The state, which earlier produced three to five ranks in the top 10 in national entrance exams, managed just one rank in the top 20 this time
Hyderabad: Students from Telangana used to dominate different entrance examinations, including the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) year after year. However, this domination with top ranks in what is considered the toughest entrance examination in the country is on the decline. After failing to secure top ranks in the JEE Advanced this year, Telangana students have put up a poor show in the NEET UG 2025 results declared by the National Testing Agency(NTA) on Saturday.
The state, which earlier produced three to five ranks in the top 10 in national entrance exams, managed just one rank in the top 20 this time. Kakarla Jeevan Sai Kumar was the highest scorer from Telangana, securing Rank 18 in NEET UG, the entrance test for undergraduate medical admissions.
Only five students from the state made it to the top 100. The other four are: Shanmukha Nishanth (Rank 37), Mangari Varun (Rank 46), Yandrapati Shanmukh (Rank 48) and Bidisha Majee (Rank 95). Mahesh Kumar from Rajasthan topped the exam, followed by Utkarsh Awadhiya of Madhya Pradesh and Krishnang Joshi of Maharashtra, who secured the second and third ranks, respectively.
A total of 22,76,069 candidates registered for NEET UG 2025, of whom 22,09,318 appeared and 12,36,531 qualified. Of these, 907 candidates opted for Telugu as the medium of examination. From Telangana, 72,094 students registered, 70,259 appeared, and 41,584 qualified. Among Telangana candidates, Bidisha Majee featured in the top 20 female rankers at position 13 with Rank 95. In the OBC-NCL category, Mangari Varun secured the 10th position. In the SC category, Reddymalla Sreeshanth ranked third with Rank 147; and in the ST category, Banothu Dheeraj Kumar secured eighth position with Rank 1,178.
State topper K. Jeevan Sai Kumar said he was happy to have secured the top state rank, which he had not expected. “I studied normally without stressing too much. I would study for two hours and then take a break to relax. I focused on Physics, which was initially tough but improved after using Narayana material and clearing doubts with faculty,” he said. He played chess when in stress. He said he had decided to become a doctor after losing his grandmother to cancer. “No one in my family is a doctor,” he said, adding that he aims to get a seat at AIIMS Delhi.
Shanmukha Nishanth (Rank 37), from Hyderabad, said he was grateful for his result. “I gave equal importance to all subjects and followed the coaching institute’s material and schedule. In the exam, I attempted Biology first, then Chemistry and Physics, since time management was a challenge.” He too is aiming for AIIMS Delhi.
Yandrapati Shanmukh, from Warangal, who secured Rank 48, said he began preparing with a foundation course in school and started serious study in the first year of Intermediate. “I aim to join AIIMS Delhi. Breathing exercises helped me stay calm during stressful times. Chemistry was my strong subject. Memorising Chemistry and Biology was initially tough but became manageable with regular revision,” he said.
Female state topper Bidisha Majee (Rank 95) began her NEET preparation in Intermediate, inspired by her interest in social service and healthcare. She aspires to join AIIMS and become a paediatrician. Strong in Physics, she coped with stress by practising yoga and dancing, which are also her hobbies.
