NEET toppers Aryan Gupta and Panshul Bansal both got 715 marks, then why did they get AIR-1 and AIR-2?

NEET UG Re Exam 2026 After the release of the results, this time most of the discussion is going on about Aryan Gupta of Punjab and Panshul Bansal of Haryana. Both the candidates have secured 715 out of 720 in the examination, which was the highest score this year. Despite this, the ranks of both are different. In the merit list of NTA, Aryan Gupta got All India Rank-1 and Panshul Bansal got All India Rank-2.

In such a situation, questions are arising in the minds of many people that when both have the same marks, then how did the ranks become different? So let us tell you today that NEET toppers Aryan Gupta and Panshul Bansal got 715-715 marks, then how they got Rank-1 and Rank-2 and what are the try breaking rules of NTA regarding this.

What is NTA’s try breaking rule?

If the total marks of two students are equal then the marks of Biology i.e. Botany and Zoology are considered first. Candidates who have more marks in Biology are given better rank. Being a medical entrance examination, this subject is given the highest priority. If the marks of Biology are also equal then the next step is the marks of Chemistry, if there is equality in this also the marks of Physics are considered. If the marks are equal in all the three subjects, then it is seen how both the candidates have maintained the ratio of correct and wrong answers. The candidate who has given less wrong answers or whose ratio of wrong answers is less, gets a higher rank. If there is a tie after all these stages, then the final rank is decided through a random process under the supervision of an independent expert committee.

What happened in the case of Aryan Gupta and Panshul Bansal?

Both the candidates scored a total of 715 marks, but their subject wise performance was not completely similar. As per the tie breaking rule of NTA, the candidate whose performance was found better in the first comparison stage is ranked higher in the merit list. Under this process, Aryan Gupta was given All India Rank-1 and Panshul Bansal was given All India Rank-2. Although in the initial report, both were declared joint toppers as both had the same marks, but the rank in the official merit list was released as per the rules set by NTA.

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Why is the difference of one rank important in counselling?

The difference of one or two places in the top rank in NEET is also considered very important. Seats are limited in AIIMS Delhi, MAMC and other major government medical institutions. In such a situation, during counselling, seats are allotted not only on the basis of marks but also on the basis of All India Rank. Therefore, despite having equal marks, the candidate with better rank gets the opportunity to choose the seat first.

Earlier the tie used to be broken by age, now the rules have changed

Earlier, in case of a tie in NEET, priority was given to the older candidate. Later there was controversy regarding this rule and it was removed. After this, criteria like application number were also abolished, now NTA resolves ties only on the basis of subject wise marks and ratio of right and wrong answers.

Read this also-NEET UG Counseling 2026: NEET result out, what should students do now? Know the complete process from registration to getting college.

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