BHUBANESWAR: Over 28,000 candidates from Odisha have cleared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026 re-examination, results of which were declared on Thursday night.
A total of 56,786 candidates had registered for the NEET (UG) 2026, out of whom 50,000 appeared for the re-test. Of them 28,336 have cleared the entrance test, National Testing Agency (NTA) sources said. Around 716 students also appeared the test in Odia.
Satwik Patnaik emerged as the state topper with a score of 99.997 percentile and secured an all India rank (AIR) of 40. Patnaik was followed by Amaan Kumar Nayak, from Bhubaneswar, who secured AIR 80 with a score of 99.995 percentile. Nayak, a student of Mother’s Public School in Unit-I, shared that he used to study for 12 hours a day, which included about four hours of school.
“On certain days, I even studied for up to 15 hours to compensate for the time I had previously lost,” he said.
To avoid distractions, Nayak said he remained cut himself off from social media, though he occasionally listened to music to relax. “It is important for students preparing for NEET UG to manage time properly and pay attention to the subjects they need to improve. Following NCERT books and analysing the answers of your mock tests are equally important,” he said. He added that securing a seat at AIIMS Bhubaneswar will be his first choice.
Students from many other institutions in the state capital also cracked the entrance exam successfully. This includes 11 tribal students of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS). The are Laxmi Birua, Joyab Majhi, Anita Baipai, Ganesh Hembram, Muskan Mahanandia, Laxmi Banara, Dangi Tudu, Saribala Munda, Mousumi Majhi, Priyanka Priyadarshini Das and Santoshi Mardi.
“All the qualified students belong to different tribal communities and most are the first learners from their families and communities aspiring to pursue a career in medicine,” KISS officials said.
KIIT and KISS founder Achyuta Samanta said, “Their achievement is a testament to their determination to become doctors despite coming from humble backgrounds and overcoming numerous socio-economic challenges.”
Notably, Aryan Gupta of Punjab and Panshul Bansal of Haryana emerged as joint toppers with 715 out of 720 marks, while 19 other candidates also scored 700 or more and 1,492 secured at least 650 marks in the exam.
