They studied together, lived in the same hostel, and prepared for one of India’s toughest exams side by side. Now, they have achieved an extraordinary feat by securing the top two ranks in JEE Advanced 2026.
Shubham Kumar from Bihar secured All India Rank (AIR) 1 with 330 marks out of 360, while his close friend Kabir Chhillar from Gurugram secured AIR 2 with 329 marks.
Only one mark separated the two friends in the final rankings.
The results, announced by Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee), created a special moment in Kota, Rajasthan, where both students had spent the last two years preparing for the examination.
Both Shubham and Kabir studied at Allen Career Institute and lived in the same hostel. While Shubham stayed on the fourth floor, Kabir lived on the seventh.
Their daily routine revolved around classes, tests, assignments, and revision. But every evening, the two friends made time to play badminton, which helped them relax and manage the pressure of exam preparation.
What has impressed many people is Kabir’s reaction to the result.
Despite missing the top rank by just one mark, Kabir said he was genuinely happy for his friend. He said Shubham had worked hard over the last two years and deserved the achievement.
Kabir, who had earlier secured AIR 1 in JEE Main 2026, said that if someone else had taken the top spot, he might have felt disappointed. But seeing his friend finish first made him happy instead.
The story of their friendship has become one of the most talked-about moments of this year’s JEE results.
The results also highlighted the strong performance of Rajasthan’s coaching hubs. The third rank was secured by Jatin Chahar from Sikar with 319 marks. Like Shubham and Kabir, he was also associated with Allen.
Among female candidates, Aarohi Deshpande emerged as the top-ranked woman candidate. She scored 280 marks and secured the 77th rank in the Common Rank List.
This year, more than 1.87 lakh students appeared for both papers of JEE Advanced. A total of 56,880 candidates qualified and will now take part in the counselling process for admission to IITs.
For many students, JEE is a story of hard work and competition. For Shubham and Kabir, it has become a story of friendship, support, and success shared together.
Both friends now hope to pursue Computer Science Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.
