NEET UG 2026 Toppers: Panshul Bansal from Haryana, who secured All India Rank (AIR) 2 in the NEET UG 2026 re-examination with 715 out of 720 marks, said he was confident of securing a top-10 rank even before the results were declared. Aryan Gupta from Punjab and Panshul Bansal both scored 715 marks. However, Gupta secured AIR 1, while Bansal was placed second based on the tie-breaking criteria. Bansal said he was not surprised by his score, as he had already calculated his marks after the release of his OMR sheet.
“Actually, my first reaction wasn’t as excited as it should have been because I expected it. Once my OMR sheet was released, I knew I was scoring 715 marks. So, I was expecting that a top-10 rank was guaranteed. It wasn’t that much of a surprise. But yes, it was surprising that no one else had scored higher, so I ended up securing the second rank. That was a big surprise for me,” he told ANI.
Bansal, who cleared the exam in his first attempt, said he followed a disciplined study schedule of six to seven hours every day.
“This was my first attempt. And I used to study for around 6 or 7 hours a day, about 3 hours in the morning, 3 hours in the afternoon, and 1 hour in the evening. Basically, I studied NCERT, solved PYQs, completed my coaching modules, and revised my coaching notes. That’s all. I didn’t do anything beyond that,” he added.
Sharing his preparation strategy, Bansal said he balanced his board examinations alongside NEET preparation by focusing on English and Physical Education (PE), as Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (PCB) were already covered through his NEET studies.
“I had chosen Physical Education (PE), so I had to prepare for all the practicals and maintain my practical file as well. I used to set aside separate time for that. For example, if I was free on weekends, I would complete those tasks then. Because of that, I scored 94% in my board exams. I also scored good marks in English and PE because English and PE are subjects that you can prepare for even towards the end and still do well,” he said.
Asked whether he felt discouraged after learning that both he and the topper had scored 715 marks, Bansal said he believed one disputed answer could have earned him full marks but that he had no regrets.
“No, I wasn’t really discouraged. But I did feel that the one question I got wrong could actually have been correct because what I had studied earlier supported my answer. However, the NTA did not accept it. So, I could have scored 720 marks. But honestly, it doesn’t matter much now because Second is as good as first. There’s not much difference for me,” he said.
Recalling the uncertainty after the original NEET examination was cancelled, Bansal said he quickly regained focus and resumed his preparation.
“Actually, there wasn’t any pressure. In the beginning, I was a little discouraged because the original NEET had been cancelled. But I recovered within a couple of hours and then went back to studying as if it were a normal NEET exam,” he said.
#WATCH | Delhi: On securing the second position nationwide, NEET UG 2026 All India Rank (AIR) 2 holder Panshul Bansal says, “Actually, there wasn’t a huge initial reaction because I had calculated my score beforehand; I was expecting around 715. It was a big surprise, though. It… pic.twitter.com/9AYeN8JI4o
— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2026
Sharing a message for future medical aspirants, Bansal emphasised the importance of discipline and consistency.
“Just stay disciplined and maintain consistency throughout the two years of preparation. Work hard, give your 100% every day, and you will surely get the results,” he said.
Speaking about his future plans, Bansal said he hopes to pursue a specialty and eventually a super-specialty in surgery.
“Most likely, I want to become a surgeon. After that, there are many options within surgery, Orthopaedics, Neurosurgery, Cardiology, and others. I’ll choose one of them later,” he said.
