Rajit Gupta from Kota clinched the top spot in the JEE Advanced 2025, edging out Saksham Jindal from Haryana in a tie-breaker—both scored 332 out of 360. Kota’s coaching hub dominance was on full display, with 42 of its students landing in the top 100. Meanwhile, Devdutta Majhi from West Bengal shined as the highest-ranked female candidate. This year also saw a notable drop in cutoffs, with the IIT Hyderabad zone producing the most qualifiers.

Editor’s Note: This isn’t just another exam result—it’s a snapshot of India’s hyper-competitive engineering entrance landscape. Kota’s strong showing reinforces its reputation as a coaching powerhouse, while the tie-breaker highlights how razor-thin margins can decide futures. The dip in cutoffs might signal broader shifts in exam difficulty or candidate performance, sparking debates about fairness and pressure in the system. For aspiring engineers, it’s a mix of inspiration and a reality check.