Meet IIT-JEE topper who joined IIT Bombay with AIR 1, son of businessman, now working as...

Every year, millions of candidates aspire to study at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) by taking the JEE Main and Advanced exams, however, only a select few manage to pass these challenging exams. Studying at an IIT is a dream for many young people, and achieving this dream requires clearing both the JEE Main and Advanced exams. Today, we highlight the extraordinary journey of Pranav Goyal, who topped JEE (Advanced) in 2018.
 
Pranav Goyal hails from Chandigarh, he topped the JEE Advanced in 2018 and obtained 337 marks out of 360 marks from the IIT Roorkee zone. Goyal's repository is full of academic achievements, which he has achieved with the right balance between working hard and having fun. In addition to becoming the Tricity (Chandigarh, Panchkula, and Mohali) topper in the non-medical stream of the CBSE class XII examinations, he received an AIR-4 in the JEE Mains in 2018. His matriculation score was CGPA 10. He credited his accomplishment to persistent, concentrated study.  

However, the student of Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 15, Panchkula did not deny that diligence and industrious brought him success. "It involved a lot of hard work. When I started preparing, I only wanted to be among the top 10, but as time went by, I aspired to top JEE," shared the son of an entrepreneur couple. 

His parents, Pankaj and Mamta Goyal, jointly run a pharmaceutical company in Chandigarh. "My teachers and parents, too, supported me thoroughly, guiding and motivating me at every step," he shared, adding how he regularly de-stressed himself by reading mythological novels or watching movies. 

"I was not obsessed with studying as is the common notion for all toppers. I just knew how to remove myself from studying when I was having fun, and focus only on academics when required," Goyal said.

After achieving the top rank in the JEE exam, Pranav pursued a B.Tech in Computer Science at IIT Bombay, one of India's most prestigious engineering institutes. His academic journey did not stop there. Recognizing the importance of continuous learning and global exposure, Pranav is currently working as a Quantitative Trader at Jane Street where he works on developing and testing a variety of trading ideas in a variety of derivative exchanges around the world.