Another success story has emerged from Kota, known as the country's coaching capital, following the release of the NEET retest results. Gorav Singh, who was preparing in Kota, achieved significant success by scoring 705 out of 720 and securing the 9th rank in all of India (AIR 9).
Although Gorav Singh hails from Gaduwas village in Maundawar district, Alwar, Rajasthan, he has lived and studied in Kota for the past seven years. Now, his dream of pursuing an MBBS degree at the country's prestigious medical institution, AIIMS Delhi, is becoming a reality.
Gorav shared that his sister also took the NEET exam and is currently studying MBBS. She began her preparation in Kota, following in her brother's footsteps. To avoid any academic difficulties for the children, his mother moved to Kota.
Gorav emphasized that he tried to minimize mobile phone usage. Although he had an Android smartphone, he used it exclusively for educational purposes, avoiding social media or phone misuse. After classes, he spent time with friends playing cricket, which was his only form of recreation.
He noted that he scored 92% in 10th grade and 90% in 12th grade. He drew motivation from his father, internalizing lessons of hard work, consistency, and discipline. Since his test scores showed good marks, he decided to set his goal of studying specifically at AIIMS Delhi.
Gorav Singh cited error analysis as the biggest contributor to his success. Kota is known for its testing centers where students analyze every test. He participated in this process, meticulously studying his mistakes and making necessary adjustments. He spent about six hours studying in class and another 7–8 hours independently.
Gorav's father, Rajesh Singh, currently serves as a Subedar Major in the Indian Army and is stationed in West Bengal. Speaking about his achievement, he mentioned that he taught his son diligence, consistency, and discipline. He transferred this military routine to his studies: daily review of everything taught in class with full concentration, and immediate revision of material at home became part of his routine.
A quiz was presented to test knowledge in the fields of sports, science, history, and general world facts.
The quiz included questions covering various topics. For example, it asked about the teams participating in the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as well as who won and by what score in the semi-finals.
There were also questions about the nicknames of the finalist teams: Argentina's nickname is Albiceleste, and Spain's is La Roja. Regarding the hosting of the next World Cup, the 2030 tournament will be jointly hosted by Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, one hundred years after the first tournament.
The general knowledge section featured questions such as the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, and the number of stripes on the Adidas logo, which is three. Topics from Greek mythology were also covered, naming Pandora as the first woman, and human anatomy, where the number of ribs is 24.
Other questions related to zoology, such as the world's tallest dog breed—the Great Dane, and biology, including the least common blood type—AB negative, as well as the decoding of the abbreviation DNA as Deoxyribonucleic acid.
Geographical questions included the capital of India, New Delhi, and the country with the longest alphabet in its national language—Cambodia, whose national language, Khmer, has 74 characters. The term for a group of crows, 'murder of crows,' was also mentioned.
In the culture and sports sections, facts such as Lady Gaga's real name—Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta—and information about the band U2 being the longest-running band that has maintained its original lineup were highlighted. The sports part of the quiz mentioned footballer Lionel Messi, who has won the most Ballon d'Or awards.
Years after graduating from Belmore elementary school, a former student continues to seek support, advice, and encouragement from teacher Charlene Arrendes.
One reason Arrendes was nominated as an Unofficial Hero of Cape Argus during Mandela Month is that her support for children extends far beyond the classroom.
She runs the 'Care Closet,' where needy children can freely select school uniforms and clothing, helping them attend school with dignity and confidence. Furthermore, she leads various projects: 'Sow-a-Sandwich,' which provides sandwiches to hungry children; 'Sanitary Savvy,' which supplies girls with hygiene products; and 'Sole Mates,' aimed at helping provide school shoes to children in the Hanover Park area.
However, her consistent care for former students stands out. According to the nomination, Arrendes maintains contact with many of her past students, assisting them with homework, checking on their progress in high school, and even helping parents with online applications.
One former student shared his opinion: 'I am in high school now, but my teacher always finds ways to include me and my former classmates. I like that even after leaving her class, I haven't left her life. I am her student forever.'
Arrendes received this nomination as part of the Cape Argus Unsung Heroes campaign for the positive difference she continues to make in the lives of her community's children.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the results of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Bachelor) Neet (UG) 2026 on Thursday. The agency stated that the publication of results was timely to keep the medical admission and counseling calendar on schedule.
Approximately two million participants took the Neet (UG) 2026 exam, spread across 5440 centers in 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. Out of this number, 1,121 thousand candidates qualified for undergraduate programs in medicine, dentistry, AYUSH, and related fields.
The highest score in Neet UG 2026 was achieved by Aryan Gupta from Ludhiana, who secured the first rank in the All India Rank (AIR 1) with an exceptional percentile of 99.9999. Panshul Bansal from Haryana also achieved the second rank in the All India Rank (AIR 2) with the same percentile.
Other highly ranked candidates include Uplakshyu Goyal from Rajasthan, who ranked AIR 3 with a percentile of 99.99985, and Ayush Bhalotia from Bihar—AIR 4. Kudale Shravani Krishna from Maharashtra became the highest-ranked female candidate, securing AIR 5, followed by Riya Ranjan from Bihar at AIR 6.
Among the top 138 ranked candidates, Maharashtra showed the largest representation with 22 participants, followed by Rajasthan (18) and Punjab (11). Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh each provided nine candidates, while Gujarat and Delhi contributed eight candidates each.
Several other candidates from the list of leaders shared their preparation methods, emphasizing the importance of discipline, consistency, and family support for achieving success. Ayush Bhalotia, who ranked AIR 4, reported scoring 710 marks and maintaining a disciplined study routine while preparing in Kota. He told ANI: 'I scored 710 marks and ranked 4th in the All India Rank... I dedicated about five to seven hours to self-study and attended classes for six hours every day.'
Critic Jain, who ranked AIR 18, stressed that he focused on doing his best rather than aiming for a specific rank. He told ANI: 'I tried to give my absolute best, although at the time I wasn't really thinking about achieving a specific rank. My only goal was to give everything I had... My parents were incredibly supportive. When I got good results, they were very happy, which motivated me further. When my results weren't as good, they told me not to get upset. They reminded me that there was still room for improvement and that I could do better, especially since there was still plenty of time before the NEET exam.'
Gudjan, who ranked AIR 52, linked her success to continuous learning and teachers' advice. She told ANI: 'I studied hard and followed my teachers' advice. I studied for about six to seven hours daily. Including classes, my total study time reached approximately ten hours. My family supported me greatly.'
