11-hour playlist, concept-based study: How Aryan Dubey secured NEET AIR 7

Aryan Dubey secured All India Rank 7 in NEET 2026 by scoring 710 out of 720 marks and a percentile of 99.99965. A student of DPS Varanasi, Aryan had spent the last two years preparing at Aakash Institute.But according to him, the real journey began much earlier in Class 9, when he decided he wanted to become a doctor. That early clarity gave him something many students struggle to find: direction."When you sacrifice your comforts for something and the result is so beautiful, all that hard work becomes worthwhile," he said.THE DOCTOR WHO INSPIRED HIS DREAMThe biggest influence in Aryan's life was his grandfather, a retired Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Growing up, he often watched his grandfather and other doctors in the family treat patients. Those experiences stayed with him."Since childhood, I have closely watched my grandfather and other doctors in my family treat patients. Seeing a suffering patient recover, and the satisfaction doctors felt made a deep impact on me," he said. For Aryan, medicine became more than just a profession. "I felt there could be no better profession than this to contribute to society," he added.His grandfather's belief in him never wavered either. While the family thought a top 5,000 rank would be a remarkable achievement, his grandfather confidently predicted that Aryan would finish among the top 100. His prediction turned out to be remarkably accurate.CONCEPTS FIRST, MEMORISING LATERAryan says one habit made the biggest difference during preparation: understanding concepts instead of simply memorising facts.According to him, once a topic is understood properly, there is little room left for confusion or distractions. This approach helped him build confidence across subjects instead of depending on last-minute revision.His preparation was based on consistency rather than studying for endless hours.AN 11-HOUR PLAYLIST THAT KEPT HIM GOINGPreparing for one of India's toughest entrance exams did not mean giving up everything he enjoyed. Music became Aryan's favourite way to relax between study sessions. In fact, he laughs that his playlist today runs for nearly 11 hours.For many students, that might sound surprising, but for Aryan it was a simple way to refresh his mind before getting back to his books.As he puts it, "When you sacrifice your comforts for something and the result is so beautiful, all that hard work becomes worthwhile."A FAMILY THAT BELIEVED BEFORE THE RESULTS DIDAryan comes from an academically inclined family. His father works at IIT BHU, his mother is a homemaker, and his younger sister, now in Class 11, is also preparing for NEET.Their support gave him the confidence to stay focused throughout his preparation.Aryan's story is not built around extraordinary study hacks or impossible routines. It is about setting a goal early, understanding concepts instead of memorising them, taking breaks without guilt and having a family that believed in him long before the rank list was published.For students preparing for competitive exams, his journey offers a simple reminder: success often comes from doing ordinary things consistently, one day at a time.- EndsPublished By: Princy ShuklaPublished On: Jul 17, 2026 16:45 IST