18-year-old samosa seller from Noida cracks NEET-UG

An 18-year-old boy from Noida, who sells samosas (an Indian savoury snack) has cracked the NEET-UG exam and is now on the way to becoming a doctor.

It is a heartwarming story of grit and sheer determination that led the teenager to score 664 out of 720 in the under-graduation medical entrance examination.

In a story shared by Physics Wallah's Alakh Pandey on Instagram, Kumar had an arduous routine which involved attending school till 2:00pm in the afternoon and running his samosa stall for a few hours after classes and then, often studying all night to prepare for his entrance. "Bhaut baar sari raat padai karta tha phir subah aankhein dard karti thi" (I would often study all night and my eyes would hurt in the morning), he said.

He further said that he became interested in medicine and becoming a doctor when because he wanted to understand how medicines cure people. “Dawai dekh kar interest aya, log theek kaise hote hai, ye samjhna tha isliye Biology liya”, he said.

The determined teenager said that “Selling samosas won’t define my future.”

The Hindustan Times reported that Kumar had been studying at Physics Wallah since 11th standard, and Alakh Pandey offered him a scholarship of Rs 6 lakh and promised to pay the tuition fees of medical college.

In one of the videos shared by Physics Wallah, Kumar’s room, with notes plastered all over a wall, can be seen. He made those notes for a quick revision. Kumar further says, “Maine sab kuch hi cover kar dia, isme short notes jaisa kuch raha nahi" (I eneded up covering everything in the these notes, and not just brief pointers.)

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET-UG, is a nationwide entrance examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission in undergraduate medical programs. It is the biggest exam with regard to the number of applicants. In 2024, more than 23 lakh students appeared for the exam.