The Indian Express spoke to all top 10 rank holders this year to find out their marks and their entrance test preparation strategy:

Shishir R K (AIR 1)

Age: 18 years

School: Narayana Olympaid School, Sahakarnagar (near Bangalore)

JEE Advanced Marks: 314/360 (Phy: 96, Chem: 109, Math:109)

Class 12 Board exam: 96.4 %

Exam prep tip: Attempt as many mock exams as possible and always note and correct errors after every exam.

IIT and branch preference: BTech Computer Science at IIT Bombay

Polu Lakshmi Sai Lohith Reddy (AIR 2)

Age: 17 years

School: Narayana Junior College, Hitech City, Hyderabad

JEE Advanced Marks: 307/360 (Phy: 101, Chem: 94, Math:112)

Class 12 Board exam: 97.9%

Exam prep tip: Focus on concepts and not on attempting more questions. Start with the NCERT textbook, especially for Chemistry.

IIT and branch preference: BTech Computer Science at IIT Bombay

Thomas Biju Cheeramvelil (AIR 3)

Age: 18 years

School: Vishwa Prabhash Central School, Trivandrum.

JEE Advanced Marks: 300/360 (Phy: NA, Chem: NA, Math: NA)

Class 12 Board exam: 99.4%

Exam prep tip: Study regularly and try to do many problems. Try not to repeat the mistakes you made earlier. I used to study 10 hours daily on average.

IIT and branch preference: BTech Computer Science at IIT Bombay

Vangapalli Sai Siddhartha (AIR 4)

Age: 18 years

School: Narayana Junior College, Hitech City, Hyderabad

JEE Advanced Marks: 299/360 (Phy: 103, Chem: 110, Math: 86)

Class 12 Board exam: 98%

Exam prep tip: Practice math hard for speed. Apart from textbooks, try to read extra materials and thoroughly follow guidance from teachers.

IIT and branch preference: BTech Computer Science at IIT Bombay

Mayank Motwani (AIR 5)

Age: 18 years

School: Lord Buddha Public School, Kota

JEE Advanced Marks: 297/360 (Phy: 88, Chem: 111, Math: 98)

Class 12 Board exam: 98%

Exam Prep Tip: Follow the guidance of your teachers word to word. Whatever you are taught, revise it regularly and do all of your homework. I used to study 6 to 8 hours daily.

IIT and branch preference: BTech Computer Science at IIT Bombay

Polisetty Karthikeya (AIR 6)

Age: 19 years

School: Sri Chaitanya Junior College, Veda Vyasa Bhavan, Vijayawada

JEE Advanced Marks: 292/360 (Phy: 98, Chem: 103, Math: 91)

Class 12 Board exam: 93.9%

Exam prep tip: What sets one apart from another here is confidence and temperament. Try not to panic and attempt questions with a stable mindset.

IIT and branch preference: BTech Computer Science at IIT Madras

Pratik Sahoo (AIR 7)

Age: 18 years

School: Prodigy Public School, Pune

JEE Advanced Marks: 292/360 (Phy: 104, Chem: 103, Math: 85)

Class 12 Board exam: 94.8%

Exam Prep Tip: Don’t fall for the popularised 12-hour study regime. I honestly think 7-8 hours a day is equally good. The quality of hours matter more than the quantity. Don’t solve all the books that are available. Choose one book and do it thoroughly, there is no point doing five books half heartedly. Listen to your teachers, we have been studying only for two years, but the teachers have been teaching for many years.

IIT and branch preference: BTech Computer Science at IIT Bombay

Dheeraj Kurukunda (AIR 8)

Age: 17 years

School: Narayana Junior College, Hitech City, Hyderabad

JEE Advanced Marks: 287/360 (Phy: 92, Chem: 107, Math: 88)

Class 12 Board exam: 98.8%

Exam prep tip: Attempting more questions should not be the aim. Focus on the basics and be thorough with the concepts.

IIT and branch preference: BTech Computer Science at IIT Bombay

Mahit Gadhiwala (AIR 9)

Age: 18 years

School: Scholar English Academy School, Surat

JEE Advanced Marks: 285/360 (Phy: 107, Chem: 93, Math: 85)

Class 12 Board exam: 98.6%

Exam prep tip: 4-5 hours of self-study daily apart from school and coaching class.

IIT and branch preference: BTech Computer Science at IIT Bombay

Vencha Gnana Mahesh (AIR 10)

Age: 17 years

School: Narayana Junior College, Visakhapatnam

JEE Advanced Marks: 285/360 (Phy: 86, Chem: 99, Math: 100)

Class 12 Board exam: 97.6%

Exam prep tip: Prepare short notes for important concepts, work on time management, avoid silly mistakes during exam.

IIT and branch preference: BTech Computer Science at IIT Bombay