The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday announced the results of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2025, with Mahesh Kumar from Rajasthan clinching the top All India Rank with an exceptional percentile of 99.9999547. Maharashtra delivered an impressive performance, securing 11 positions in the top 100, including two candidates in the top 10

Maharashtra’s standout performer, Krishang Joshi from Pune, secured an impressive third All India Rank (AIR) 3 after scoring 681 marks and with a percentile of 99.9998189, setting a high benchmark for the state. Joining him in top 10 is Aarav Agrawal (marks: 675), at AIR 10 with a percentile of 99.9995474. Agrawal, a resident of Chembur in Mumbai, is the state capital’s topper. The next best performer from the city is Oorja Rajesh Shah, who secured AIR 31.

Agarwal, who gave his Class 12 board exams after studying from Pace Junior College in Chembur and secured 91% marks, told The Free Press Journal, “While there are some commonalities in both NEET-UG and board exam’s syllabus, both the exams are quite different in nature. While boards is more theoretical, NEET is more about speed and accuracy,” he said, adding that he dedicated the whole year preparing for the competitive exam, while for one month he studied only for the Class 12 exams and scored well in both in the same year. “I’ll suggest future aspirants to take mock tests seriously and give each and every test paper utmost importance. That helped me score well,” he further stated. 

Others from Maharashtra include Umaid Ahmed Khan at rank 21 scoring 99.9990495, Badhe Siddhi Manjabapu at AIR 26 with 99.9987779, Oorja Rajesh Shah at rank 31 with 99.9985063, Tanishq Ravindra Daswant at rank 40 with 99.9981895, Aditya Kisan Dukare at AIR 65 with 99.9968316, Darshan Mahadev Mule at rank 73 with 99.9966958, Aditya Kisan Dukare at AIR 75 with 99.9968316, Ishmit Kaur at rank 85 with 99.9960621, and Aahaan Varun Chawla at AIR 96 with 99.9954737. 

The state’s strong female representation shines through with Badhe Siddhi Manjabapu, Oorja Rajesh Shah, and Ishmit Kaur excelling among the top female candidates, while Badhe Siddhi Manjabapu, Tanishq Ravindra Daswant, Aditya Kisan Dukare, and Darshan Mahadev Mule bolster Maharashtra’s presence in the OBC-NCL category. 

With 2,48,201 candidates registered, 2,42,858 appearing, and 1,25,727 qualifying, Maharashtra’s robust participation underscores its academic strength.

Commenting on the results, Mumbai-based medical education activist Brijesh Sutaria said, “Physics was the toughest section and played a key role in rank distribution. Most students scored between 200 to 500 marks, and only 73 crossed 650, highlighting the paper’s difficulty. In NEET, it's not just about the marks but how many performed better, as that determines rank and seat allocation. A score around 520 is usually considered safe for admission to government medical colleges. Maharashtra has done well with over 1.25 lakh qualifiers and 11 in the top 100,” he added. He also called for transparent handling of isolated centre-related issues to ensure fairness.

Sudha Shenoy, a parent-representative, noted, “This year, the paper was so tough that no one scored 700. Last year, 600 marks meant a rank beyond 90,000, but now even 500 gets you around 50,000.”

The data reflects this trend: 686 marks secured AIR 1, 650 got AIR 80, 603 meant AIR 1,159, while scores like 524 and 500 were placed at AIR 28,560 and 50,000 respectively.

Nationally, the NEET (UG) 2025, conducted on May 4 across 5,468 centres in 552 Indian cities and 14 international locations, saw 22,76,069 candidates register, with 22,09,318 appearing and 12,36,531 qualifying. Offered in 13 languages, the examination serves as the gateway to undergraduate medical courses, including MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BUMS, BSMS, BHMS, and BVSc & AH programmes.

Following Mahesh Kumar, Utkarsh Awadhiya from Madhya Pradesh secured the second rank with a percentile of 99.9999595, while Avika Aggarwal from Delhi (NCT) led female candidates at rank 5 with 99.9996832. Rajasthan and Delhi (NCT) also featured prominently, with multiple candidates in the top 10.

Across categories, the unreserved group saw Mahesh Kumar, Utkarsh Awadhiya, Krishang Joshi, and Aarav Agrawal among the top 10, while Tanay from Rajasthan led the OBC-NCL category at rank 13, followed by Maharashtra’s Badhe Siddhi Manjabapu and Tanishq Ravindra Daswant. In the EWS category, Kavish from Haryana topped at rank 35, with Anubhav Pandey from Madhya Pradesh at rank 79. Ayush Gautam from Uttar Pradesh led the SC category at rank 53, followed by Neehar Haldar from West Bengal at rank 110. 

Nishant Kumar Meena from Rajasthan topped the ST category at rank 197, with Telangana’s Pujari Hasini at rank 377 among female toppers. For PwBD female candidates, Baishal Moharana from Odisha led with a percentile of 99.0592115 at rank 20,496, with Maharashtra’s Patil Radhika Sanjay following at rank 31,298.