Keshav Mittal, hailing from Tapa town in Punjab’s Barnala district, appeared for the NEET UG 2025 examination and emerged as All India Rank 7, scoring an impressive 680 out of 720 marks. This was his first attempt, making his achievement even more remarkable.
Educationally, Keshav studied at DM Public Senior Secondary School, Karar Wala, Bathinda. According to reports by Hindustan Times, Keshav took coaching from a private institute in Chandigarh. He reportedly followed a disciplined study routine, dedicating 8 to 9 hours daily to NEET preparation.
With this rank, Keshav has also emerged as Punjab’s highest NEET scorer for 2025.
The Viral Controversy: Who Gets to Claim Keshav’s Success?
Soon after the NEET UG 2025 results were declared by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on June 14, congratulatory posts started surfacing online. However, what caught netizens’ attention was that three major coaching institutes—Allen, Motion, and Narayana—were all claiming Keshav as their student.
All three institutes published graphics on their social media platforms, proudly showcasing Keshav’s name and photograph, each insinuating that their coaching methods contributed to his top rank.
Social Media Reactions: Humor and Suspicion
What followed was a storm of reactions across Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter). Memes flooded social media, with people poking fun at how one student can simultaneously belong to three rival coaching institutes.
One user sarcastically remarked, “It’s love, not a scam. Coaching people for Keshav.”
Others took a more critical view, with comments like:
“If these institutes are scamming students like this, how can we trust them with education?”
Some users tried to clear the confusion, suggesting that Keshav might have attended regular classes in one institute while also enrolling in test series or mock exams offered by others. This is actually quite common among NEET and JEE aspirants.
However, another user raised a suspicion that “Keshav’s family might have been paid by coaching institutes to sell his rank for publicity.” This claim, of course, remains unverified.
The Real Story: How Multiple Coaching Enrollments Work
For those unfamiliar with the intense world of Indian competitive exams, it might seem bizarre for one student to be associated with multiple coaching institutes. But this is actually a very common practice.
- Primary Coaching: Students usually enroll in one coaching institute for their regular, structured classes.
- Test Series Enrollment: At the same time, many students purchase or enroll in test series, crash courses, or online modules from competing institutes to get a variety of questions and preparation strategies.
- Brand Wars: When students secure high ranks, every institute involved tries to grab publicity, using even a marginal association as proof of their contribution.
In Keshav’s case, as per available reports, he took primary coaching in Chandigarh. Whether he participated in test series from the other institutes remains unconfirmed, but the practice itself is widespread.
Why Do Coaching Institutes Fight Over Toppers?
The answer is simple—Marketing and Reputation.
- Increased Admissions: If an institute can claim to have produced a topper, it immediately boosts its reputation among aspirants and parents. This can lead to a massive spike in new enrollments.
- Brand Value: These institutes charge thousands to lakhs of rupees for NEET and JEE preparation. Associating with a topper justifies their premium pricing.
- Competitive Pressure: In a billion-dollar coaching industry, even one success story can tilt public perception in favor of an institute.
Thus, toppers become the brand ambassadors, often without their consent or full knowledge.
Bigger Problem: The ‘Rank Selling’ Phenomenon
The controversy around Keshav also revives discussions around an alleged malpractice in the Indian coaching industry known as ‘rank selling’. This involves coaching institutes paying students (or their families) large sums of money to publicly declare that they studied with them, regardless of whether they actually did.
While rank selling remains difficult to prove, it’s an open secret in competitive exam circles. Many top students prefer to stay silent or clarify only when fake claims get too outrageous.
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