JEE-Advanced is probably the toughest academic test an 18-year-old Indian takes. According to rough estimates provided by coaching institutes, anywhere between 1,500 and 1,800 students appeared from Ranchi out of which over 300 
succeeded, with Amal Prasad of JVM-Shyamali ranking 49. Out of over 1,000 students from Jamshedpur, 225 made it. 
Inspiring stories of these three Jharkhandis only prove that one needs brains as well as a cool head to clear this biggie

Ayush Kumar Sahu (18), Ranchi 

Son of stationery stores owner Anil Kumar Sahu, 

Ayush was denied admission in Plus Two science at his alma mater DAV Hehal when he got a CGPA of 8.6 in Class X CBSE in 2014. On Sunday, he felt vindicated on securing an all-India rank of 1,145 in JEE Advanced.

“I was frustrated when my own school denied me admission in science. Termed unfit for science at DAV, I enrolled at 
LA Garden School, Lower Chutia. Now, by clearing JEE Advanced, I have proved my ability,” the boy said, asking other students not to get disheartened if a school denies admission. “Just focus on studies,” he advised. 

Ayush had warm words of praise for his coaching centre Persistence Education, which he said boosted his morale 
and cleared his concepts. 

Lokesh Raj, 18, Ranchi 

When Sant Jagat Gyan Public School alumnus Lokesh, who got a JEE Advanced rank of 1,594, says he could have done much better, it is not overconfidence. He had been preparing confidently for JEE with help from coaching institute Brothers’ Academy when a crisis cropped up at home. Lokesh’s mother Pratima Bhagat fell critically ill. “My father, civil court lawyer Birendra Kumar Bhagat, had to devote more time in court to earn more money for my mother’s treatment. My brother Abhishek is in IIT-Kharagpur. So the major onus of looking after her fell on me,” he said. 
Asked how he managed to study and succeed in the tough exam, he said: “Must be my mother's blessings.”. 

Yugesh Ajit Kothari, 18, Jamshedpur 

A student of Hill Top School, Telco, Yugesh got an all-India rank of 120 in JEE Advanced. An aspiring computer science 
engineer with fingers crossed for IIT-Bombay, Nildih boy Yugesh said he focused on the fundamentals and kept himself grounded. “I neither doubted my abilities nor overestimated them. So I expected my rank to be around what it is,” he said. Offering tips to other aspirants, Yugesh, who attended two coaching institutes, Prerna Classes and Narayana IIT Academy, stressed on time management.