NEET 2026: Re-exam beneficial for MP topper Aryaman Solanki, AIR 46

Jabalpur's Aryaman Solanki, AIR 46 in NEET 2026 and Madhya Pradesh topper, said the re-exam was beneficial, improving his rank. He shared his preparation strategy for the re-test, focusing on revision and solving papers.

Jabalpur student Aryaman Solanki, who secured All India Rank (AIR) 46 in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) (Undergraduate) 2026, said the re-examination proved to be beneficial for him.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Thursday declared the NEET UG 2026 results, with Aryaman emerging as the state topper from Madhya Pradesh. Ludhiana's Aryan Gupta secured AIR 1, followed by Panshul Bansal from Haryana at AIR 2 and Uplakshya Goyal from Rajasthan at AIR 3.

'Re-NEET was the right decision'

Speaking to ANI, Aryaman said he was initially disappointed after the cancellation of the first examination, but later accepted it and focused on his preparation. "When re-NEET was announced, it was a very depressing and sad atmosphere because the May 3 NEET had gone quite well. But then I thought that NEET is for all 22 lakh children, and maybe the true rank or potential had not come out. Re-NEET was the right decision, and because of that, my marks and rank improved significantly," he said.

"When I gave the first exam, after coming out of the exam, I had quite good marks. But as other children's marks were coming out, my rank wouldn't have been as high as it is this time. I mean, it would have been a slightly worse rank. So because of this, re-NEET proved to be quite beneficial for me," he added.

Focused Preparation for Re-Exam

Aryaman said he prepared with full focus during the additional preparation period and concentrated mainly on solving questions and revising key concepts. "During that time, I did not start any new topics. I focused on solving questions in Physics and Chemistry. In Biology, I only read NCERT. The coaching institute also provided papers, and I appeared for full syllabus tests every day," he added.

Future Plans and Family Influence

Talking about his future plans, Aryaman said he currently has an inclination towards urology but wants to keep his options open during medical studies. "As it seems now, I would like to pursue urology, but it might change during my studies too. I have not kept my choices rigid. It is flexible. Urology is my natural preference," he said.

He also clarified that his father, who is a urologist, never pressured him to follow the same path. "Papa never said that I have to become a urologist. He always tells me to keep exploring new choices and look at what other fields are emerging. There is no pressure on me to become a urologist," Aryaman said.

Recalling the period after the cancellation of the first exam, Aryaman said the support of his parents motivated him to prepare again. "When the re-NEET was announced, I felt bad initially and thought why it happened because I had not studied for around 10 days. But when I saw my parents supporting me and other students also preparing again, I realised that I also had to give my best for one last month," he said.

Parents Overjoyed with Son's Achievement

Aryaman's parents, Dr Phanindra Solanki and Dr Anupama Solanki, expressed happiness over their son's achievement and said their priority was to see him become a good human being and doctor.

Dr Anupama Solanki, a gynaecologist, said Aryaman had been a focused and hardworking student since childhood. "The child has been talented from the start. His record has always been meritorious. He was always focused. Whenever he studied, he studied with full concentration. Parents did not have a direct role in his studies. He got very good teachers and friends because of whom he is here today," she said.

Speaking about his son's future, she said, "Legacy is a far-off thing. Right now, he has to become a good human being, a good doctor, and complete his education well."

Dr Phanindra Solanki said securing admission to AIIMS Delhi was a dream that his son had achieved. "This is a very big achievement for all of us. It is a dream to study at AIIMS Delhi. My son also saw this dream and achieved it. There can be no bigger day for us than this," he said.

He added that seeing parents being recognised through their children's achievements was also a special moment. "The day you are known by your child, when the parents' name is associated with the child, that is also a very big day. Both things have been achieved together, and that is why the happiness on our faces cannot be hidden," Dr Solanki said.

On Aryaman's belief that "whatever happens, happens for the best", Dr Solanki said the family always encouraged him to remain positive. "We used to talk about this every day, that whatever happens, happens for the best. He was going to benefit more from a difficult paper because his hard work was at a completely different level. The first paper was a bit easy, so we always told him that whatever is happening will be for good," he said.

NEET-UG 2026 Exam Details

The NTA said 11.21 lakh candidates qualified for admission to undergraduate medical, dental, AYUSH and allied courses. Nearly 20 lakh candidates appeared for the examination, which was conducted on June 21 across 5,440 centres in 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad in 13 languages.

This year's NEET-UG remained under intense public scrutiny following the paper leak controversy that led to the cancellation of the earlier examination. The re-examination held on June 21 took place amid continuing political debate over the integrity of competitive examinations and concerns over student welfare.

The NTA said the results were declared in time to ensure that the counselling and medical college admission schedule remains on track. (ANI)

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