S Thridev Vinayaka from Madurai was thrilled to learn that he had topped the State MBBS rank list, which was revealed on Monday, October 16. With 705 out of 720, he received an All India Rank (AIR) 30 in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) 2022 a report in The New Indian Express stated. Vinayaka told TNIE that he has opted to study medicine at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry. Vinayaka hopes to become a surgeon after completing an undergraduate degree.

V Devadarshini, a student from Kavindapadi Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Erode, was a top performer under the 7.5% quota for government school students. The road to clearing the NEET was not simple for Devadarshini, who aspires to study at Madras Medical College. "I wanted to be a doctor since childhood but my family didn't have the finances. I got this position because I studied hard with everyone's support," said the student. Following her father's demise last year, a few social organisations pitched in to assist her to attend coaching at a private NEET centre in Namakkal.

B Sundarrajan, who came second in this 7.5% government quota category, cleared NEET in his first attempt, without any coaching. Sundarrajan, a student at Government Higher Secondary Boys School in Chrompet, Chennai, used the lockdown time to prepare for NEET on his own by practising as many sample questions as he could. He, too, wants to study at Madras Medical College and aspires to become a cardiologist. "Government school students can clear NEET without coaching if they work hard with dedication," said Sundarrajan.

E Praveen Kumar from Voosoor in Vellore came in third in the state and is also under the government school student's quota. My father, Elumalai is a farmer and my mother, Jeyalakshmi, is a housewife. "I have four sisters and I am the youngest. My parents put me in a private coaching centre in Namakkal for NEET preparation, by arranging funds with a lot of difficulty," he said, adding that he was grateful to his parents.