JEE Main 2021 topper interview: Pal Aggarwal wants to join IISc Bangalore, not IIT
Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main 2026 ( JEE Main )
Registration - 31 Oct '25 - 27 Nov '25
Pal Aggarwal, a native of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, has cracked Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main 2021. She has secured full marks (300/300) in all three subjects -- chemistry, physics and mathematics.
She is among the 17 students from across India to have scored 100 percentile score in the third session of JEE Main. Pal, a student of Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Vasundhara, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, had earlier attempted JEE Main in February and became Uttar Pradesh state topper with 99.988 percentile. However, she was not satisfied with her performance and thus, attempted the third JEE session.
Shiksha caught up with Pal Aggarwal to know about her JEE Main preparation strategy and more. Read the full interview below.
Q. Congratulations on your performance in JEE Main 2021. What was your reaction upon knowing the score?
Explore colleges based on JEE Main
Want better recommendations?
There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
- Chat with our counselor
- Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
A. I expected to be the JEE Main 2021 topper. I had earlier appeared in the JEE Main 2021 February session in which I had scored 99.988 percentile. Though I was declared Uttar Pradesh state topper, I was not satisfied with my performance and appeared in the July session again to improve my score.
Q. Why do you want to study engineering?
A. I am not planning to do engineering. I want to become an astrophysicist. I am planning to either join the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore for bachelor’s in physics or the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram. I have already cleared the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) entrance exam twice in Class 11 and 12, so I am eligible for admission in IISc and have also registered for the same. To get admission to IIST, one has to clear JEE Advanced. I am preparing for JEE Advanced and will appear for it this year.
Explore more B.Tech exams with upcoming dates
30 Nov '25
12 Dec '25
14 Dec '25
1 Jan '26
19 Sep '25 - 18 Nov '25
20 Nov '25
22 Nov '25
28 Nov '25
30 Nov '25
6 Jan '26
Q. When did you start your JEE Main preparation?
A. I have been preparing for JEE Main for the past two years. I started preparing for the exam in Class 11 and used to devote time to it daily. Also, I scored 99.2 per cent in Class 12 exams.
Q. Did you take coaching for JEE Main? If yes, from where?
A. Yes, I took coaching from FITJEE, Ghaziabad, to prepare for JEE Main. I first joined FITJEE in Class 8. At that time, my motive was not to get into IIT. I joined it to get some extra information because I was attending regular school as well.
Q. What was your JEE Main preparation strategy? Which subject did you focus on more and why?
A. My favourite subject is mathematics, so I did not pay much attention to it. I found physics a little tough and focused on that more. For chemistry, I relied on NCERT books as most of the questions in this section were from NCERT.
Q. Are there any specific books that you think helped in your preparation?
A. Though I majorly relied on the material provided to me by my coaching institute for all subjects. For physics, I consulted ‘Concepts of Physics’ by HC Verma. It’s a good book for JEE preparation. I did not refer to any book for maths as I never found it that difficult.
Q. Tell us something about the JEE Main July exam. Which section was the easiest and which was the toughest?
A. My JEE exam was on July 25, 2021, in Ghaziabad, in the evening shift. I found the maths section a bit tougher than the JEE Main February session, but the overall difficulty level of the July session was same as that of the February session. Physics and chemistry were of equal level, not very difficult, not very easy.
Q. How helpful are previous year papers and mock tests for JEE Main preparation?
A. Practice makes a person perfect. To prepare for JEE exam, it is important to take mock tests and solve previous year papers as it helps the students develop problem-solving skills. This helps a lot while appearing for the actual exam. So, when you solve enough practice papers, you will know what it is like in the actual exam. When I sat for JEE Main, I did not feel as if I am appearing for it for the first time, I found it like a normal mock exam.
Q. What message do you have for future JEE aspirants?
A. I would like to tell future JEE aspirants that they should not study just for the sake of exam because when we study just to pass the exam, we have a different mindset like we just keep in mind the exam pattern and study accordingly, we try to develop shortcuts and learn as many formulas as possible, but if you are studying for yourself, you try to derive each and every formula like how has it come, why has it come and from where has it come.
Q. Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
A. My biggest inspiration isformer President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. I met him when I was in Class 3. He awarded me a prize for academic excellence.
Q. Will you be appearing for any other exam?
A. I am currently preparing for JEE Advanced and will be appearing for it on October 3, 2021.
Read more:
News & Updates
Explore Other Exams
Apr '26 | JEE Advanced 2026 registration... |
Apr '26 | JEE Advanced 2026 practice tes... |
Jan '26 | BITSAT 2026 application form -... |
May '26 | BITSAT 2026 application form -... |
3 Nov '25 - 16 Apr '26 | SRMJEEE 2026 Registration (Pha... |
3 Nov '25 - 4 Jun '26 | SRMJEEE 2026 Registration (Pha... |
Feb '26 | COMEDK application form 2026 |
May '26 | COMEDK exam date 2026 |
Jan '26 | WBJEE 2026 application form |
Feb '26 | WBJEE 2026 application form co... |
24 Oct '25 - 31 Mar '26 | VITEEE 2026 application form |
Apr '26 | VITEEE 2026 Mock Test Release ... |
Dec '25 | MHT CET 2026 Application Form |
Apr '26 | MHT CET 2026 Admit Card |
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 weeks ago
Getting into the MBA programme of NIT Trichy with a 300 SC CAT rank is somewhat uncertain. As the recent data sets suggest, NIT Trichy's CAT cutoff for SC category admission stands around 65th percentile. A 300 SC rank could be borderline depending on how many SC candidates apply and the quality of
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a month ago
Well, becoming a rocket scientist is a long-term commitment, and it depends on your education path and goals It takes almost 5 to 6 years with a bachelor's and 8 to 12 years if you want to study higher. Here below is how long it usually takes:
- Bachelor's degree: You have to study aeronautical enginee
M
Beginner-Level 4
Answered a month ago
Who work on the rocket-propelled vehicles, they apply the principles of Mathematics, Physics, and Material Science to solve challenges related to these vehicles. Rocket Scientists are involved in the process of design and development of the vehicles such as small drones, satellites, and commercial a
L
Beginner-Level 2
Answered a month ago
Yes, this field is considered hard. It is complex and demands high precision. There can be extreme consequences for minor errors. The overall field is extremely challenging as it requires to apply the basic scientific principles to design and develop rockets. It requires sophisticated engineering wi
P
Beginner-Level 2
Answered a month ago
The following are the qualification which can help you to become a rocket scientist:
· Bachelor's Degree such as B.Tech/B.E can take up to four years to complete.
· You can do a two years Master's Degree M.Tech/M.E./M.S. after graduation.
· For advanced level study in this field, you
C
Beginner-Level 2
Answered a month ago
Yes, it is quite achievable to get the ECE specialisation at IIITDM Kancheepuram with a rank of 7000 in JEE Main 2025 for the General AI category. Generally the closing ranks should range between 23099 to 29987. However the cutoff may vary depending on category. One can view the First and Last round
C
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Can you please confirm what you mean by “2027 mock test” — do you mean:
- BPSC 2027 Mock Test Series (for your upcoming exam prep)?
- Or a general mock test for 2027 government exams (like UPSC, SSC, Banking, etc.)?
- Or are you referring to a specific subject/year 2027 question paper mock (e.g., “BPSC 20
S
Beginner-Level 4
Answered a month ago
Marksheet and Adhaar details must be matched. So you have to approach to 10th passing school with relevant documents. The school will submit the application to CBSE regional office for correction.
Scholar-Level 18
Answered 2 months ago
Honestly, going for CSE at Chandigarh University with your score sounds like a solid choice. I'm saying this because CU has become a hub for tech placements and internships, and the environment is pretty competitive in a good way. Your 88 percentile in JEE Main could also land you a scholarship, whi
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 months ago
No. The JEE Mains emphasizes on deep knowledge and quote challenging with negative marking whereas KCET is moderately difficult which emphasizes on direct factual questions with no negative markings.
M
Contributor-Level 7
Can I get NIT trichy with 300 sc CAT rank and tell me the marks needed to get 300 or under sc CAT rank according to 2025 data