Bengaluru: For most students, the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced is a grueling, high-pressure test. For Bengaluru's Aryan Ragupathy, who secured All India Rank (AIR) 12 in JEE Advanced 2026 and emerged as the Karnataka topper, it felt more like a sport.
"In some aspects, it almost felt like a sport. It was very competitive and felt like a challenge. So I just kept studying and taking tests, finishing one after the other," said Aryan, who hopes to pursue computer science engineering at IIT Bombay.
A sports enthusiast, Aryan plays cricket almost every day and did not give up watching his favorite shows during the two years of JEE preparation. Rather than worrying about results, he focused on the next task at hand. "I just tried to take it one step at a time — the next chapter to learn, the next thing to do. Thinking too much about the future only adds pressure," he said.
Aryan studied at Sri Aurobindo Memorial School until class 5 before moving to BGS National Public School for classes 6 to 10. He later joined an Allen coaching center for higher secondary education.
Engineering, he said, was a natural choice. "I was always curious about physics and how things work." The decision was also influenced by family. His father is a mechanical engineer, his mother a civil engineer and his brother a computer science engineer.
Confident after a strong performance in JEE Main, Aryan chose not to write CET, Comed-K or other engineering entrance exams. "I felt the colleges I could get through those exams were not as promising as the ones I could get through JEE," he said.
His competitive streak began much earlier. Aryan started Olympiad coaching in Class 6 and qualified for multiple stages of national-level science and mathematics Olympiads. "Olympiads helped build my foundation and also gave me a feel of how competitive things can get. I like challenges," he said.
Despite securing one of the country's top ranks, Aryan admits he has not even explored his dream campus. "I haven't even seen a single picture of IIT Bombay yet. I didn't think that far," he said.
Understanding, Not Memorising, Concepts
For Manu Parameshwaran (AIR 13), a student of Narayana Olympiad School, Sahakar Nagar, his interest in mathematics and science from an early age pushed him towards engineering. "I was interested in maths and science from a young age, so I decided engineering would be the best choice," said Manu, who scored 88.6% in the class 12 CBSE exams.
"I usually focus on solving problems and understanding concepts rather than memorising formulas and solutions," he said. "The curriculum was very structured and covered topics multiple times. The faculty were also very helpful," he added. The son of an engineer and a music teacher, he completed class 10 at Greenwood High.
Both students emphasized that consistent effort and a calm mindset were key to their success. They advised aspirants to stay focused on understanding fundamentals rather than chasing ranks.
