Guwahati: City lad Yashraj Singh has emerged as the top scorer in the JEE Advanced from the IIT Guwahati zone, which covers the northeast along with parts of Bihar and North Bengal.The girls’ topper from the same zone, Agrima Singh, is also from Guwahati. Both cracked the JEE Advanced — widely regarded as one of the country’s toughest examinations — on their first attempt, bringing pride to Assam as the JEE Advanced 2026 results were announced on Monday.JEE Advanced is the gateway to admission into the coveted undergraduate programmes at the 23 IITs, as well as premier central govt institutes such as IISc Bengaluru — an ambition pursued by lakhs of students nationwide. With an All India Common Rank List (CRL) rank of 122, Yashraj said he was aiming for computer science and engineering at IIT Delhi next. Agrima, too, hopes to secure a seat in the same branch at IIT Delhi.Among the top 200 qualifiers across the country, Yashraj was the only candidate from the IIT Guwahati zone. In the top 400, there are five candidates from the zone, and in the top 500, seven. Overall, 2,883 candidates from the IIT Guwahati zone qualified this year.Speaking to TOI, Yashraj said taking Guwahati and Assam to the top in the region felt especially meaningful, noting that candidates from outside the northeast had often topped the IIT Guwahati zone in earlier years. “It is a special feeling to excel in such a tough exam and to do better than candidates from parts of West Bengal and Bihar,” he said.The son of a railway employee father and a homemaker mother, Yashraj said this was his first JEE Advanced attempt. He also appeared for his Class XII boards this year, scoring 95.8%. In JEE Advanced, he secured 270 out of 360 marks, with his strongest performance in chemistry (100 out of 120).Agrima said she was thrilled with her result, especially as she reflected on the challenges of preparing for the exam. Born and raised in Assam, she is the daughter of an IAS officer posted in the state, while her mother is an assistant professor. “There were times when I struggled with my studies and felt I could not continue this journey. But finally, I feel happy to qualify for the examination in the first attempt itself,” said Agrima, who secured a CRL rank of 1,857 with 189 marks.
