NEET 2023 Topper Interview: AIR 5 Dhruv Advani Shares His Success Mantra

NEET 2023 result has been declared by NTA on June 13 which stated that over 11 lakh candidates have qualified out of 20.38 lakh test takers. Dhruv Advani has bagged the All India Rank 5 in NEET 2023 by scoring 715 out of 720. Read his exclusive interview with Shiksha.com to know about his success mantras.

Dhruv Advani secured AIR 5 in the NEET 2023 exam by securing 715 out of 720. He is also the state topper of Karnataka. By being among the top five rankers in NEET has added another feather to Dhruv’s cap as he is one of the CBSE toppers and has also been selected for the International Biology Olympiad.

According to Dhruv, his preparation was not bound by timetable or strict schedule and studied according to his will and needs. He focused on completing the NEET syllabus in small parts and taking mock tests regularly to get the concepts etched into his mind. There were moments of self-doubt but he overcame the low moments by speaking to his family members.

Despite being a topper and NTSE and KVPY scholar, he believes in the fact that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. He regularly played basketball and indulged in swimming apart from reading fantasy novels. Aiming to get admission to AIIMS Delhi, Dhruv aims to pursue research and specialisation in Neurology and Oncology. He also aims to write and publish his own novel someday. Read the exclusive interview of NEET 2023 topper Dhruv Advani, AIR 5.

NEET 2023 Topper Interview – Dhruv Advani, AIR 5

Q: Congratulations on your success in NEET 2023. Were you expecting this result?

A: Thank you so much! I am very excited and the feeling is yet to sink in. There is so much happening around me and congratulatory messages and wishes started pouring in the moment NEET 2023 result and merit list was declared. I am definitely feeling on top of the world right now.

Q: Tell us something about yourself such as your schooling, family, etc.

A: I belong to a family of doctors and academicians. I have a family of doctors. My grandfather is a Cardio Physician and a General Specialist. My aunt is a Neuro Physician. Both my parents are PhDs from IIM Bangalore. I did my schooling from Delhi Public School Bangalore till Class 10. After that, I went to GR International School which had an integrated programme with Aakash BYJU's. That was very helpful for me and acted as the stepping stone to my NEET preparation strategy.

Q: When and how did you decide to pursue Medicine?

A: As already mentioned, I have a lot of doctors in my family. They have always instilled a sense of service in me. Within my fifth grade only I had decided to go in the service field. Secondly, Biology is my passion and this has always been my favourite subject. The concept of life is fascinating! Combining this passion and the aim to pursue a service-oriented career led to my decision to pursue Medicine as a career. And needless to say, I have ample role models in my family who have impacted my decision.

Q: What are the factors that led to your success in NEET 2023?

A: I have a super supportive family and have received my parents’ support throughout my NEET preparation journey. I have never faced any pressure regarding my studies or career choices. Along with that, I think I was able to strike a balance between studies and other activities. I used to take regular breaks, play sports and relaxed my mind which further improved my concentration and performance.

Q: How important was coaching for you?

A: My coaching institute Aakash BYJU's played a very important role in my NEET preparation. I was really impressed with the study materials and the teaching methods. They also encouraged discussion on other or related topics which helped us in engagement and exposure. The mock tests provided to us were diverse and covered all possible topics which helped us be well-prepared. The regular practice of questions and taking frequent mock tests followed by their analysis helped me a lot as only theoretical preparation does not suffice for NEET. Moreover, there were certain concepts which I could grasp only after practice.

Q: What was your time management strategy for NEET preparation? Did you follow any study schedule or timetable?

A: Following a particular schedule did not work for me. I studied as per my need. There used to be fortnightly exams in my coaching and I studied with full focus before the exams. On the weeks in which there was no exam, I did not do any rigorous studying and indulged in playing or catching up with friends. In the last week before the exam, I used to revise and solve a few practice questions or cleared my doubts.

Q: Which was the most challenging subject in NEET and how did you manage it?

A: I did not find a particular subject to be challenging, but there were certain areas or topics in all three subjects which I found difficult. There were certain subjects which I did not understand while covering the syllabus. I focused on those after the syllabus completion with the help of practice questions and during the doubt-clearing session with teachers. I faced difficulties in Inorganic Chemistry and Thermodynamics. Once I discovered the logic and the core concept, it became easy for me.

Q: What was your preparation strategy for NEET 2023?

A: I am a Classroom learner. If I understood a concept in the classroom, then I did not need to take much extra effort to prepare. My main strategy was to pay attention in class and cleared my doubts immediately with my teachers as soon as I faced those. After my classes, I used to revise and practice in case there was a test the next day. Otherwise, I would just unwind and keep my mind refreshed for the next day.

Q: What was your strategy to complete the entire NEET 2023 syllabus?

A: The strategy I followed was to complete small portions rather than trying to look into the entire NEET syllabus in one go. The NEET syllabus is really vast and consists of almost 100 chapters. This can be very overwhelming for students. I used to prepare exclusively for the mock tests, based on the syllabus. I focused on these portions and then prepared so well that I did not have to study it again and only revision and practice would suffice.

Q: Were there any moments when you felt low or demotivated? How did you cope with the stress?

A: I was in a state of self-doubt. Even on the day of the exam, I was not completely sure of my performance. But I never let the self-doubt affect me. I told myself to try my best. It does not matter if my best is not the absolute best. NEET is an exam of a single day and slot and anything can happen. So I gave my best shot. I decided to be sincere and prepared and perform with honesty.

For me, the best stress buster is my family. I talked and shared all my worries and stress with my family members. My sister is my favourite person in the entire world and we talk to each other, play and have fun, which helped me sail through this stressful period.

Q: What are your hobbies and pastimes? How did you unwind yourself during the rigorous preparation phase?

A: I love playing basketball. I used to play basketball almost every day after coming back from school. I also enjoy swimming. Apart from that I love reading fantasy novels and am also planning to write my own novel someday.

Q: What is your dream medical college and why? What is your dream specialisation?

A: My dream college is AIIMS Delhi. Not only because it is the top medical college in India, but also because of the research facility, infrastructure and faculty members. I also aim to pursue research after completing my MBBS in the areas of Neurology and Oncology. I am interested in these areas as there are a lot of research potential and I have only explored surface-level knowledge. I want to know more and serve to the community based on my learning and research.

Q: What is your suggestion for next year’s NEET aspirants?

A: My suggestion to the NEET aspirants for next year is to enjoy the learning. You will find some topics interesting and some topics to be boring. Connect the boring topics with interesting ones and it will become automatically interesting. Take one day at a time and take breaks regularly. There will be bad days, but you will have good days as well. Be confident and have faith in yourself.

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