All India Rank 5 (AIR 5) with a score of 715/720 and a percentage of 99.99. Along with his outstanding results, Dhruv stands out for taking an unusual approach to NEET preparation.

Dhruv Advani from Bengaluru emerged as the state topper in the NEET UG 2023 with All India Rank 5 (AIR 5) by scoring 715/720 or with a percentile of 99.68. He was inspired by his grandfather, aunt, and parents, who instilled in him a feeling of duty as he grew up in a family of doctors. However, his both parents hold PhD from IIM Bangalore. Dhruv's family has been an incredible support for him and never pressurised him. “My parents made a good environment in the house that helped me to share the sightliest amount of issues I felt while studying," he said.

Dhruv describes himself as a classroom learner who pays close attention in class and clears up any questions right away. He avoided having a backlog at the last minute because of this talent. Since fifth grade, he has been interested in biology and now wants to join AIIMS. "Reading NCERT is important to clear the exam," he remarked while outlining his techniques. "Mock questions, conceptual clarity of key topics, and test series questions played a major role in success."

He secured a 99.4% on his class 12 CBSE science exam and aims to enroll at the Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). 

Dhruv shared his joy by stating, "I never studied on a set schedule. I've always been flexible. There have been times when I haven't even opened a book. However, a few days before the tests, I put in 4 to 5 hours for preparations.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the lengthy syllabus, Dhruv chose a step-by-step strategy, concentrating on one subject or test at a time.

“I didn't even open the Class 12 NCERT textbook until we started on those chapters. I would only look at it in parts -- for example exclusively at what is covered in the next test. This has been my strategy throughout because it is very easy to get overwhelmed,” says the NEET topper.

According to a notification from the National Testing Agency, 75,248 of the 1,31,318 students from Karnataka who applied for NEET are qualified to participate in the counselling procedure.

This year, NEET was conducted in 13 languages, including Kannada. A total of 704 candidates had registered to write in Kannada. 

NEET UG 2023 was conducted on May 7 at 4,097 different centres in 499 cities throughout the country, besides 14 outside India.