JEE Advanced Topper Who Left IIT Bombay for MIT: Chitraang Murdia's Journey of Choosing Passion Over Interest
Joint Entrance Exam - Advanced 2026 ( JEE Advanced )
Registration - 6 Apr '26 - 2 May '26
Chitraang Murdia, who got AIR 1 in JEE Advanced exam, made a tough decision to leave BTech Computer Science course at IIT Bombay. Read about his journey below.
JEE Advanced Topper Who Left IIT Bombay for MIT: Chitraang Murdia's Journey of Choosing Passion Over Interest
Chitraang Murdia was JEE Advanced topper in the year 2014 with All India Rank of 1. He took admission to Bachelor of Technology in computer science course at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. Despite his success in this field, Chitraang realised that while he was interested in computer science, his true passion lay in physics and the pure sciences. In an interview with shiksha.com back in 2014, he shared insights about his journey preparing for the JEE Advanced exam and the tough choice he made to leave IIT Bombay to pursue what he loved.
Also Read: JEE Advanced Rank Needed for IIT Bombay CSE Admission
- Chitraang Murdia's JEE Preparation Tips
- What Happened After Joining IIT B and Why Did He Quit?
- What is IIT JEE Topper Chitraang Murdia Doing Now?
- Who is a Postdoctoral Researcher?
Chitraang Murdia's JEE Preparation Tips
Chitrang has shared that:
- He took coaching classes at Allen in Kota.
- He signed up for weekend programs also.
- He traced his progress after each test.
- He used to study 15 hours a day.
- He achieved 335 out of 360 in JEE Mains and 334 out of 360 in JEE Advanced.
For those preparing for the JEE Advanced exam, he offered some valuable advice:
Work hard, focus, avoid distractions, and consider joining a coaching institute if you can.
Commonly asked questions
The minimum marks required in JEE Mains to qualify for JEE Advanced 2026 will be announced with the JEE Main 2026 final result after session 2 exams. Last year's minimum marks in JEE Mains to qualify for JEE Advanced were:
2025:
- Unreserved (UR): 93.1023262
- Gen-EWS: 80.3830119
- OBC-NCL: 79.4313582
- SC: 61.1526933
- ST: 47.9026465
- UR-PwD: 0.0079349
2024:
- General (UR): 93.2362181
- General (UR) PWD: 0.0018700
- Economically Weaker Section (EWS): 81.3266412
- Other Backward Classes (OBC): 79.6757881
- Scheduled Caste (SC): 60.0923182
- Scheduled Tribe (ST): 46.6975840
2023:
- General (UR): 90.7788642
- OBC-NCL: 73.6114227
- SC: 51.9776027
- ST: 37.2348772
- GEN-EWS: 75.6229025
- General (UR) PWD: 0.0013527
Candidates aiming for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) need to meet these cutoff marks in JEE Mains to be eligible for JEE Advanced 2026.
The age limit to apply for JEE Advanced 2026 is:
- Candidate should be born on or after October 1, 2001.
- Age relaxation of five years is given to SC, ST and PwD candidates.
No. Candidates can only apply for the JEE Advanced exam online on the official website - jeeadv.ac.in. There is no offline for available to apply for the exam. All steps of the application process is online.
What Happened After Joining IIT B and Why Did He Quit?
In a 2014 interview with Shiksha.com, Chitraang Murdia shared that he felt IIT did not match his expectations in the long run. He was not sure about the research facilities at the IITs at the UG level.
Chitrang was confused about his decision to leave IIT after 1 year. He discussed with many people about his situation and desires.
Finally, after many thoughts he applied for a transfer to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and successfully got in. By transferring instead of starting fresh, he ensured that his year at IIT Bombay was still valuable and not wasted.
What is IIT JEE Topper Chitraang Murdia Doing Now?
Murdia shared his passion for research during a 2014 interview with shiksha.com. He is now working as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. Before this role, he obtained his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, after earning his Bachelor's degree in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Commonly asked questions
Candidates can check the JEE Advanced eligibility on the official website - jeeadv.ac.in and also on the official JEE Advanced information brochure released every year.
YES. Both the papers of JEE Advanced exam is compulsory for the candidates.
No, you cannot. Candidates can give a certain number of preferred exam city choices while filling the JEE Advanced form. However, they cannot choose their one preferred exam centre to appear in the exam.
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Who is a Postdoctoral Researcher?
A postdoctoral fellow, also called a postdoc, is someone who conducts research after completing their PhD, which is the highest level of academic study. This phase of research can be supported by a paid position or a grant that provides financial assistance. Postdocs usually work under the guidance of an experienced researcher known as a principal investigator.
In India, colleges like the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) also offer postdoctoral positions with stipends ranging from INR 65,000 to INR 80,000, along with additional benefits.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 weeks ago
Yes, students can get admission in IIT Mandi with a rank of 10000 in JEE Advanced. But at this rank, admission to the top specialisations, such as CSE would not be possible. Students can get admission in Mechanical Engineering, General Engineering, Engineering Physics, and more. Interested students
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
Once the results are live in mid-June, the JoSAA (Joint Seat Allocation Authority) counselling begins. This is the most critical phase where you'll list IIT Dharwad as your preference. The counselling runs through several rounds from late June to July. You'll need to be available during these weeks
R
Contributor-Level 9
Answered a month ago
IIT Jammu accepts the JEE Advanced entrance exam for BTech admission. For the students belonging to the General AI quota, the cutoff ranks ranged between 5988 and 18156 for BTech admission across multiple specialisations. For the category-wise cutoff range, refer to the table below:
| Category | JEE Advanced Cutoff Range 2025 |
|---|---|
| Genenral | 5988 - 18156 |
| OBC | 2594 - 6153 |
| SC | 1266 - 3346 |
| ST | 763 - 1555 |
| EWS | 811- 2665 |
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
For IIT Palakkad B.Tech. admission, the JEE Advanced closing ranks ranged between 2229 and 5841 for the students belonging to the OBC category. Candidates can refer to the table below to view the JEE Advanced round-wise cutoff range for 2025.
| Round | JEE Advanced Cutoff Range 2025 |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2229 - 5167 |
| 2 | 2293 - 5445 |
| 3 | 1153 - 2990 |
| 4 | 1168 - 2990 |
| 5 | 1182 - 3024 |
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Yes, if you belong to the General AI category, you can get admission to CSE at IIT Tirupati with a JEE Advanced cutoff rank of 4000. The cutoff rank for admission varies across different categories and rounds. In 2025, for CSE admission, the last round cutoff ranks varied between 4620 and 5034 for t
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
For IIT Tirupati, the JEE Advanced last round closing ranks ranged between 5034 and 16548 for BTech admission in the General category under the AI quota. Likewise, the cutoff range varies across different categories and rounds. For the last round, the category-wise range is given below:
| Category | Last Round Cutoff 2025 |
|---|---|
| General | 5034 - 16548 |
| OBC | 2113 - 5522 |
| SC | 1018 - 3091 |
| ST | 553 - 1376 |
| EWS | 733 - 2434 |
| PWD | 167 - 228 |
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Candidates must be very careful in filling JEE Advanced application form as the correction facility is not provided post the last date of registration. It is thus advised that candidates verify all the details they fill in the form at least once and make the corrections before the last date to apply
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
If the PwD certificate is valid and issued by the competent authority, it will be considered for availing the reservation. However, it is advsied to get the UDID card before admission process.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Candidates with benchmark disabilities are eligible to avail scribe facility. For this, they have to first mark their PwBD status/category in application form. Candidates can bring their own scribe or can take the facility from the organizing institute.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The procedure to apply for IIT JEE Adv includes four main steps
- Login through JEE Main application number and date of birth
- Fillling of required details
- Uploading documents
- Payment of application fee
S
Contributor-Level 10
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