TOPPER TALK: Inspired by his father’s dream, Utkarsh Awadhiya secures NEET UG AIR 2

It was his father’s unfulfilled dream of seeing a doctor in the family that set Utkarsh Awadhiya on his path. Ever since he was a child growing up in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, Utkarsh heard stories of his grandfather’s desire to have a medical professional from his family serving the society. When his father was transferred to Indore in 2016, young Utkarsh nursed the dream and worked hard to see the results.

Utkarsh got All India Rank 2 in NEET UG 2025 with a 99.9999095 percentile, just behind topper Mahesh Kumar, who achieved a 99.9999547 percentile. Though both candidates registered a 99.99 percentile, a slight score difference placed Utkarsh in the second position.

Utkarsh’s upbringing was rooted in unspoken determination. His father, a branch manager at HDFC Bank, and his mother, a homemaker, provided steady support alongside his younger brother. After completing his schooling at Sri Krishna Public School in Indore, Utkarsh balanced academics along with regular sports activities such as playing volleyball, badminton and cricket, and even speed‑cubing and chess to keep his mind sharp.

“Seeing my parents so proud still doesn’t sink in,” Utkarsh tells Education Times, his success was anything but accidental. At Aakash Educational Services Limited, Utkarsh spent six to seven hours a day in coaching, followed by targeted revision sessions. An hour dedicated to sports to clear his head and back to a few hours of studies.

“My teachers were more than instructors; they were mentors who always had my back. When I suffered jaundice in class XI, it cost me an entire month, but my teachers arranged one-on-one lessons to bring my preparation back on track. Their rigorous test schedule, weekly quizzes, fortnightly mock papers were so perfect that I never had to design my own revision plan; I simply followed the blueprint they laid out,” he adds.

Streamline Preparation

NCERT books offer the most comprehensive learning material for anyone preparing for entrance exams. Utkarsh struggled with Biology as he initially tried to cram the topics, which never gave decent results. It is important to calmly cover topics that one may be comfortable with. So, I started with Biology, and Chemistry and finally completed the Physics section to get the best results. I paused for a brief mental reset before calmly solving the last 15 questions in the Physics section, my final hour,” he says.

Utkarsh cracked the NEET in his first attempt and he was always inspired by his grandfather's wishes. Not the type to bury his head in books, he spent constructive hours in sports and interacting with his friends. “It is important to keep your mind relaxed and avoid getting burnout,” he adds.

Future aspirants must follow the instructions of their teachers. “Stay focused in class, and practice relentlessly, questioning is vital to NEET preparation,” he says. He wants to study at AIIMS, New Delhi or Maulana Azad Medical College and wants to take firm steps in MBBS before finalising specialisation for the PG course.