Born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, Govind Lahoti presents a welcome mix of humility and great self-confidence. He finished third in JEE Advanced 2014, scored 340 out of 360 in the JEE Mains and attributes his remarkable success to the guidance he received from his teachers and the hard work he put into pursuing his goal to crack one of India&’s toughest exams. Becoming a software engineer has always been a childhood dream, but he also loves reading books, swimming, playing chess and video games when time permits.

He admits that finishing at the top was no surprise really because he knew he could do it. Cool headed and spiritually inclined, he admits to being something of an introvert and accords a lot of importance to self-study, the role of coaching centres and the benefits of online tests in cracking the JEE with a promising score.

Asked if he had always been a topper and hard working, he says, “Yes, mostly. I always tried to do my best in school. Nothing is achieved without hard work. So yes, I was a hard worker all through my schooling days.”

And what was his preparation strategy for JEE 2104? “I ensured I had a really good hold on theory. Whenever I began tackling a new chapter, I would spend more time on getting the concepts perfect. I ensured that I covered every aspect of the topic so that whatever question came from it I would be able to solve it. Practice does matter but without a good hold on theory, you will keep making the same mistakes. I also ensured that there was no backlog and tried to finish chapters well in time.”

What would he say worked in his favour? “My decision to move to Kota was the turning point. This is where my preparation picked up and I found the ‘real’ competition. I was surrounded by very intelligent students as well as a great faculty. This ensured that I was updated about my real position in the competition. However, this was purely a personal experience, and may not have been favourable for every student.”

Asked about the most difficult phase he had to go through while preparing for the JEE, he said, “The initial month in Kota was challenging. I had to pick up very fast. There was a lot of pressure to excel and the competition was intense. Also, when the test marks were not up to my expectations, my confidence would flag a bit.”

So when did he start preparing? “I began preparation right from Class X. I started studying the Class XI syllabus and so was able to get a head start when I got to that class.” Was there any pressure from his parents? “My father retired from a private job and my mother is housewife. My elder brother is pursuing an MTech in Computer Science from IIT, Bombay. My parents’ expectations were running high but that only encouraged me to work harder. I never took it in negative way.”

Did he think coaching was necessary to crack the JEE Advanced? “I think coaching is very important to crack a tough exam like JEE Advanced. You get a lot of guidance and study material from coaching and this helps you make sure you are moving in the right direction. It gives much support, but it is not compulsory. Self-preparation is very important. Hard work finally helps you secure good rank in this exam.”