With a score of 715 out of 720 in her first attempt, Jalandhar’s Ashika Aggarwal secured All India Rank (AIR) 11 in the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG, results of which were declared late on Tuesday.
Expressing gratitude, Ashika said, “I am greatly thankful to my school principal, Ritu Kaul, for always motivating us to do better. I am also grateful to my school for providing us with wonderful biology teachers who sparked my interest in the medical field and led me to decide to become a doctor.”
In her first attempt, Ashika scored an impressive 715 out of 720 marks and topped her city. Overall, she is second among the female candidates after Pranjal Aggarwal, who is also from Punjab.
NEET UG 2023 Toppers | AIR 1 | AIR 4| AIR 5 | AIR 8 | AIR 7 |AIR 10 | Overall result | Tie-breaker | Analysis
She has been a student at DPS since pre-nursery and has consistently excelled academically, with 98.6 per cent and 96.6 per cent in the CBSE board exams for Class 10 and 12 respectively.
Although she had high expectations, but the AIR 11 never imagined she would rank among the top performers in the NEET exam. While her father Vasu Aggarwal is a chartered accountant, her mother Anu Aggarwal is an associate professor at DAV College Jalandhar, and her elder brother, Akshat Aggarwal is pursuing CA. Her parents are thrilled with her achievement.
Ashika attended coaching classes at Akash Institute, where she consistently performed well in the mock tests organised by the institute.
Sharing her success mantra, Ashika emphasised the importance of not procrastinating, self-practice, maintaining consistency, and staying motivated.
To relieve stress from her rigorous schedule at school and coaching centers, Ashika revealed that she dedicated half an hour daily to dancing and sometimes played basketball.
Her deep interest in biology, along with the inspiration from her maternal uncle, paternal aunt, and other relatives who are doctors, motivated her to choose this career path.
Principal Ritu Kaul expressed her delight over Ashika’s achievement, stating, “The entire school is thrilled by the success of our student. We always encourage our students to give their best in school to pave the way for successful careers. Our student has brought laurels to the state, and as a teacher, it is an incredible feeling.”
Gauri grabs second position in Jalandhar.
Another DPS Jalandhar student, Gauri Gupta has stood third in Punjab with an AIR of 55 in the (NEET exam. She also grabbed the second position in Jalandhar, and secured the 14th spot on the list of top 20 female rank-holders across the country. Gauri achieved this feat with a remarkable score of 710 marks.
Gauri, the daughter of Col. Suraj and Abhilasha Gupta, a homemaker who holds double postgraduate degrees in economics and computer science, is not only passionate about her studies but also eagerly takes part in various competitive exams to test her potential.
Although she intends to pursue MBBS after clearing her NEET exam, she appeared for the JEE Mains and scored an impressive 99.76 percentile. Currently, she eagerly awaits the results of the JEE Advanced exam. Additionally, Gauri has also excelled in the National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) and various other competitions, including the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana.
Gauri attributes her success in the first attempt to diligent revision of the recently-revised NCERT books that cover the syllabus that was updated by the government just a few weeks before the NEET exam.
“Remaining dedicated to studies and engaging in daily revisions are crucial for success in any competition,” the AIR 55 candidate said.
In addition to her academic achievements, she excels in playing the guitar, swimming, taekwondo, dancing, painting, and more. “I have a long list of things I want to accomplish and now I can pursue my hobbies after the exams,” she added. Her father, who is an army doctor, serves as her inspiration, as their home environment has always been connected to the medical profession.
Gauri’s mother mentioned that Gauri and her friend Ashika Aggarwal are both supportive of each other and provide motivation throughout their academic journey.
Ashika Aggarwal with her family. (Photo credit: Anju Agnihotri Chaba) 
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