NEET UG Result 2022: Tardeo boy tops Maharashtra, 3 from Mumbai in top-50 list across India

NEET UG Result 2022: The National Testing Agency conducted the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) for 18,72,343 candidates at 3,570 centres across 497 cities, including 14 outside India, on July 17.

Rishi Balse, who topped the state with an all-India rank of sixth, and Vaidehi Jha from Wadala, who topped the girls’ category in the state’s merit list. (Express Photo)

NEET UG Result 2022: Rishi Balse from Tardeo, Mumbai was the toast of Maharashtra as topped the state with an All-India Rank of sixth in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) 2022, the results for which were declared on Wednesday late night. Three from Mumbai, including Rishi, made it to the list of top-50 candidates across India while Vaidehi Jha from Wadala topped the girls’ category in the state’s merit list.

In times when preparation for competitive exams is considered directly proportional to the coaching giant one takes admission to, Balse decided to take a road less traveled as he did not want to feel boxed in while preparing for NEET. A student of Campion School till class X, Rishi joined KC College while preparing for NEET. He finished top of the pile in the state after the results were declared on Wednesday, scoring 710/720. “I never wanted to join any big-name tuition classes which don’t allow you to have time for yourself, not just for preparation but also to unwind. I prefer balance in life. We have seen examples of burnouts due to overwork,” said Rishi, who joined Science Simplified Private Tuition to prepare for NEET.

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He said he used to prepare daily goals to take one day at a time. “If you set a larger goal for yourself, you are bound to feel overwhelmed. After all, preparing for NEET is definitely a mental health challenge,” said Rishi, a passionate musician. He has learnt to play the piano and will soon start taking guitar lessons. Apart from pursuing medicine at the KEM Hospital medical college, Rishi’s dream is to release his own music album someday.

With a score of 705/720, Vaidehi hopes to bag a seat at a reputed government medical college for MBBS, embarking on a journey to become a surgeon. “Surgery and the human body are the topics of my interest. Whenever we had free time in class, I would ask the teacher if we all could watch surgery videos as they give us so much information,” said Vaidehi. Her father is an engineer with the central government while her mother is a homemaker. She also has an elder sister, who is a corporate lawyer.

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Vaidehi said she was ready to tread a totally different path after discovering her passion and did not shy away from the hard work required to achieve her goal. “While there is no option but to work hard, one should not constantly keep studying. It is important to have some free time as well. I read books and wrote journals which kept me refreshed and motivated,” said Vaidehi, adding that she liked studying online as she could conserve energy on travel. However, she said a regular-set-up would have helped. “When you are studying online, you are preparing in isolation and seldom have the opportunity to see where you are on the scale,” said Vaidehi, who loves listening to music and is learning to play the guitar.

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Thane boy Saahir Bajaj, who also made it to the top-50 at AIR 20, said the pandemic-induced online learning helped him focus on studies as less time was spent on commuting. He said while his batch had a pandemic challenge; the next might have to contend with some other challenge when appearing for NEET or other competitive exams. “What’s important is to keep yourself motivated,” said Saahir, adding that he was aware of the pressure of a competitive exam. He said his twin brother Kabir is waiting anxiously for his Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) – Advanced results.

The National Testing Agency conducted the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) for 18,72,343 candidates at 3,570 centres across 497 cities, including 14 outside India, on July 17. The number of candidates this year was the highest in the last four years. However, 17,64,571 actually showed up for the test and 9,93069 have qualified.

Pallavi Smart

Pallavi Smart is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, Mumbai Bureau. Her reporting is singularly focused on the education sector, demonstrating exceptional Expertise and Authority across the entire spectrum of learning, from foundational schooling to advanced higher education. She is a highly Trustworthy source for policy, institutional developments, and systemic issues affecting students, teachers, and parents in Maharashtra. Expertise Senior Role: As a Principal Correspondent at The Indian Express, her designation reflects her seniority, specialized knowledge, and the editorial rigor applied to her reporting. Core Authority & Specialization: Pallavi Smart is the definitive voice for Education news in the region. Her coverage scope is comprehensive: Policy and Regulatory Changes: Reports on major shifts in educational policy, including the restructuring of entrance exams (e.g., MHT-CET adopting the JEE Main model), the draft regulatory framework for coaching classes, and revised teacher recruitment processes. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): Provides in-depth reporting on prestigious institutes like IIT Bombay and TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences), covering institutional initiatives, administrative debates (e.g., renaming IIT Bombay), and student welfare programs (e.g., mandatory mental health courses). Teachers and Eligibility: Covers crucial issues affecting the teaching fraternity, such as the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for in-service teachers and related controversies and application numbers. Student Welfare & Rights: Focuses on issues concerning students, including the rollout of government scholarships, the financial strain on schools due to midday meal reimbursement delays, and instances of child rights violations (e.g., the Powai studio hostage crisis). Admissions and Vacancy: Tracks the outcome of centralized admission processes (e.g., MBBS, BPharm) and analyzes vacancy concerns, providing essential data-driven insights for parents and students. Credentials & Trustworthiness Dedicated Beat: Her consistent focus on the "KG to PG" education beat allows her to develop unparalleled subject matter knowledge, ensuring her reports are accurate, detailed, and contextualized. Proactive Reporting: Her articles frequently break news on policy and institutional planning, providing the public with timely, essential information about a sector that directly impacts millions of families. She tweets @Pallavi_Smart ... Read More