As the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main session 1 result was declared, Mumbai’s Aryan Prakash has emerged as one of the toppers. He has scored 100 percentile. Not moved by the result, Aryan has already begun to prepare for JEE Advanced as he is focused on entering the IIT system, preferably the Computer Science Engineering (CSE) branch at IIT Bombay.

Aryan comes from a nuclear family where both his parents work with the Income Tax department. However, he chose a completely different career after realising his passion for mathematics. “I have always loved the subject. From class 8, as I started to know more, I decided to take the engineering route and pushed all my efforts toward it,” said Aryan, a student at Narayana Junior College in Andheri.

After living in Goregaon since childhood, the family shifted to Andheri, close to his junior college. “The idea was to ensure less travel hassle so that I can focus completely on studies,” said Aryan adding that his parents too studied mathematics as young adults. “My mother is MSc in mathematics and my father studied physics,” he said.

Aryan plays wallyball, football etc at his junior college where this is a group rejuvenating activity to help students refocus on studies. “I do watch a movie on OTT occasionally after an exam, but no other extra-curricular activities for me until I meet my goal,” said Aryan.

According to Aryan, apart from academics, discipline and time management are equally important when preparing for competitive exams. “At Narayana, weekly practice tests helped me as it allowed me to constantly keep checking where I stand and redirect my efforts accordingly.”

He is going to appear for the second session of JEE Main but in studies, he has already shifted his focus to preparation for JEE Advanced. But even after putting his 100 per cent in preparation, Aryan has kept his plans B ready. “If I do not get into an IIT in a branch of my choice, I will join the Institute of Mathematical Sciences in Chennai,” he said.