Patna: Sheohar girl Kalpana Kumari on Monday bagged the top rank in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Neet) for admission to medical and dental colleges across the country, the first time a student from Bihar has aced the highly competitive exam.
Kalpana, the youngest daughter of Rakesh Mishra, assistant professor at the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) in Sheohar, has secured a percentile score of 99.99 with 691 marks out of the total 720.
Kalpana secured 360 out of 360 in biology, 171 out of 180 in physics, and 160 out of 180 in chemistry. "It is a dream come true for me and my daughter," Kalpana's father Rakesh Kumar said. "My daughter has made not only me proud but it is a proud moment for all of Bihar as a student from the state has topped in such a highly competitive examination."
Kalpana took her Class X examination in 2016 from Navodaya Vidyalaya Sheohar with a CGPA of 10. Unlike other students who move to Delhi or Patna to prepare for medical or engineering entrance examinations, she joined YKJM College Tariyani in her hometown of Sheohar, around 125 km north of the state capital. However, she did take admission for special coaching for the medical entrance test at Aakash Institute, New Delhi. Kalpana has appeared for the Intermediate - the Bihar School Examination Board's Class XII exam - the results of which will be declared this week. After her Intermediate exam, Kalpana took a series of tests from Aakash in Delhi for three months.
"Kalpana has always been a studious girl," her father said. "As I am a teacher, I guided her in her studies. She used to study eight to 10 hours daily. She didn't have any hobby, but used to relax by taking walks."
Kalpana's elder sister Bharti Kumari has cleared Indian Engineering Services while her elder brother Pranay is pursuing chemical engineering from IIT-Guwahati. It was Bharti who informed the family about Kalpana's feat.
Patna boy Ashish Vaibhav too figures in the Neet top rankers list. Ashish, son of child specialist Dr Sashi Bhushan Kumar, has secured all-India rank of 291 in the examination. Ashish completed his Class X from Don Bosco Academy Patna and Class XII from Delhi Public School in the national capital.
"Ashish was focused from the beginning on cracking the medical entrance examination. He used to study six to seven hours a day," his father said.
Ashish secured 335 out of 360 in biology, 157 out of 180 in physics and 145 out of 180 in chemistry.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had conducted the test on May 6 in 136 cities in 11 languages. The results have been put up on the official websites of the board - www.cbseneet.nic.in and www.cbseresults.nic.in. The Neet is conducted for admission to MBBS and BDS courses in colleges run with the approval of the Medical Council of India and the Dental Council of India.
The test is not for admissions to institutions established through an Act of Parliament such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Pondicherry.
