Two friends secure second and third ranks in JEE-Advanced, 2019

JEE (Advanced), 2019 second and third toppers who are good friends exchanged notes and guided each other to prepare for the examination, the results of which were declared Friday.

JEE (Advanced), 2019 second topper Himanshu Gaurav Singh and third topper Archit Bubna studied in separate branches of the same coaching institute.

"Archit and I have been friends for the last one-and-a-half years. We have learnt a lot from each other and we used to exchange insights on our preparation and guide each other," Singh told PTI.

Singh, who did his schooling from Gorakhpur, secured 99 per cent in his class 12 board exams. He said he was confident of being in the top three rank-holders after he checked the answers.

"The paper was quite tough this year as compared to last year. But I was consistent in my preparation. I would divide my time between my studies and how I want to unwind. I used to talk to my parents, my younger brother to de-stress and also play badminton. I ensured that I do not take too much stress," he told PTI.

Singh was the topper in Delhi zone and secured 340 out of 372 marks. He obtained 115, 119 and 106 marks in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, respectively.

He wants to pursue Computer Science from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, an option the other two toppers have also chosen.

"Computer Science is an interesting field of study and relatively new. The fields of mechanical and electrical engineering have become a little obsolete now, at least in India. I might want to take up research after completing my four-year course in IIT," he said.

The 17-year-old said it was only a few days ago that he created profiles on Facebook and Instagram.

"Earlier, I did not have any presence on social media, but I created my account a few days ago after I got done with my entrance exams," he added.

Singh's father heads the electronics department at Government Polytechnic, Kaushambi and his mother is a homemaker. He credited his parents and teachers for his success.

The results of JEE (Advanced), 2019 were announced by the Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee Friday.

Of the total 1,61,319 candidates who appeared in both papers one and two of the exam, 38,705 have cleared the test.