Happy that my hard work has paid off, says AP topper in JEE (Advanced) Vadlamudi Lokesh

VIJAYAWADA

“I was fast asleep when my brother Karthikeya woke me up and broke the news of my success in the JEE exam. The house erupted in celebrations. I am still excited,” said an excited Vadlamudi Lokesh, who secured an all-India 10th rank in the JEE (Advanced) 2025 and is also the State topper.

IIT-Kanpur announced the results in the early hours of Monday for the entrance exam conducted on May 18. Lokesh had appeared for the exam from the IIT Hyderabad zone and secured 317 marks, placing him in the top 10 of the Common Rank List (CRL).

His father, Venkaiah Naidu, who works with a Dutch-based NGO, and mother, Sailaja, a homemaker, are elated over their son’s achievement. “Ï worked really hard and was confident that the amount of hard work I invested in my preparation for the exam, would pay off,” he says, adding that he was expecting a rank below 60. “To know that I had done way better and had scored 10th rank came as a pleasant surprise,” he told The Hindu on Wednesday.

Lokesh is keen on joining IIT-Bombay and pursue a course in Computer Science Engineering (CSE). “My aim is to start my own company in the future and pay back to society,” says the young achiever. After completing his schooling in different places, including his primary education in Ethiopia, he joined the Narayana campus at Kanuru in Vijayawada for intermediate education.

Students of IIT Hyderabad zone performed exceptionally well this year, securing five positions in the top 20. Arnav Singh from Hyderabad bagged the 9th rank with 319 marks, while Lokesh secured 10th position. Dharmana Gnana Rutvik Sai, also from Andhra Pradesh, secured 18th rank and topped in the OBC-NCL category at the national level. Vangala Ajay Reddy from Nellore stood 19th and secured first rank in the GEN-EWS category, followed by Avanaganti Anirudh Reddy, who secured 20th position.

Published - June 05, 2025 12:07 am IST