‘Hardest part was starting all over again’: Jalandhar lad shoots into glory with AIR 8

2 min readJalandharUpdated: Jul 18, 2026 11:04 AM IST

Like lakhs of medical aspirants, Geetansh Sarin from Jalandhar had spent months preparing for NEET that was mired in controversy and subsequently cancelled, leaving him and others disappointed and drained mentally. (Express)

For Geetansh Sarin, the toughest challenge wasn’t cracking one of India’s toughest competitive entrance examinations, but beginning all over again.

Like lakhs of medical aspirants, this Jalandhar lad had spent months preparing for NEET that was mired in controversy and subsequently cancelled, leaving him and others disappointed and drained mentally.

“It was difficult to cope up with. I had prepared on my own for months and then…. It wasn’t easy to push myself to begin all over again,” Geetansh told The Indian Express.

Defying the setback, the 18-year-old gradually regained his confidence and fired on all cylinders with renewed determination and zeal, only to shoot into glory — securing All India Rank (AIR) 8 in the NEET-UG 2026, with 705 out of 720 marks, and becoming Punjab’s second-highest scorer and the topper from Jalandhar district.

For Geetansh, the rank is “not just a personal milestone, but fulfilment of a childhood ambition”.

“There has never been a doctor in my family. I always wanted to become the first one,” he said.

Born in a family of educators, Geetansh credits discipline, more than long study hours, to his success.

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His parents Monika and Sunit Sarin are government school teachers, and his elder brother is pursuing engineering. The parents say the NEET cancellation not only tested their son’s resilience, but also their patience. “It was a difficult phase, but he never complained. He accepted the situation and started preparing again,” his father said.

Knowing that consistency would matter more than anything else, Geetansh made another decision long before the examination.

Since Class XI, Geetansh stayed away from social media. “I knew it would only distract me, because every hour counts during preparation,” he said.

Rather than chasing marathon study sessions, he focused on a disciplined routine built around concept clarity, revision, mock tests and analysing mistakes.

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Geetansh now hopes to pursue medicine and eventually specialise in either cardiology or neurology.

Looking back, he said, “You cannot control every situation in life. What you can control is how you respond to it. Once I accepted that, preparing again became easier.”