Niranjan J Nair excelled in the Kerala Engineering Entrance Examination by securing the first place in Kozhikode district and the seventh rank in the state. However, the ranks were not a surprise for Niranjan, who belongs to 12th Mile at Chathamangalam in Kozhikode. He was, in fact, expecting a rank among the top 20. "But rank 7 is a reason to celebrate," he says.
Instead of focusing on several topics, Niranjan was very selective in his studies. "I diligently followed the old adage 'practice, practice, practice.' In addition, the coaching at Brilliant Study Centre, Pala helped. The model exams held there were extremely useful," says the youngster.
Niranjan now plans to join the Electrical Engineering course at IIT Madras. "It is a dream that I have been nurturing since class 10," reveals the topper.
Preparations
An early riser, Niranjan prefers to study from 5 am every day. He goes to sleep at 10 pm. On holidays, he spends 8-10 hours for his preparations.
Till he reached class 10, Niranjan used to play badminton and other games. However, when he decided to crack the entrance exams, he gave up his sporting activities. The youngster also spent much less time on the computer and the mobile phone.
Tips
· What you study is important; not how much you study. Find out what has to be learned and make it thorough.
· Solve as many previous question papers as possible. Make this a habit and repeat the process.
· Practice, practice, practice. There is no substitute for this.
Family
Niranjan is the son of M G Jayakumar, an associate professor in Electronics and Communication at NIT Calicut and S Sreekala, a senior manager with Canara Bank. He has a sister Nirupama J Nair, a student at Spring Valley School. The family lives at Krishna Kripa in Chathamangalam.