For Om Chouksey, the road to competitive exams did not begin in an expensive coaching classroom. It began much closer to home- with a father selling bags by the roadside and a son determined to make the most of every opportunity to study.The Jabalpur student has now added another remarkable chapter to his academic journey. After securing a place in the Madhya Pradesh Board merit list in both Class 10 and Class 12, Om has cleared three major entrance examinations- NEET UG 2026, JEE Main and CUET. Om’ story came into the spotlight after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav praised and felicitated him for his academic achievement.His achievement is particularly striking because he comes from a family with modest means. His father, Naresh Chouksey, sells school and travel bags on the roadside, while his mother, Vaijayanti, is a homemaker. Yet the family’s financial circumstances did not stop Om from setting his sights on medicine.
From a roadside bag stall to the state merit list
Om Chouksey with his parents. (Photo: News 18)
Om studied at Pandit Lajjashankar Jha School in Jabalpur’s Wright Town area. In the Madhya Pradesh Board Class 10 examination, he secured seventh rank in the state merit list.He followed that performance with another strong showing in Class 12. Om scored 482 marks in the science stream and secured 10th position in the state’s merit list, according to Patrika.There was an unusual connection between his school and his father’s work. His father sold bags outside the school, and Om would sometimes help him with the business, including opening and closing the roadside stall.
His approach was simple: study, understand, revise
Om has been clear about what he believes worked for him. There was no shortcut, he said, and he relied heavily on revision. “Success has no shortcut,” Om told Patrika, explaining that he studied consistently and focused more on strengthening what he had already learnt than simply rushing to new material. He also said he did not believe in rote learning. Instead, he concentrated on understanding subjects in depth and repeatedly revising them.That approach had already paid off in his board examinations. But his next challenge was considerably broader.
One student, three entrance exams
Om Chouksey with his family at their home (Photo: ETV Bharat)
After performing strongly in school, Om went on to prepare for some of India’s most competitive undergraduate entrance examinations. He cleared NEET UG 2026, the national medical entrance examination, scoring 521 out of 720. He also cleared JEE Main and CUET.Preparing for these examinations requires students to deal with different patterns, syllabi and competition. For Om, the challenge came alongside the expectations of his Class 12 board examinations.Yet his earlier record suggests that he had already developed a disciplined study routine. His consecutive appearances in the state merit lists were followed by success across three different entrance tests.
A father’s faith in his son
Behind Om’s academic journey is a father who continued working on the roadside while backing his son’s ambitions. Naresh, who supports the family by selling bags, said he had always believed that Om would make him proud. “He has moved ahead through his hard work, which has made my struggle successful,” Patrika quoted him as saying.For the family, therefore, Om’s result is not simply about marks or entrance examinations. It represents years of balancing limited resources, work and education.
Now, Om wants to become a doctor
Even before his NEET result, Om had set his sights on medicine. His stated ambition is to become a doctor and serve society.His story also caught the attention of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who praised and felicitated Om and his family. The chief minister described his achievement as an inspiration for students who continue to pursue their ambitions despite difficult circumstances.For a boy who grew up watching his father sell bags outside a school, the image is now strikingly different: the roadside stall remains part of his family’s story, but Om is moving towards a future in medicine. And perhaps that is what makes his journey stand out. His success was not built around having every advantage. It was built around making the most of the opportunities he had- one class, one examination and one revision at a time.