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 JEE Advanced 2026 cutoff will be released with the results of JEE Advanced 2026. Until then, candidates can check below the JEE Advanced cutoff from the previous years:
The JEE Advanced 2025 cutoff of the common rank list is 20.56%; 18.50% for the GEN-EWS rank list and OBC-NCL rank list; 10.28% for SC, ST, and PwD rank lists across all categories; and 5.14% for Preparatory course rank lists.
All those candidates who score above the cutoff marks in their respective categories can register for JoSAA counselling to participate in the IIT seat allotment process. Note that qualifying the JEE Advaced cutoff will not guarantee a seat in the IITs. Various factors are at play while allotting seats in the IITs. These factors include the demand for a course and IIT, the number of seats on offer, the reservation criteria, etc.
The minimum marks in JEE Mains to qualify for JEE Advanced change year after year. NTA published the JEE Main marks needed to pass for JEE Advanced with the JEE Main session two result. Check below the previous year minimum marks in JEE Mains to qualify for JEE Advanced:
| Category | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | 93.1023262 | 93.2362181 | 90.7788642 |
| OBC-NCL | 80.3830119 | 79.6757881 | 73.6114227 |
| SC | 79.4313582 | 60.0923182 | 51.9776027 |
| ST | 61.1526933 | 46.6975840 | 37.2348772 |
| GEN-EWS | 47.9026465 | 81.3266412 | 75.6229025 |
| Gen-PwD | 0.0079349 | 0.0018700 | 0.0013527 |
To get a JEE Advanced AIR below 5000, candidates must score around 145 marks out of 360 as per the 2025 data.
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).
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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 4 days ago
The JEE Advanced Round 1 cutoff 2026 or admission to BTech at IIT Gandhinagar has been released. Tabulated below is the branch-wise cutoff for BTech courses (General AI category):
| Course | 2026 |
|---|---|
| B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering | 8469 |
| B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering | 3743 |
| B.Tech. in Civil Engineering | 11023 |
| B.Tech. in Materials Engineering | 11173 |
| B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering | 2144 |
| B.Tech. in Artificial Intelligence | 2341 |
| B.Tech. in Integrated Circuit Design and Technology | 4328 |
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
The cutoff required for admission at IIST Thiruvananthapuram would depend on the course and the category. For the General category, the last round of IIST Thiruvananthapuram cutoff 2026 ranged from 28.06 to 30.28.
So, General category candidates should have a percentile of at least 28.06 to qualify f
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
The IIST Thiruvananthapuram JEE Advanced cutoff 2025 was released for admission to various BTech courses for the OBC and other categories.
For the OBC category, the last round cutoff ranged from 24.44 to 26.94 for admission at this college. As per this range, BTech CSE (Data Science) was the most com
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IIT Jodhpur JEE Advanced cutoff 2026 ranged from 7472 to 26068 for the General AI category female students. This is the cutoff range for the first round.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
The IIT Delhi will be the organizing institute for JEE Advanced 2027 however, the official announcement for this is yet to be made. The organizing IIT for JEE Advanced exam is decided by round-robin method, with one of the old seven IIT taking the turn every seventh year.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
Students who have strong fundamental concepts in Physics, Chemistry and Maths can crack JEE Advanced 2027 in six months. However, that would require additional dedication with regular study, revision and solving previous year questions.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
The total number of questions in JEE Advanced exam is not fixed. The type and number of questions are decided by the organizing institute every year. However, the total questions generally range from 48 to 54 in each paper 1 and paper 2.
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