The NEET 2026 result is out, and one story that’s got everyone talking is Ashish Chahar’s. He secured All India Rank (AIR) 344, and he did it while sitting for his Class 12th board exams at the same time. No drop year, no gap for extra preparation, just a straight run through boards and NEET together. That makes him Sikar’s topper in the “Class 12th + NEET” category this year, the highest rank secured by any Sikar student who cleared NEET 2026 alongside their boards. Ashish trained at Matrix NEET Division, Sikar.
We wanted to share his story because it’s the kind of result that can genuinely change how a lot of NEET aspirants think about their own journey. So here’s who Ashish Chahar is, why this result matters, and what helped him get there.
Who is Ashish Chahar?
Ashish Chahar, S/o Mukesh Kumar Chahar, is from Khandela in Sikar district, Rajasthan. He trained at Matrix NEET Division, Sikar, and secured AIR 344 in NEET (UG) 2026. What really sets his result apart is the timing: he cleared NEET in the same academic year as his Class 12th boards, not after a drop year like most top rankers do.
Preparing for boards and NEET side by side isn’t easy. Both exams lean on the same subjects, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, but test them in very different ways. Getting an AIR of 344 while juggling is a genuinely tough thing to pull off, especially in a year when nearly 20 lakh students appeared for NEET and 11.21 lakh of them qualified.
Why Doing Class 12th and NEET Together Matters
Every year, a huge number of NEET aspirants decide to take a drop year right after Class 12th, convinced that boards and NEET simply can’t be managed together. Ashish’s result pushes back on that idea. Landing inside the top 350 in the same year as boards shows that a drop year isn’t always necessary, not if the guidance, discipline, and coaching structure around a student are right.
That’s genuinely useful to know if you’re in Class 11th or 12th right now and unsure whether to attempt NEET directly or wait a year.
The Coaching Behind the Result: Matrix NEET Division, Sikar
Ashish prepared at Matrix NEET Division, Sikar, an institute that leans heavily on classroom teaching rather than anything else. A few things define how it works:
- No Branches: Matrix doesn’t run a chain of centres. It stays in one place, so the teaching quality doesn’t get diluted across locations.
- No Test Series: Rather than outsourcing evaluation to a generic, off-the-shelf test series, Matrix builds its own tests around what’s actually being taught in class.
- No Short-Term Programs: There are no crash courses or capsule batches here. The approach is built for sustained, long-term preparation.
- 100% Classroom Focused: Teaching happens in the classroom, not through recorded videos or self-study modules.
Two things stand out beyond this. First, Matrix’s founders and directors don’t just manage the institute from the sidelines, they actually teach in the classroom. Second, students get one-to-one paper analysis directly from faculty and directors, where every test is broken down individually: where time was lost, which questions weren’t worth attempting, where accuracy slipped. It’s not a one-size-fits-all review.
That kind of structure is exactly what a student like Ashish needed, someone trying to keep both NEET prep and Class 12th boards on track at once.
Matrix Academy’s NEET 2026 Performance
Ashish isn’t the only one. Seven Matrix Academy students secured an AIR under 500 in NEET 2026: Ashish Chahar (AIR 344), Shinnu Yadav (AIR 372), Sunil Choudhary (AIR 380), Krishanpal Singh (AIR 387, also with 12th), Hardik (AIR 394, also with 12th), Sachin Gurjar (AIR 485), and Rohan Saini (AIR 493).
What’s worth noticing here is that three of these seven, Ashish, Krishanpal, and Hardik, got there without taking a drop year. Most top ranks in NEET tend to come from students who took a year off to prepare exclusively. Three “with 12th” selections inside the top 400 says something about the strength of the system at Matrix, not just about individual students having a good year. Among these three, Ashish holds the highest rank at AIR 344, ahead of Krishanpal Singh (AIR 387) and Hardik (AIR 394).
The results go deeper than the top 500, too. 29+ Matrix students secured an AIR under 2000, and more than 700+ students from the institute have qualified for NEET 2026 overall. Out of a total NEET batch of around 4,200 students, that puts Matrix Academy’s overall selection ratio at 15%+, or 1 in every 7 students qualifying for a medical seat this year.
Matrix NEET Division director Shri Madan Haritwal confirmed Ashish’s AIR along with the ranks of the other six top performers, while fellow director Birbal Maan pointed out that crossing 700+ selections to government medical colleges in just the institute’s fourth year is a big milestone. The result was celebrated with fireworks at the institute.
And this isn’t a one-off. Matrix’s NEET numbers have been climbing steadily each year:
| Academic Year | Total Selections |
| NEET 2023 | 201 |
| NEET 2024 | 417 |
| NEET 2025 | 559+ |
| NEET 2026 | 700+ |
Over these four years, Matrix Academy has helped 1800+ students get into government medical colleges, and NEET 2026, with results like Ashish’s, keeps that streak going.
Conclusion
Ashish Chahar’s AIR 344, achieved right alongside his Class 12th boards, is a good reminder that focused, classroom-based coaching can get students there without a drop year. Along with six other Matrix NEET Division, Sikar, students landing an AIR under 500, his result says a lot about what the institute’s teaching approach can do for NEET aspirants aiming for MBBS and other medical courses.
