Meet man, IIT-JEE topper with 337 marks in JEE Advanced, got admission in IIT Bombay with AIR 1 and then…

IIT-JEE is one of the most challenging exams in India and globally. Thousands of students from across India attempt the IIT-JEE every year, hoping to secure a seat at IIT. To achieve this, one must clear the JEE Main and Advanced exams, which qualify for admission to IITs. The preparation for this examination involves immense hard work and dedication. However, only a few thousand of the brightest minds manage to clear this rigorous exam. In this article, we will talk about Pranav Goyal, who topped JEE (Advanced) in 2018.

Pranav Goyal, who hails from Chandigarh, received 337 out of 360 points from the IIT Roorkee zone and won the 2018 JEE Advanced exam. Goyal has a wealth of academic accomplishments to his credit, all of which he attained by striking the correct balance between hard work and enjoyment. In addition to becoming the Tricity (Chandigarh, Panchkula, and Mohali) topper in the non-medical stream of the CBSE class XII examinations, he received an AIR-4 in the JEE Mains in 2018. He attributed his success to focused, consistent study.  

Nonetheless, the Bhavan Vidyalaya student from Sector 15, Panchkula, acknowledged that his accomplishment was a result of his hard work and perseverance. "A lot of effort was required. "At first, I just wanted to place in the top 10, but as time went on, I wanted to be at the top of JEE," said the son of an entrepreneur couple. 

In Chandigarh, his parents, Pankaj Goyal and Mamta Goyal, own a pharmaceutical business. "My teachers and parents, too, supported me thoroughly, guiding and motivating me at every step," he shared, adding how he regularly de-stressed himself by reading mythological novels or watching movies. 

"I was not obsessed with studying as is the common notion for all toppers. I just knew how to remove myself from studying when I was having fun, and focus only on academics when required," Goyal said.

Pranav pursued a B.Tech in Computer Science at IIT Bombay, one of India's most prominent engineering schools, after earning the highest score on the JEE exam. His academic career continued after that. Understanding the value of lifelong learning and exposure to different cultures, Pranav is currently employed at Jane Street as a Quantitative Trader, where he develops and tests a range of trading strategies on various derivative markets worldwide.