Why CET Toppers Are Skipping Top Colleges Like COEP—And What It Reveals About the JEE Effect
By D.C. Pandey, Renowned Physics Author
Pune, 16 June 2025: The Maharashtra CET results are out, and like every year, top scorers are eyeing coveted branches like Computer Science in prestigious institutes such as COEP. But here’s the twist—many of these high scorers are not taking up those seats at all.
In fact, if you closely examine the CET ranker list, a curious pattern emerges: it mirrors the top performers of JEE Main and Advanced. So what’s going on?
The answer lies in the overlap—both CET and JEE test students on Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics (PCM) of classes 11 and 12. However, those who prepare for JEE, which is arguably India’s toughest undergraduate exam with a success rate of just 2%, go through a far more rigorous training regime. That effort doesn’t just sharpen their PCM—it supercharges their logical reasoning, problem-solving ability, and resilience under pressure.
So while CET is their “Plan B,” these students usually end up cracking JEE too—and choosing IITs over state colleges.
Take Bhargava Kolapalle, for example. A 99.9 percentile scorer in CET, he’s giving up his seat to join IIT Bombay, his dream college. A student of Prime Academy Pune, Bhargava Kolapalle credits his success to the intensive JEE preparation offered by the team of IITian mentors. “The training was never just about solving problems—it was about understanding how to think. CET felt like a breeze after that,” says Bhargava, who was also All India Rank 3 in Class 10th. In ICSE Board.
Another case in point is Soham Sawant, who scored 99.83 percentile in CET and a perfect 100 percentile in Physics in JEE Mains. He’s headed to IIT Delhi. “Rather than chasing exams, I focused on enjoying the subjects. Once you do that and build a solid revision strategy, all exams start looking easy,” he explains.
Interestingly, both Soham and Bhargava were part of Prime Academy Pune — a quietly formidable institute with a high-impact record. With a consistent team of IITian faculty and a focus on mentoring rather than mass teaching, Prime Academy has quietly become a hub for serious aspirants. From its Viman Nagar batch alone, nearly 50% cleared JEE Advanced this year.
The philosophy of Prime seems to resonate with parents, too. Bhargava’s father, KP Sreenivasa Kumar, a senior manager in the IT industry who took a break from work to assist his children’s JEE journey, puts it plainly: “We weren’t chasing CET or JEE. We just wanted good teachers who could make our kids fall in love with learning. That’s exactly what we found at Prime Academy.”
As the dust settles on CET and the scramble for engineering seats begins, one thing is clear: the CET toppers list may impress, but the real story often lies elsewhere—in the long game of focused preparation, smart mentorship, and a quiet refusal to settle for anything less than the IIT dream.
About the Author:
Mr. D.C. Pandey is a renowned author of best-selling Physics books for NEET and JEE aspirants. With decades of teaching experience, he has a unique gift for breaking down complex concepts into simple, digestible ideas. His deep passion for Physics and unwavering commitment to student success have made him a trusted name in competitive exam preparation.
