This feat is a perfect gift for Sai Manogna Guthikonda, JEE Main 2025 topper, as she will celebrate her 17th birthday later this month. Sai is the only girl who has scored 100 percentile along with 13 boys from different states. Last year, two girls scored the same.

Hailing originally from Guthikonda in Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh, Sai is all set to appear for her Intermediate second year exam (equivalent to Class 12) which will be held in March. Her mother Padmaja, a nutritionist, told indianexpress.com, that she has been a bright and focused student. “She topped her ICSE (Class 10 exam) in school and also Class 11 (Inter first year) exam last year,” she said.

Why did she switch from a national board to the AP state board? “There were not many good ISC schools in our area. Also, Bhashyam Junior College, where she presently studies, is considered the best here. Her teachers have played an important role in her JEE preparation as we are working parents and hardly get time,” her mother said.

Sixteen-year-old Sai told indianexpress.com that the state board is easier than the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) as it has “too many subjects to focus on.”

Unlike other toppers, Sai did not enroll in a coaching institute as she felt her college studies prepared her well for JEE Main. “My teachers and friends supported me throughout. I enjoy subjects that have logic and therefore, computer science and maths are my favorites,” said she adding all her six friends with whom she used to do group study have cracked JEE Main. “I devoted 12-14 hours every day to my studies including preparation of JEE Main. Constant revising helped me achieve confidence. Sunday was the only day when. I used to relax – wake up late, watch motivational videos of IIT students who showed life in an IIT, discoveries etc,” she added.

How about social media where most teenagers spend their time? “I was on Instagram till Class 10 but then I deactivated my account. I wanted to concentrate on my studies and social media is a distraction. It was initially difficult but I decided if I wanted to get into a good college then I have to make this temporary sacrifice,” she said.

Which IIT is she aiming for? “For now I am targeting a good rank. I like electronics and communication but have not decided on any college and branch,” Sai said.

Her elder brother is a final year student at the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Kottayam. Her father teaches mechanical engineering at RVR& JC College of Engineering, Guntur, AP.

Sai has already registered for the JEE Main April session. “While my focus is on JEE Advanced, however, I have registered for the April session just for practice purposes,” she said. NTA declared the JEE Main January session result on February 11 over 12.58 lakh candidates appeared for it.

Neeti Nigam leads the education department at indianexpress.com. She joined the Indian Express in 2015 and has set up the education and job sections in the online department. She covers schools and higher education, entrance and board exams, study abroad, civil services and other career-related news. Prior to that, she worked as a lifestyle and entertainment journalist in The Pioneer newspaper's magazine division. Besides working in the in-flight Air India (Namaskaar) magazine, she was part of the launch team of Indian Railways on-board magazine Rail Bandhu. She has also worked as a city reporter covering north Delhi in Hindustan Times. In 2012, she covered the MCD elections. You can write to her at neeti.nigam@indianexpress.com ... Read More