NEET 2021 Topper Mrinal Kutteri scored full marks with 4 hours of daily prep and enjoyed Netflix shows

 Mrinal Kutteri who scored a perfect 720 marks in NEET UG 2021 is over the moon after he secured an all-India rank 1 in the NEET-UG 2021 results. Talking about his preparation, the Hyderabad boy said,  that he could not follow a fixed routine and took breaks every 45 minutes. In his interview to News18.com, Mrinal said, he  binged sitcoms on Netflix and Amazon Prime during the 2.5 years he spent in NEET preparation. The TV shows, said the topper, kept him motivated during grim times. “I used to get intimidated reading interviews of toppers who claim to study at least 12 hours a day. During the pandemic when I was at home, I had access to a phone, TV, and laptop. All these were distractions and in the beginning, I had to focus and redirect myself towards studying. It got better with time. I used to spend around 4 hours a day studying every day," said Mrinal. Not just while preparing but while attempting NEET too, Mrinal had a unique approach. While most toppers attempt the Biology section first, Mrinal took it up at the end. “I started the exam by attempting the Physics section first. I thought I could do this section better when I have more time. I considered Biology to be easier and could perform better in it even with limited time," he said.

Advising his peers, Mrinal said, “There is no one-size-fits-all. When I used to read topper interviews, I used to find out what timetable they follow and what routine worked for them. During my preparation, I, too, followed a lot of routines but I realised that a structured approach does not work for me. I was lucky to have parents and teachers who never forced me and did not discourage in my own style of studying.

"Mrinal has been preparing for NEET since he was in Class 11 in 2020. It was then that the Covid-19 pandemic forced classes to move online. While the pandemic did derail his studies for some time, it also motivated him. “During the time of crisis, doctors were the country’s last line of strength. Seeing them work like this motivated me to become like them, and one day be able to say that I am a doctor. I do what these people do. It was a challenge and I was motivated to overcome it," said Mrinal. Now, the 18-year-old is set to become the first doctor in his family. He aspires to study MBBS from AIIMS, New Delhi, his dream institute. Earlier, the entrance exam for AIIMS was different. However, this year, admission to AIIMS was also on the basis of NEET. “AIIMS and JIPMER having different entrance exams gave students an option. NEET being the only exam raises the stakes for students, makes it a make-or-break exam. I am glad it worked for me," said Mrinal. Talking about his preparation during the pandemic, Mrinal said,  that the lockdown period was a double-edged sword. Though there was no time wasted on travel, studying from home could be distracting. Hence, he made sure that he had an environment optimised for focused study.