MUMBAI – Amina Arif, who studied at an Urdu medium school till Grade X, is among the several students who got All India Rank (AIR)-1 from across the country in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 examinations.

Amina, the daughter of a bakery worker in Mumbai’s Jogeshwari area, secured cent per cent (720 marks) registering her name among 67 students from all over the country who got 100% marks.

In Madni High School, Jogeshwari, Amina scored 93.20% in Grade X. She secured 95% in Grade XII from Mithibai College, Vile Parle.

“I had no plans to appear for NEET. But I made an attempt during the (Covid) lockdown and didn’t secure good marks. On my teacher’s advice, I joined a private tuition centre and I secured 720 out of 720 this year,” Amina was quoted by the Hindustan Times daily as saying.

Amina wants to pursue her studies at AIIMS Delhi, but she will make the final decision after a discussion with her teachers. Talking about her study pattern, she said: “Every week I used to write two tests. When I used to give mock tests, I used to score 620 or 700. So, I knew I was going to score above 700 because of the way I had prepared for the exam, and I succeeded.”

Social media users hailed her achievement pointing out her Urdu background.

“Despite coming from a modest background and studying in an Urdu medium school, she demonstrated exceptional dedication and perseverance to secure the All India Rank 1 in the NEET UG 2024 examination,” said author Syed Ubaidur Rahman.