Aryan’s Journey to IIT Kharagpur Civil with eSaral

eSaral › Success stories › Aryan’s Journey to IIT Kharagpur Civil with eSaral

Scoring 98.7 percentile in JEE Main is already a strong result. Aryan had the option of joining NIT Allahabad, but he believed that his preparation could take him further. Instead of settling immediately, he chose a drop year and continued working towards an IIT.

During the drop year, his JEE Main percentile improved from approximately 98.7 to 99.67. He later secured JEE Advanced rank 2,884 and received Civil Engineering at IIT Kharagpur in the first round of counselling.

Aryan’s journey was built through disciplined study, honest test analysis, eSaral mentorship, and a family that made years of quiet sacrifices without placing the burden of expectations on him.

Watch Aryan’s Real Conversation with eSaral

In the complete interview, Aryan and his parents discuss his decision to take a drop despite having an NIT option, the difficult phase when his mock-test score fell to 50 and the routine he followed during the year.

They also explain how eSaral teachers helped him improve weak Chemistry, how Deepak Sir supported daily planning and how the family approached JoSAA preference filling.

Why Did Aryan Take a Drop After Scoring 98.7 Percentile?

Aryan’s Class 12 JEE Main percentile was approximately 98.7. According to his father, this result could have given him NIT Allahabad, which was also convenient because the family was based in Prayagraj at the time.

Choosing a drop after such a result required careful thought. Aryan was not starting from an unsuccessful academic position. He was choosing between a secure NIT option and another year of preparation for JEE Advanced.

His father discussed the situation with an eSaral mentor. The guidance was that Aryan had prepared with an Advanced-oriented goal and should evaluate his IIT opportunity before deciding to settle for an NIT.

Aryan also understood that the final work would have to be done by him. Although the drop-year decision was discussed with his father, he said that he was primarily responsible for choosing it.

A drop year should not become a repeat of the previous year. It should correct the weaknesses that prevented the student from reaching the desired result. Aspirants evaluating the same decision can explore the available eSaral JEE online and offline courses according to their target year and preparation stage.

The Hardest Phase Came Near Syllabus Completion

In November, his score in one JEE Main mock test dropped to approximately 50. For a student who had already scored 98.7 percentile in the previous year, such a score could create serious doubt about whether the drop-year decision was working.

His JEE Advanced test scores were also often around 100. Aryan understood that the eSaral Advanced tests were challenging, but repeated low marks still affected his confidence.

The recovery did not happen through one motivational session. Once the syllabus was completed and part-syllabus tests began, he received more time to revise a defined set of topics. This made preparation manageable again.

A Score of 50 Did Not Decide His Final Result

Mock-test marks are meant to reveal preparation gaps before the real examination. They should not become permanent labels.

Aryan’s score of 50 showed that he was under pressure and needed recovery time. Instead of abandoning the plan, he used the part-test phase to focus on selected chapters and rebuild his command over the syllabus.

This is an important lesson for JEE aspirants. A disappointing mock score should lead to three questions: which concepts were weak, which mistakes were avoidable, and what must change before the next test?

A score becomes useful only when it changes the next phase of preparation.

Turn every weak mock into a practical improvement plan through the eSaral JEE Main and Advanced Test Series, where chapter-wise, part-syllabus and full-syllabus testing can be used at different stages of preparation.

Chemistry Was His Weakest Subject

Chemistry was the subject Aryan feared most. His father said that Aryan generally attempted Mathematics first, Physics second, and Chemistry last.

Even when engineering branches were being discussed during counselling, Aryan was reluctant to choose Chemical Engineering because he wanted to move away from Chemistry.

The subject could not be ignored, however, because clearing JEE Advanced requires adequate performance across all three subjects.

Aryan focused mainly on NCERT for Chemistry and completed the practice assigned by his eSaral teachers. Whenever a Chemistry topic remained weak, he created a separate morning slot for it.

Instead of collecting more resources, aspirants can begin with verified patterns through eSaral’s JEE Advanced chapter-wise previous-year questions.

Daily Planning with eSaral Mentor Support

Aryan did not begin each morning by deciding randomly what to study. He prepared the following day’s schedule in advance. Deepak Sir had shared a planning format used by another student, and Aryan adopted that system for his own preparation.

For a significant period, he sent his next-day task list to his mentor daily. This meant he already knew how many hours he intended to study and which chapters, questions, or revision targets had to be completed.

The system reduced uncertainty. Instead of spending productive morning time choosing between subjects, Aryan could begin directly with the weak topic selected the previous day.

This is where mentorship became more than occasional motivation. The eSaral mentor helped convert a broad IIT target into visible daily actions.

Aryan’s 13-Hour Pen-and-Paper Study Routine

An IITian's Study Routine

eSaral’s Flexible Learning Helped with Screen-Related Headaches

Aryan sometimes developed headaches after remaining in front of a screen for extended periods.

His father discussed the issue with Deepak Sir. The mentor advised them to divide the online lectures, watching part of the content live and completing the remaining portion later after a break.

This flexibility allowed Aryan to maintain continuity without forcing himself to remain on screen beyond what he could comfortably manage.

For the family, this became another advantage of eSaral’s online platform. A lecture did not have to be lost simply because Aryan needed a break. He could return to the content and complete it without breaking the academic sequence.

A Drop Year Without a Personal Phone

Aryan did not have his own mobile phone throughout the drop year. His father bought him a phone only after the JEE Advanced result. On the day of the interview, the family also gifted him a laptop for his next academic phase.

The absence of a personal phone reduced one major source of distraction, but Aryan’s discipline cannot be explained only by device restrictions. He still had to attend classes, solve questions, revise Chemistry, and continue after low mock scores. Digital control supported the system; it did not replace the work.

The Family Sacrifices Behind the IIT Kharagpur Result

Aryan’s family made several sacrifices without repeatedly reminding him of them.

His father had attempted engineering entrance examinations in his own student years but had not reached an IIT. He never used that unfulfilled goal to pressure Aryan. Throughout the drop year, he told his son to focus on hard work and assured him that the family would accept the final result.

The family had kept their television unused for nearly five years to protect the study environment. Aryan’s parents had also postponed their 25th wedding-anniversary celebration, deciding that they would celebrate after his selection.

Aryan said that evening walks with his father helped him release the day’s tension. A short conversation with his mother or sister could also make academic stress feel manageable.

How eSaral Helped with JoSAA Preference Filling

After JEE Advanced rank 2,884, the next challenge was deciding between institutes and branches.

Aryan’s father repeatedly discussed the preference list with the eSaral team. The list was revised after the mock allotment, and the family sought eSaral’s opinion before finalising the order.

In Round 1, Aryan received Civil Engineering at IIT Kharagpur. At the time of the interview, IIT Kanpur remained a possible later upgrade.

Counselling choices should be based on the student’s interests, rank, category and priorities—not on a single universal college order. Aspirants can use the eSaral JoSAA opening and closing rank tool to research historical allotment trends before preparing their own preference lists.

From an NIT Option to IIT Kharagpur Civil

Aryan could have joined NIT Allahabad after Class 12. Choosing a drop year meant accepting uncertainty despite already having a respectable option. The year included a mock-test score of 50, falling confidence, weak Chemistry, and demanding study hours. It also included structured classes, daily plans, targeted revision, and repeated mentor interaction.

Aryan did not reach IIT Kharagpur because every day was perfect. He reached it because difficult days did not permanently remove him from the process. A drop year should not be judged only by its final college. Its value also lies in whether the student learns to plan, recover, accept feedback, and remain consistent under pressure.

Begin that process with the right eSaral JEE preparation course, practise real examination questions, and make every test part of the next improvement cycle.