Nikhil Sonnad, a student of Expert Pre-University College, has secured the 17th All-India Rank in the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) and emerging as the state topper.

Scoring an impressive 670 out of 720 marks, Nikhil is now hopeful of securing admission to the prestigious AIIMS, New Delhi, for his MBBS studies.

Nikhil is the son of Dr. Siddappa Sonnad, a renowned neurosurgeon in Vijayapura, and Dr. Meenakshi, an ophthalmologist at the Vijayapura Government Hospital. Interestingly, Nikhil had earlier secured the 8th rank in the Karnataka CET (Agriculture stream) as well.

In a humble reflection on his preparation journey, Nikhil said, “I did not prepare with the sole intention of cracking NEET or CET. My goal was always to gain knowledge. Once you focus on learning, ranks follow. That belief helped me.”

He added, “I expected to be within the top 100 in NEET, but securing 17th rank is truly a happy surprise. I studied for three hours daily and made the best use of my study time, especially the NCERT curriculum. That consistency helped me achieve this rank.”