Shubham Kumar from Bihar tops JEE Advanced 2026; to pursue B.Tech from IIT Bombay
What makes Shubham’s success particularly remarkable is his humble family background. His father, Shiv Kumar, runs a small hardware shop in Gaya Ji, while his mother, Kanchan Devi, is a homemaker.
Shubham Kumar, 18-year-old boy from Bihar’s Gaya Ji district, has secured the All India Rank (AIR)-1 with 330 marks out of 360 in the JEE (Advanced), one of most competitive entrance tests for admission to premier engineering institutions in the country including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
Shubham now plans to pursue B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Bombay.
What makes Shubham’s success particularly remarkable is his humble family background. His father, Shiv Kumar, runs a small hardware shop in Gaya Ji, while his mother, Kanchan Devi, is a homemaker. Despite limited resources, the family prioritised education and made significant sacrifices to support their son’s dream of studying at a premier engineering institution.
Even before his JEE Advanced triumph, he had demonstrated exceptional talent by securing a perfect 100 percentile in JEE Main 2026 and achieving a top national rank. His latest accomplishment is the culmination of years of hard work, dedication and perseverance.
According to reports, Shubham spent the last two years preparing intensively for the examination. He maintained a structured routine, minimized distractions and stayed away from social media to remain focused on his goal. He credited his success not only to his own efforts but also to the unwavering support of his parents and teachers.
“The biggest reason behind my success is the sacrifices made by my family,” Shubham reportedly said after the results were announced. His statement reflects the values of gratitude and humility that have defined his journey.
Shubham’s achievement has once again highlighted Bihar’s long-standing tradition of academic excellence and determination. Hailing from Gaya Ji, a city known for its rich historical and cultural heritage, the young achiever has become a source of inspiration for lakhs of students across the country.
Although Shubham hails from Gaya district, he appeared for the examination under the Delhi zone and prepared for the engineering exam by staying in Kota, the result of which was announced on May 31.
Shubham’s success has drawn congratulations from across the political and social circles. Chief minister Samrat Choudhary congratulated Shubham.
No Social Media
Elaborating on his success mantras, Shubham said avoiding social media, limiting phone use and focusing on long-term goals helped him secure the top rank in one of India’s toughest engineering entrance examinations.
The 18-year-old from Bihar’s Gaya Ji district says he had spent the last two years preparing for the examination with a single-minded routine. No social media, limited phone use, hours of study every day and short meditation breaks when stress built up.
That approach helped him secure AIR 1 in JEE Advanced 2026 with 330 marks out of 360.”I had been toiling hard for the entrance exam for two years, so it was natural to expect good marks,” Shubham told PTI after the results were announced.
Most days involved eight to ten hours of study, while Sundays were reserved for cricket and badminton.
The approach was not unique among the top rankers this year. Kabir Chhillar, who secured AIR 2 with 329 marks, also said he avoided social media and used platforms such as WhatsApp and Instagram only for academic discussions and communication with friends and teachers.
Zonal performance
In the Guwahati zone, Yashraj Singh from Assam topped the zone with an AIR of 122. He was followed by Aakarsh Naman with AIR 309, Niket Anand (AIR 319), Arnav Raj (AIR 329), and Ayushman Vats (AIR 333).
A total of 1,87,389 students had registered for JEE (Advanced) 2026, out of which 1,79,694 appeared in the examination. As many as 56,880 students qualified this year, including 10,107 girls and 44,773 boys. The number of successful candidates has increased compared to the previous year. The Madras zone recorded the highest number of qualifiers with 14,294 successful candidates, followed by the Bombay zone with 12,389 and the Delhi zone with 10,697.
The Guwahati zone had the lowest number of successful candidates at 2,883. This year too, the Delhi and Madras zones maintained their strong dominance in both overall qualifiers and top ranks.
Delhi zone produced the all India topper, while the Madras zone had the maximum number of students in the top 500 list.
The Guwahati zone, which covers Bihar along with states like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Tripura, witnessed a subdued performance. No candidate from this zone featured in the top 100 ranks. Only seven students from Guwahati zone managed to secure a place in the top 500.
This is similar to last year’s result in 2025, though the zone had two students in the top 100 in 2024. Despite the overall zonal performance, Bihar students continued to excel. Out of 2,883 qualifiers from the Guwahati zone, more than 900 were from Bihar.
In the top 500 ranks, the Madras zone led with 174 students, followed by the Bombay zone with 120, Delhi zone with 114, Roorkee with 46, Bhubaneswar with 23, Kanpur with 16, and Guwahati with just seven students.
