Aryan Gupta, a student from Ludhiana, has emerged as the top scorer in the NEET UG 2026 exam, achieving an impressive 715 out of 720 marks. This remarkable feat follows a tumultuous year of preparation that culminated in the exam’s cancellation due to paper leak allegations, leaving countless students, including Aryan, in a state of uncertainty.
Initially devastated by the cancellation, Aryan spent the first few days grappling with his emotions. He did not shy away from expressing his disappointment and cried over the uncertainty of his efforts. However, the following day, he resumed his studies, taking about a week to regain his focus and motivation. His elder brother, Aditya, who is currently pursuing an MBBS, played a crucial role in shifting Aryan’s perspective. Aditya emphasized that the retest was not a punishment but rather a second chance.
Realizing that approximately 22 lakh students were facing the same predicament helped Aryan feel less isolated. This shared experience transformed his challenge from a personal struggle into a collective journey, inspiring him to study harder and more effectively. With the additional month of preparation afforded by the cancellation, Aryan dedicated himself to his studies.
When the National Testing Agency released the NEET UG 2026 results, Aryan’s name topped the list, tying for the All India Rank 1 with Haryana’s Panshul Bansal. His score of 715 marks was 29 points higher than the previous year’s top scorer, who achieved 686 marks on a notoriously difficult exam. Aryan’s accuracy improved significantly, making only one mistake in the retest compared to five in his initial attempt. “It still feels surreal,” he shared with PTI. “Like a dream I have not fully woken up from yet.”
Aryan’s achievements extend beyond academics; he is also a state-level table tennis player and scored 98.4% in his CBSE Class 12 medical stream exams. During peak preparation, he studied for 16 to 17 hours each day while still making time for leisure activities like Netflix and social media. His approach was characterized by intentionality and balance, avoiding burnout while fully trusting the preparation process.
Coming from a family of medical professionals, with both parents as doctors—his father, Dr. Sachin Gupta, an anesthesiologist, and his mother, Dr. Reenu Gupta, a gynecologist—Aryan’s choice to pursue medicine is deeply personal. His motivation stems from a promise he made in the third grade after losing his grandmother to Stage 4 cancer. Though he was young at the time and did not grasp the full extent of the situation, he vowed to become an oncologist and dedicate his life to combating cancer, a promise he has held dear for over a decade.
Aryan’s message to fellow students facing challenges is straightforward. He encourages them to “trust your hard work.” He advises taking the time needed to recover from setbacks but emphasizes the importance of getting back up again. “Sometimes the exam that gets cancelled is not the end of your story. Sometimes it is the beginning of a better one.”
