JEE Advanced 2026 Topper: Shubham Kumar from Bihar's Gaya has secured All India Rank (AIR) 1 in JEE Advanced 2026, scoring 330 out of 360 marks. Earlier this year, he had scored a perfect 100 percentile in JEE Main and secured AIR 6. Coming from a humble family, Shubham's achievement has emerged as an inspiring story for lakhs of engineering aspirants across the country. His father, Shivkumar, runs a hardware shop, while his mother, Kanchan Devi, is a homemaker. His elder sister is pursuing a BTech in Computer Science at IIT Patna.
Shubham attributed his success to the support of his family, disciplined preparation, guidance from his teachers, and consistent hard work over the last two years.
"The academic environment at home, my father's encouragement, my mother's emotional support, and the guidance of my teachers played a crucial role in my success. I always listened carefully to my faculty members and followed their instructions," Shubham said.
Sharing his preparation strategy, the 17-year-old said that whenever he found a topic difficult, he repeatedly approached his teachers for clarification.
"Whenever I struggled with a topic, I kept asking questions. My teachers explained every concept from the basics, which helped strengthen my foundation," he said.
Shubham said he devoted six to eight hours daily to self-study and made it a habit to revise classroom lessons on the same day. Regular practice and continuous work on weak areas formed a key part of his preparation. He prepared for the examination at ALLEN Career Institute in Kota.
"Preparing for the JEE often brings pressure, but I never let it become a weakness. I turned every challenge into motivation," he said.
Reflecting on his future plans, Shubham said he aimed to pursue a BTech in Computer Science at IIT Bombay.
"My entire focus was on my goal. Now, I want to pursue a BTech in the Computer Science branch at IIT Bombay," he added.