NEET 2023 Topper Interview: Preparing from NCERT books was my priority, says AIR 10 Parth Khandelwal

NEET Result 2023 was declared on June 13, 2023. Shiksha spoke to Parth Khandelwal AIR 10 of NEET result 2023, read here to know about his success mantra. 

Jaipur's Parth Khandelwal has achieved an All India Rank 10 in the NEET result. He scored 715 out of a total of 720. 
Other than his NEET 2023 scores he also has been a top-performing student in school. He got 95.6% in Class 10 and in Class 12, he got 90.6%. He said that while his preparation for NEET was going on, he mainly focused on NCERT books and hardly referred to any other books. He also practised mock test papers from Allen Institute and said that it is better to do mock during the NEET time from 2 to 5:20 pm to adjust your biological clock with the exam timings. His sister, who is also doing MBBS, has been his inspiration during his preparation, read here for more details.

Also Read:

• NEET 2024 Toppers list
• NEET 2025 Toppers list

Q: Congratulations on your result! What was your reaction when you came to know about your rank? 

A: Thanks, it was not very surprising as I had already estimated the score, but being in the top 10 made me feel happy. My aim was to be in the top 100 but I was not expecting to be in the top 10, so yes, I feel good to be in the top 10.

Q: When and how did you decide to pursue MBBS? 

A: I decided to do MBBS in Class 9, my inspiration was my elder sister. I am good at memorising and in subjects like Biology, you need to memorise. Also, I had seen the pattern of NEET and thought that I will be able to score well in this exam. These were the reasons that motivated me to go for the NEET examination. Also, doctor is a noble profession, so I wanted to be a doctor. During Covid, doctors got so much respect, so that was also the driving factor.

Q: Tell us something about your family, schooling, etc. 

A: My father has a dry fruits business, my mother is a housewife and as I told my sister is in her fourth year of MBBS student from SMS Medical College. I did my schooling at St. Xavier. My school was very supportive including all teachers, they never put much pressure on me. They always helped me and the school was a big support in my journey. I didn’t need to take a dummy as my school was very supportive. My family also never put any pressure on me, even when I used to get low scores, they use to support me. 

Q: When did you start preparing for NEET and what was the strategy?

A: I joined Allen in Class 10th, and in Class 11, I joined the advanced batch, where my NEET preparation started. So, I prepared for the exam for two years. Whenever there were no classes in school I used to go to Allen and be there for many hours, where I used to study with my friends and used to discuss my doubts with teachers and friends. I used to do my self-study at the institute.

Q: What were your strong and weak areas?

A: My weak area was Organic chemistry and my strong subject was Biology. For Biology, in advance, I was studying outside NCERT but during the end, especially after Class 12 was over I only read NCERT books. In Chemistry and Physics, I used to study teachers’ notes which also included syllabus outside NCERT but in the end, even for Chemistry and Physics, I only read NCERT. Preparing for NCERT was my priority.

Q: Which books did you refer to for NEET?

A: Though I bought many extra books but never studied from those, and will not recommend any of those books. I will say that if you have time, revise NCERT again and again and Allen provides sufficient material because in NCERT there are no MCQs. So, you can practice through the institute’s notes. I don’t think for NEET, one needs any reference book.

Q: When did you start taking full-length NEET mock tests?

A: Allen started the NEET mock tests as long as the Class 12 course was complete, so I could get sufficient NEET practice. Aspirants should give lots of mock tests, especially during the end, it will be great. I would also recommend, that students can give mock test during the time of the NEET exam i.e. from 2 pm to 5:20 pm, so that your bio clock also adjust with the exam timings.

Q: How did you balance your NEET preparation along with your school and board exams?

A: Preparing for the board exam was great for the NEET exam preparation as I prepared the NCERT books of Physics, Chemistry and Biology. So, it was never a burden. Only, time was wasted while preparing for the other two subjects – English and Computers.

Q: How did the lockdown impact your preparation and how did you cope with it?

A: The lockdown had a negative impact on my preparation as the classes went online, and there was no interaction with teachers and friends, so only through online we could interact, which was a disadvantage for me. But I tried to cope. My Class 11th became weak due to online classes. So, in Class 12 I also used to revise the syllabus of Class 11. So, I prepared all those concepts in Class 12.

Q: What was your exam taking strategy?

A: I used to attempt Biology first, as my Biology was strong, I used to complete it in 20 to 30 minutes. Then, the remaining time I used to give in Physics and Chemistry. Out of these two subjects I used to do Physics first and then Chemistry but sometimes I used to interchange the sequence, but Biology I always used to attempt first.

Q: During your rigorous preparation journey, how did you unwind?

A: To refresh my mind during the preparation, I used to talk to my friends through Whatsapp, and I used to talk to my family at times.

Q: Which is your dream medical college?

A: AIIMS Delhi is my dream medical college.

Q: What are your plans after completing MBBS?

A: If I will get a good score in NEET PG, then I will go for Neuro and Cardio. Otherwise, I am also interested in Dermatology.

Q: Your suggestion for next year’s NEET takers. 

Do hard work and do not focus much on your scores. If you are getting a low score, motivate yourself to get a higher score, and if you get a higher score, it should not get into your head. Be confident, but avoid being overconfident or underconfident as both are not good for your preparation. Also, focus on NCERT preparation.

Read more:

• NEET 2023 Topper Interview: NCERT Books and Mock Tests Are Keys To Success, Says AIR 3 Kaustav Bauri
• NEET 2023 Topper Interview: AIR 5 Dhruv Advani Shares His Success Mantra