Daughter of a truck mechanic in Agra, 21-year-old Arti Jha, who cracked this year's medical entrance test NEET-UG, would study with the fan switched off so that she does not doze off and affect her routine.
Arti cracked the undergraduate National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET), one of the toughest entrance exams in the country, the results of which were declared on Tuesday. She stood at rank 192 out of over 20 lakh applicants in the country.
"Arti used to keep the fan switched off while studying because if she fell asleep she would miss fall behind on the day's work," Arti's father Bishambhar Jha told PTI.
Bishambhar Jha has been working as a truck mechanic for the past 40 years.
"She will be the first doctor from the family. It is a very big achievement in the family. Despite financial problems, she has managed to crack the exam," he said, adding that she has made the entire family proud.
Arti also had a rcurring problem of headaches but she did not let that effect her preparation, he said. Arti has been taking medical advice for it in Agra, he added.
Arti credited her NEET-UG qualification to her family, primarily her father, who believed that she would become a doctor one day. "It was possible because of the support of my family," she said.
"My father is my inspiration because he always motivates us and when we fail, encourages to move further," Arti said.
Arti's mother is a house wife, her two brothers are preparing for SSC exam and she has an elder sister who is married.
Arti said it was an unforgettable moment of her life and she has been receiving calls from friends, relatives and neighbours since the results were declared.
"Since my AIR rank is 192 and have been ranked 33 in the OBC category, I have hope that I would get admission in Delhi AIIMS. And after my MBBS degree, I would do in Neurology," she added.
Arti said she taught school students to save money for medical coaching classes.
"I passed 12th in the year 2018 from CBSE board with 85 per cent marks. After that I dropped my preparation for a year and taught students in a private school. I used to get Rs 5,000 per month as a salary," she said.
"I used the money to pay fees for coaching classes to prepare for the exam. I began preparing after 2020 and since then have been diligently working hard to crack the exam," Arti said.
"Besides, I also teach tuition to students of 10th and 12th classes at my home with my brothers," she said.
Regarding her preparation, Arti said her daily process was focussing on specific topics, not on the hours spent. "But after coaching classes for NEET and other routine, I used to study six to eight hours daily," she said. Arti also revised the NCERT Biology syllabus considering the subject as her weakness.
"I was good in Physics and Chemistry, but not in Biology. So, I kept revising NCERT Biology books to remove my weakness," Arti said.
"I would suggest to my juniors (future NEET aspirants) to focus on the mistakes they made in previous tests. And do not forget to study consistently."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)