Neet Topper Success Story: “I stayed away from phone and social media for a year”: Highest ranked female candidate Shravani Kudale shares what got her AIR 5 in NEET

Shravani Kudale (Photo credit: ANI)

For nearly a year, Shravani Krishnakant Kudale stayed away from her phone and social media to focus entirely on NEET. The discipline paid off as she scored 710 out of 720, became Maharashtra’s topper, and secured All India Rank 5, making her the highest-ranked female candidate in NEET UG 2026.Talking about the discipline behind her success, Shravani told ANI that she had stayed away from mobile phones and social media for nearly a year to keep her focus entirely on studies.

But behind the success was constant support from her parents, teachers and a few habits that helped her succeed.

“My years of hard work had finally paid off”

Shravani Kudali celebrating her achievement (Photo Credit: Maharashtra Times)

For Shravani, the rank wasn’t just a number, it was the result of years of steady, uninterrupted effort. Recalling the moment she saw her score, she told ANI: “I was overjoyed to realize that my years of hard work had paid off. I believe my parents and teachers made the greatest contribution to my success because they supported me immensely throughout this journey. My teachers motivated me during every difficult phase, and that is why I am here today.“Her family, she says, has always been her strongest support system. Both her parents, Jayashree and Krishna Kudale, teach at Zilla Parishad schools in Baramati, while her elder sister is studying BAMS at Government Medical College, Satara.

From a Zilla Parishad school to AIR 5

Shravani did her primary schooling at Zilla Parishad Primary School, Gopalwadi, before moving to Shardabai Pawar Vidyaniketan, Malegaon. For NEET, she trained at a coaching Institute in Baramati, Maharashtra.She says coming from a government school was never a hurdle for her. “I never faced any problem in understanding English, even though I completed my primary education in a Zilla Parishad school and my secondary education in a semi-English medium school. I worked hard for the examination and prepared at the Success Code Coaching Institute in Baramati,” she told Hindustan Times.

Her sister was the inspiration

Biology had always interested Shravani, but watching her elder sister pursue medicine made her want to become a doctor herself. With her score, she’s now hopeful of a seat in MBBS at AIIMS Delhi.She knew she’d get into a good government college, she says, but never expected to top the female candidates list nationally.“I was confident of scoring well enough to get admission to a government medical college because I had put in the required effort. But being declared the All India female topper is definitely a cherry on the cake,” she says.

Self-study, a habit her parents encouraged from childhood

Shravani with her family.

Shravani says her habit of studying on her own goes back to childhood, something her parents encouraged early on. Rather than cramming chapters, she stuck to understanding the concepts, a method she believes made the real difference in her NEET preparation.“Studying, especially self-study to understand concepts, has been an important part of my life ever since I was a kid, thanks to my parents. They paid close attention to our studies until primary school. After that, it became a habit for us siblings to study independently.”Her daily routine included seven hours at coaching class, followed by six more hours of self-study.Looking back, she feels it was all worth it.

What kept her steady after the NEET paper leak

Like many other aspirants, Shravani too went through a phase of uncertainty when the original NEET exam got cancelled. To tide over she banked on meditation. Whenever she needed a break she turned to her family. It was her teachers who kept her going on tougher days.

Her advice to future aspirants

Looking back at her journey Shravani feels that there are no short cuts to success. She tells aspirants to remain consistent, to concentrate on understanding concepts and not rote learning and not to depend on last minute preparation.Giving up social media for a year, she says, wasn’t really a sacrifice. It was just one more step toward becoming a doctor. Her story also highlights another important lesson: sometimes, stepping away from distractions can make all the difference.