Meet Indian genius who cracked IIT-JEE at 13, earned PhD at 24, is now...

There is no doubt that the IIT JEE entrance exam is one of the most challenging exams, not only in India but globally. Every year, hundreds of thousands of students from across India attempt the IIT JEE, hoping to secure a seat at an IIT. However, only a few thousand of the brightest minds manage to clear this rigorous exam. Many students attempt the IIT JEE multiple times in pursuit of success, but this story is about a child prodigy who made history by cracking the IIT JEE at just 13 years old.

We're talking about Satyam Kumar from Bihar, who holds the distinction of being the youngest Indian to pass the Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE). Satyam achieved this feat in 2013, securing an impressive rank of 670th. Hailing from Bhojpur district, Bihar, and with a farmer as his father, Satyam prepared for the IIT JEE in Kota, Rajasthan.

Satyam first took the IIT-JEE in 2011 at the age of 12, achieving an All India Rank (AIR) of 8137. Dissatisfied with this result, he retook the exam in 2012 and improved his rank to 679.

"I wasn’t satisfied with my lower rank, so I decided to take the test again this year. I was confident I could do better," Satyam told the Economic Times. He once expressed a desire to develop something akin to Facebook.

Satyam Kumar went on to complete a BTech-MTech Dual Degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur before pursuing a PhD in the United States, which he completed in 2024 at the age of 24. According to his LinkedIn profile, Satyam is currently open to new job opportunities and has previously interned at Apple as a Machine Learning Intern.