For 18-year-old Kushagra Gupta, it’s all about taking things one step at a time. And that simple approach has paid off in a big way — securing him a perfect 100 percentile in JEE Main 2025 and an impressive All India Rank of 24. A student at Narayana Co Kaveri Bhavan, Kasavanahalli in Bengaluru, Kushagra scored 286 marks in Session 1 and 251 marks in Session 2. Despite already achieving a perfect percentile in the first attempt, he decided to give the second session a try, knowing he wasn’t as prepared as he wanted to be. "Mathematics was particularly tough. I struggled to finish the paper, but I went ahead anyway," he recalled. The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the results on April 18, revealing that 24 students scored a 100 NTA score in JEE Main 2025 Session 2. Rajasthan led the list with seven toppers, followed by Maharashtra, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh with three each. States like West Bengal, Gujarat, and Delhi had two each, while Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh produced one topper each — Kushagra being Karnataka’s pride.

The Formula Behind His Success

Kushagra credits his long study hours — around 12-13 hours daily — and the relentless testing system at his coaching institute for his success. “At Narayana, we had exams every single day. It helped me stay sharp and get familiar with the pattern and pressure of JEE Main,” he said. Though thrilled with the results, his eyes are now firmly set on the next challenge — JEE Advanced. Kushagra’s dream is to study Computer Science Engineering at either IIT-Bombay or IIT-Madras. “The competition for IIT seats is intense, no doubt. Sometimes the pressure gets to you, and you worry about being left behind. But for now, I’m focusing only on improving myself and giving my best for Advanced,” he said. Kushagra comes from a family of achievers. His father, Amit Gupta, is a department head at Alstom Transport India Limited, while his mother, Madhumita Gupta, works as a senior scientist at Philips Healthcare.