Studied just 4 hours a day, scored 720 marks out of 720 in NEET, topped JEE exam with 99.9 percentile, now he is…

Every year, thousands of candidates appear for competitive exams with high hopes, but only a few manage to clear them. Despite their hard work and dedication, many fall short due to intense competition, limited resources, lack of proper guidance, or simply bad luck. This young man achieved the rare feat of clearing both NEET and JEE — two of India’s toughest entrance exams — showcasing not just academic brilliance but extraordinary dedication.

Mrinal Kutteri, a native of Hyderabad, grew up there with his parents, younger brother, and grandparents. Although his family originally comes from Kerala, it’s noteworthy that none of his close relatives are in the medical profession.

Mrinal Kutteri’s interest in biology and chemistry began to take shape during Classes 8 and 9. His focused preparation for NEET started in Class 11 and continued over 3.5 years, with support from Aakash Institute. In an interview with India Today in 2021, the NEET topper shared,“I wanted to initially become an army doctor and live a life of medicine and adventure but that gradually turned into an interest mainly in medicine. Also, the pandemic had an impact as it was inspiring to see doctors all across the world on the frontlines.”

Mrinal Kutteri is an avid gamer, a passion he has nurtured since Class 8. He scored an impressive 98.16% in his ICSE Class 10 board exams and 88.6% in his Class 12 boards. While he participated in a few Olympiads, SpellBees, and quizzes in Class 10, his focus shifted primarily to NEET preparation during Classes 11-12.

In Class 12, he appeared for KVPY and JEE Main without any additional preparation beyond his NEET studies. Despite this, he achieved a remarkable 99.9 percentile in his JEE Main exam. Hyderabad’s Mrinal Kutteri emerged as the topper of the NTA NEET 2021 entrance exam, securing All India Rank 1 with a perfect score of 720 out of 720.

Mrinal stated that his study hours varied significantly from day to day. While there were times when he felt highly productive, there were also days when he couldn’t study at all. Despite the variation in his study routine, Mrinal mentioned that on average, he studied for about 4 hours a day, and on particularly productive days, he managed around 5 hours, aside from his college commitments. However, he never went beyond that.

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