Rishi Balse From Mumbai Secures 6th Rank In NEET; Increase In Qualified Students From Maharashtra

Mumbai, 9th September 2022: The result of the National Entrance Eligibility Test (NEET) for the medical degree course was announced by the National Board of Examinations (NTA) late on Wednesday night. In the merit list of the top 50 students in the country, Rishi Balse of Mumbai secured the sixth position in the country and the first position in the state with 710 marks.

Nearly 56% of students have qualified through the examination. The number of students who have qualified from the state has increased. There has been a decrease in the qualifying marks (cutoff) required for admission compared to last year. NTA announced the result through a press release. As the result was likely to be announced on Wednesday evening, students and parents were curious about it. But it was announced late at night rather than in the evening.

Out of 18,72,343 registered students, 17,64,571 students took the exam. Out of that, 9,93,069 students qualified. The examination was conducted at 3,570 centres across 497 cities, including 14 cities abroad. In the result, NTA stated that 4,29,160 boys, 5,63,902 girls, and seven third-gender individuals qualified. 2,56,126 students were registered from Maharashtra, from which 2,44,903 students appeared for the exam, and 1,13,812 students qualified. Last year, 1,95,338 students appeared for the exam, and 79,974 qualified. Clearly, the number of students who took the exam and qualified has increased this year.

Sahil Bajaj and Vaidehi Jha secured the 20th and the 21st ranks, scoring 705 marks. Nabhanya Zargad from the state won the top ten girls list in the country from the disabled group, while Arnav Patil won the boys list. Varad Jadhav (All India Rank 48) and Rajnandini Mandhane (All India Rank 94) are among the top ten students from the economically backward group. Sourav Melekar and Brahma Komwad are included in the scheduled caste group.

13 language options are available for the NEET exam, including English and Hindi. This year, 14,75,024 students took the exam in English, while 2,368 students took the exam in Marathi. In 2019, 31,239 students took the exam in Marathi. In 2020 1,005, and 2021, only 963 students chose the Marathi option. Therefore, the percentage of those appearing in the examination from Marathi has decreased significantly. This year a total of 1,37,492 students took the exam in regional languages. In 2019, 1,34,550, in 2020, 1,29,763, and in 2021, 1,20,616 students preferred the regional language.

“Private tuition was arranged for NEET preparation. It was not expected to get a place on the merit list. But it is a pleasure to come sixth in the country,” says Rishi Balse. Having an interest in music, he has learnt to play the piano and is learning the guitar. “While studying, I was also giving time to my hobby,” Balse said.