Overcoming financial struggles and personal hardships, 20-year-old Rohit Kumar from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, cleared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2025 with an impressive 549 marks, earning an All India Rank of 12,484.
Selling mobile phone covers from a roadside stall to support his family, Rohit now hopes to secure a seat in a government medical college in Jharkhand.
Rohit's journey has been anything but easy.
His father was formerly employed at a vegetable market, and now Rohit runs a small shop with his elder brother to make ends meet.
He began his education at a government school before switching to a low-cost private institution, which charged just ₹800 in monthly fees. The COVID-19 lockdown forced him to work at a local medical store, which in turn sparked his passion for the medical field.
Initially unaware of NEET, he opted for PCB (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) in Class 11. Balancing studies with work, he stayed up late into the night to prepare and excelled in his board examinations.
Rohit shared that during his NEET preparation, he worked full days at his stall and studied until the early hours of the morning.
“I woke up at 7 am, studied until noon, then went to the shop until around 4 pm. After that, I would continue studying until midnight,” he recalled. His preparation was made possible by the strong support of his brother and access to free online coaching from Physics Wallah.
“They offered me a free batch after evaluating my scores in a previous attempt. We barely earned ₹500 a day selling phone covers, so paid coaching wasn’t an option,” he explained.
Rohit credited the online 'Ummeed' batch of Physics Wallah and YouTube classes for helping him succeed.
He emphasised the importance of following NCERT textbooks and sticking strictly to the syllabus, with regular revision and extensive practice as key strategies for aspirants.
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