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In the recently announced National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG), atleast eight students from Karnataka managed to be among the top 138 All India Ranks (AIR) candidates across the country who secured 690 marks and above.

Vaishnavi Das has secured all-India rank (AIR) 20 in NEET-UG 2026, with 695 marks. A student of Sri Chaitanya PU College, JP Nagar, Bengaluru, she is the Karnataka state topper for the examination. Her father is a lawyer and her mother works at a pharmaceutical company.

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Speaking in regards to the experience of giving a competitive exam in India, she said that fear and doubt is an inherent part of it. “The point is to kick the fear aside and push as hard as you can,” she said.

Vaishnavi ambition to become a doctor started at the age of nine years.

She said that the announcement of NEET re-examination had posed a mental challenge. “When it was announced, nine days had already passed and we had not touched a single book, so naturally the fear kicked in.” However, she decided to push herself as hard as possible once more. With the help of her teachers, parents, and school administration, she found the will to restart her preparation.

She now wishes to complete her MBBS UG, aiming for AIIMS Delhi, and plans to give NEET PG in the future as well.

Suchitha MF was among the top scorers of from Karnataka. She is a student of Sri Chaitanya PU College, Davanagere, she secured AIR 48.

Both her parents, Dr. Srinivasan and Hemalata SM are in the medical field, and she said she had an inclination towards the medical sciences since she was a child, inspiring her to prepare for and give NEET.

Suchitha aims to pursue MBBS at AIIMS Delhi, and is interested in neuroscience.

Ravi Kiran of Sri Chaitanya Techno School, JP Nagar also emerged as a standout candidate, securing AIR 62 in NEET-UG 2026. Both his parents are now retired, but previously worked in companies like Silicon Honda and Infosys.

Ravikiran reports mixed feelings at the time of the announcement that NEET would be re-conducted. He believes that he had underperformed in the initial examination with AIR around 700, and was capable of scoring much better. “First, I was broken down and very sad, but then I also thought that this might be another chance for me,” he said.

He now feels satisfied with his performance, and will be on the path to be a doctor.