The son of Shiv Kumar, who runs a hardware shop in Gaya, and Kanchan Devi, Shubham grew up in a family where becoming an engineer was still a first-generation aspiration. His elder sister recently graduated from IIT Patna, but until recently no one in the family had travelled the IIT route.

“Everyone in the family is very happy,” Shubham said. “We are going to be the first engineers in our family.”

“By Class 10, I had a lot of interest in Maths and Physics,” he added. “I thought if I wanted to elevate this talent and perform on a bigger stage, then JEE was the best option.”

A year ago, he made another decision that would shape his future: leaving home for Kota.

The Rajasthan city attracts thousands of engineering and medical aspirants every year, creating an ecosystem where test scores, ranks and problem-solving abilities become the currency of everyday life. Shubham arrived knowing he would face some of the brightest students in the country.

“The day I came to Kota for the first time, I felt this was a new place. New faculty, new students,” he recalled. “I was a little introverted and wasn’t talking much.”

Soon, classroom rivalries, weekly tests and interactions with equally ambitious students became central to his preparation. Instead of being intimidated by competition, he learned to use it as fuel. “If you get a lower rank in one test, then you get motivation to work harder for the next one,” he said. “And if you come first, then you get motivation to maintain that position.”

“The pressure to maintain is always there,” he said. “Maintaining is the most difficult job.”

By the time JEE Advanced arrived, he had taken so many mock examinations that the real test felt strangely familiar. The six-hour examination, split across two papers, resembled another practice session. “It genuinely felt like giving a normal test,” he said.

During breaks, while many students discussed answers and estimated scores, Shubham deliberately stayed away from such conversations. He would eat lunch, close his eyes and meditate. “If we get to know that one of our questions is wrong, it builds mental pressure,” he explained.

Even during the examination, he took brief pauses to regain composure.

His advice to future aspirants is not studying for long hours. Instead, he emphasises balance, consistency and trust in the learning process. “Dedication, discipline and consistency,” he said. “When these three things come together in a student, they create a big success story.”

Kumar is looking toward IIT Bombay and a future in Computer Science Engineering. He speaks enthusiastically about coding, artificial intelligence, innovation and entrepreneurship. “The best way to make my country proud is to start a new product or service,” he said. “Not only for India, but something useful at a global level.”