I listened to Arijit Singh during my breaks: Akanksha Singh, NEET all-India girl topper

Akanksha Singh, all-India rank 2 in NEET 2020, wants to pursue MBBS from AIIMS Delhi and become a neurosurgeon in the near future
Akanksha Singh
Akanksha Singh

Akanksha Singh from Uttar Pradesh, who secured All India Rank (AIR) 2 in the NEET 2020 examination said that she used to study even while travelling on the bus and did not waste any time.

But Studies are not the only thing that help Akanksha succeed. She thinks the adequate amount of relaxation is also necessary. "I had to cut down on sleep a bit to prepare for the exam but I figured it out. I love listening to music, especially Arijit Singh songs, I used to watch YouTube videos for entertainment in my leisure time. I also follow motivational speaker Sandeep Maheshwari and used to listen to him a lot in between my studies," adds the all India girl topper.

Akanksha got a perfect score — 720 out of 720, which is the first time in the history of national medical entrance examinations in India and has topped from her state Uttar Pradesh, becoming the first girl from rural Purvanchal to score such an impressive score in NEET 2020 for admission to noted medical colleges in the country. The results were announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday evening. She shares the same score with topper Soyeb Aftab. 

Hailing from a quaint village Abhinayakpur in District Kushinagar in eastern UP, Akanksha achieved this feat fighting against all odds. With hardly any proper coaching available in her district, her zeal to become a doctor made her travel 70 kilometres daily from her village to the Aakash Institute centre in Gorakhpur to attend her classes for NEET preparation. During her regular commute, her mother used to escort her to the bus stop in Kushinagar and while coming back from Gorakhpur, officials of Aakash Institute escorted her to the bus stop in the city. "My parents have helped a lot, my mother alone taught me since Class 9 and my father took early retirement to be with me," she says. Her father, Rajendra Kumar Rao opted for early retirement from the Indian Air Force and her mother, Ruchi Singh is a primary school teacher in the Village. For the past two years, Akanksha's father has been with her all the time to be near his family and to support his daughter’s dream of becoming a doctor and cracking NEET.

Speaking about how the experience at the exam centre was different this time owing to the pandemic, Akanksha adds, "Wearing masks, gloves while writing the exam was obviously difficult but in my head, I knew I had to complete the examination in three hours for which we have been preparing for so long and have also waited due to the unprecedented delay because of the pandemic. All my concentration was on the examination and that I had to perform well, so I did not let anything in the surrounding distract me at that point."

Akanksha, who was a student of Pragati Public School, Delhi during the course of her higher secondary education, says she now wants to pursue MBBS from AIIMS Delhi and become a neurosurgeon in the future to serve the people of our country. Akanksha credited her outstanding performance to burning the midnight oil and the coaching provided by Aakash instructors for the NEET examination, which is considered among the most competitive and toughest in the world.

Congratulating Akanksha, Aakash Chaudhry, Director and CEO of Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) said, "It is a matter of great pride for us that our student Akanksha Singh has excelled in the highly competitive NEET 2020 entrance exam. The credit goes to the hard work of our student, the support of her parents and teachers who have guided the student firstly at Gorakhpur in Class 9 and 10 and then at Delhi in her Class 11 and 12. She showed extraordinary grit during the last days before the NEET exam, studied online with full concentration and focus despite the onslaught of COVID-19. Her dedication towards her passion of becoming a doctor since Class 9 and her persistent efforts to achieve the target is now inspirational for lakhs of students including those who remain there in villages and remotest areas of the country. I wish Akanksha all the best for her future endeavours."

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