Anushkha Singh emerged as the state topper in the JEE Advanced exams by securing an all-India rank of 177, after results were declared on Monday.

Singh, who is the daughter of SN Singh, an administrative officer of the LIC of India, and Pamila Singh, a homemaker, finished high school at Doon Public School, Dhanbad this year, securing 96.4% marks.

“There is no shortcut to hard work, and I relied on hard work as the lone strategy for success,” she said while talking to The Telegraph Online.

“Though everybody has his own strategy for success, I followed the simple strategy of reading the content to be taught in the classroom in advance and then also carry out a revision of the same after class,” said Anushkha and added that she tried to complete the day’s assignment on the same day.

When asked about who in her family helped her with the guidelines, she said, “My elder sister who is currently in her third year pursuing B.Tech in Computer Science Engineering at NIT Jamshedpur tipped me about preparation.”

“Five to six hours of self-study at home is crucial besides the classroom study,” said Anushkha who also took coaching at Kota in Rajasthan.

“I used to study during the morning hours instead of staying up late during the night,” she said, adding that her schoolteachers ought to take credit for her success as they helped her a lot at the crucial stage of her career.

Anushkha is an ex-student Carmel School Dhanbad from where she completed class 10, secured 98.8%, and emerged state topper.

“The role models in life are my parents who always supported me and provided guidelines,” said Anushkha and added that revision ahead of the examination is also quite crucial for achieving success.

When asked whether she will make a career in Engineering or opt for something else she said that her ultimate aim is to go into civil services after completing her B.Tech from IIT as she is likely to get admission IIT Bombay with her current rank.