In Jhumri Tilaiya's Gaushala Road area of Koderma, Santosh Modi runs a small ration shop and a modest breakfast stall right outside his house, personally frying pakodis and serving tea to customers to support his family. His son, Satyam Modi, has now scored impressive marks in RE-NEET 2026, putting the family on the verge of seeing him become an MBBS doctor.
A rank of 36,000 in the first attempt, then a turnaround
Satyam completed his early schooling in Koderma and passed his class 10 exam from DAV Public School in 2023. After that, he picked the science stream with biology, and it was around this time that his dream of becoming a doctor began to take shape. To chase that goal, he moved to Kota in Rajasthan, a city where lakhs of students from across the country go to prepare for NEET. In 2025, Satyam appeared for NEET for the first time, but the result fell short of his hopes, an All India Rank of around 36,000. Instead of giving up after the setback, he closely studied his weak areas and went back to preparation with double the effort. That work paid off in the 2026 exam, where he scored 640 out of 720 marks. This time his All India Rank came to 2321, while he secured rank 838 within the OBC NCL category.
Mock tests and smart study over counting hours
Satyam credits much of his success to taking regular mock tests and carefully analysing his mistakes after every one of them. He believes students should study smart rather than simply clocking hours. If a student sits down only to complete a fixed number of hours, attention tends to drift, but focusing on genuinely understanding and learning a topic delivers better results even in less time. While in Kota, he combined coaching classes with self study to put in 10 to 12 hours of study every day. Throughout this period, he kept a tight check on his mobile phone and social media use, limiting himself to only as much YouTube and WhatsApp as was necessary. YouTube helped him watch subject related videos and grasp difficult concepts, while WhatsApp groups run by his coaching institute and teachers gave him access to essential study material.
Three years without home, missing weddings and festivals
Satyam said that on the very day he left for Kota, he had resolved not to return home until he achieved success. He stuck to that resolve for three straight years without a single visit home. During this period, the family held several weddings, celebrated festivals and marked other family occasions, but Satyam stayed away from every one of them, keeping his focus entirely on his studies. With his NEET success now in hand, this three year exile of sorts has finally ended, and he has returned home to Koderma.
Hopes pinned on an MBBS seat at AIIMS
Satyam credited his achievement to the support of his parents, teachers and family. He said that based on his current rank, he expects to get an MBBS seat at either AIIMS Patna or AIIMS Deoghar. His goal, he said, is to become a skilled and compassionate doctor and serve society. For his father Santosh Modi, who runs a modest shop on Gaushala Road, his son's achievement is nothing short of a matter of great pride.
