NEET 2025 Topper Mahesh Success formula: Cracking the NEET exam with an AIR 1 is not just a matter of intelligence, but it also reflects mindset, strategy, discipline and consistency. Hence, today Mahesh Kumar, who hails from a small village in Rajasthan, has emerged as an inspiration to lakhs of students across the country by securing AIR 1 in NEET 2025.
Coming from a Hindi medium background, Mahesh Kumar is the first in his family to study biology.
Mahesh’s journey is an inspiration for every NEET aspirant dreaming of getting into a good medical college in 2026.
He shares all the insights into his success – from managing mock tests to overcoming stress and self-doubt – that can help you prepare better and stay determined.
So let’s take a deeper look at Mahesh’s journey and the things he learned so that you can create your own path to success in the upcoming NEET 2026 exam.
NEET 2025 Consistency over intensity
Mahesh Kumar said that do not let yourself be carried away by the mock test score. Mahesh emphasizes that NEET preparation is a long journey. Therefore, you should not be overconfident with a high score in the mock test and you should not worry too much if your score is low.
Many candidates reduce their study hours after performing well initially or some students study more than necessary after a bad exam. Whereas according to him both these things are wrong because whatever the result, study in a fixed schedule and give equal attention to all the subjects.
Health is as important as your career. Therefore, according to Mahesh, there is no need to sacrifice sleep or food to study for 15-16 hours unnecessarily. You can crack NEET even if you study for 9-10 hours daily with the right focus.
Does Hindi medium can barrier
Mahesh says that he was initially afraid whether a Hindi medium student would be able to compete at the national level. But he overcame it with proper guidance and his bilingual practice. And he proved that no language can become a barrier to your success, except your own.
How he handled the tough NEET 2025 Paper
Mahesh says that in the actual NEET exam, the physics questions were difficult and the first 20 questions were taking a lot of time to solve.
So he initially skipped the difficult questions then moved on to chemistry and biology questions and later solved the physics questions.
This time-saving trick boosted his confidence in the middle of the paper and helped him complete the entire paper calmly.
Mastering time management with mock tests
In the last 54 days before NEET, Mahesh had given at least 22 full mock tests.
By giving these mock tests, Mahesh learned to quickly adjust to the exam paper pattern, and also practiced how to solve the paper in less time during the exam.
Mahesh said that one should not hesitate or be afraid to leave a question because according to him, instead of guessing, skipping risky questions can avoid negative marking.
Family support matters During Preparation
Mahesh said that he did not talk much to his parents on a daily basis during preparation, instead he preferred to keep quiet, so his calm attitude also helped him to top the exam by scoring good marks.
His daily routine During NEET 2025 Preparation
Mahesh says that whenever he used to get low marks in the test, his parents never scolded him for this. All he would say was: keep working hard and one day your hard work will pay off.
Although Mahesh did not have a strict routine, he advises students to do at least 6-7 hours of self-study every day apart from coaching or school.
He emphasized on quality over quantity which meant studying for long hours with focus.
To relieve stress, he would go on short walks, talk to his friends and share ideas with his parents.
Know: Safe Score for admission in government medical college in NEET 2025
Coaching vs Self-study: Which works better for Preparation
He could not clear NEET on the basis of self-study alone. So he took the help of coaching in his state. Coaching improved Mahesh’s ability to study because joining coaching clarifies the concepts of doubtful topics, which helps you remember the subject for a long time without memorizing the concepts.
Mahesh’s top 4 success tips for NEET 2026 aspirants
a. Stick to their coaching notes and modules
Revise your coaching class notes and solve the questions of the modules multiple times. Revisions increase clarity and speed which helps in NEET exam.
b. Master in NCERT well for better rank
Read Biology from NCERT as almost all the questions in Biology are directly from NCERT, but don’t skip NCERT textbooks of Physics and Chemistry. Read NCERT at least for Chemistry.
c. Solve NCERT-based question booklets
Mahesh said that he practiced from a booklet that had NCERT-derived questions. He recommends solving such booklets after finishing the modules.
d. Keep repeating the same questions multiple times
If you solve the same set of questions 2-3 times, you develop muscle memory to answer them quickly and accurately.
Conclusion-
“Assess yourself by your mock test scores and keep improving them. Keep working hard every day and don’t skip mock tests.
Stick to a fixed routine, keep revising and trust your process. Even if you are from a small town or Hindi medium background – you can clear NEET with good marks.”
If you found this article useful, share it with your fellow NEET aspirants. You can also bookmark it to revisit Mahesh’s strategies whenever you feel stuck or discouraged.