Rahul Kumar, a 19-year-old from Jhumri in Koderma district, has scored 595 marks in the NEET medical entrance exam, landing an All India Rank of 11591 and a rank of 5262 in the OBC NCL category. He is the son of Baleshwar Yadav and Balia Devi, and his result caps years of disciplined preparation built around one single goal, becoming a doctor. It is also, in many ways, a family's story as much as his own.
How a Rank Above One Lakh Turned Into 11591 in a Year
Rahul's schooling began in Koderma itself, and he cleared his class 10 exam from PVSS DAV Public School, Koderma, in 2023. He then took admission in a government college but moved to Kota, the country's best known hub for medical and engineering entrance coaching where lakhs of students head every year, to prepare for NEET. He spent close to three years there, studying with single-minded focus and never losing sight of his target. His first attempt at NEET came in 2025, when his rank slipped past the one lakh mark. Instead of letting that setback discourage him, Rahul went back and calmly studied where exactly he was falling short. He then leaned harder into revision, self-study and repeated mock tests. That one change in strategy, made within a single year, is what took his rank from beyond one lakh straight down to 11591, a jump few aspirants manage in just twelve months.
A Father's Covid Hospitalisation That Sparked a Dream
During the Covid pandemic in 2020, Rahul's father Baleshwar Yadav contracted the coronavirus and had to be admitted to a hospital for treatment. Watching that difficult period up close, including the state of hospitals at the time, left a mark on Rahul. It was then that he decided he would become a doctor and serve people in need. That decision shaped every choice he made afterward, from the college he picked to the years he spent in Kota, far away from his family.
Hours of Daily Study, and Why Mock Tests Mattered Most
Rahul credits his success to his parents, his teachers and a strict daily routine. In Kota, he attended coaching classes for 5 to 6 hours a day and then put in another 5 to 6 hours of self-study, which meant an average of 10 to 12 hours with his books every single day. He believes mock tests are one of the most important tools for cracking a competitive exam like NEET, arguing that the more mock tests a student takes, the stronger their confidence and time management become on the actual exam day. That, he says, is the single biggest lesson from his own turnaround. Once he completes his MBBS, Rahul wants to specialise in cardiology so he can treat heart patients and give back to society.
Only Brother Among Six Sisters, Raised by a Truck-Driving Father
Rahul is the only brother among six sisters, and his result has left the entire family proud and overjoyed. His father Baleshwar Yadav studied only up to class 2 himself, but always pushed to give all his children the education they wanted, exactly as each of them wished. Alongside farming, he spent years working as a truck driver to make sure his children's studies never suffered for lack of money. He now owns two trucks of his own, a small but visible sign of years of hard, patient labour.
