Farmer's son tops ISC exam in Patna with 99.5%, plans career in law
Born to farmer Shishir Kumar and late Urmila Kumari,
Chaitanya Utkarsh
, the Patna topper in ISC exam, has set his mind on making a career in law. A student of
Don Bosco Academy
, he has achieved 99.5% in arts stream with 100 in history, legal studies and political science, besides just two marks short in English. He has also cleared Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) with an All India Rank 145. In a conversation with TOI's Faryal Rumi, Utkarsh shares his study plan and the challenges he faced during board preparations. Excerpts:
How do you feel about your result?
I aimed around 99%, but I was thinking I might get 97% or 96%. However, 99.5% was beyond my expectations. So, I was surprised. We were called to the school to see our results. Everyone was so happy. They started hugging me.
What challenges did you face during preparations?
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The biggest challenge was that I also appeared for CLAT-2025. After Aug 2024, I completely shifted my focus on CLAT preparation. At that time, I couldn't give any time to my board examinations, but my school was supportive. After I took the CLAT on Dec 1 last year, I started preparing for my school examination. Managing both was difficult at that time.
How was your CLAT result?
I got an All India Rank of 145 and an EWS category rank of 7.
So you must be planning a career in law?
Yes, I appeared for CLAT, and I will opt for law. The specific field I will practise in is not confirmed yet. My father has a degree in law, but he never practised. So, I will fulfil his as well as my dream of becoming a lawyer.
What was your strategy to prepare for the subjects that were challenging for you?
Legal studies were quite difficult because not many books are available for this subject. Some notes were provided by our teacher, and the rest were given by my coaching institute. I also watched online videos and prepared notes.
Your parents must be proud?
My father is very happy. He started posting about it on his status and other social media platforms. Nobody was expecting such a good result.
Tell me about your family.
My father is a farmer in Naubatpur, Patna. My mother passed away when I was only four years old. My elder brother, Marut Priyadarshi, did his graduation from ISSER, Bhopal, and is now working in a start-up.
Can you share some tips for students deciding streams for higher studies?
Please don't just listen to your peers. Do what you feel like. You must enjoy what you are studying. I got 97% in Class X, so people around me were suggesting I take science in plus II, but I was very sure from the beginning that I wanted to take arts because that's what I love studying.
Born to farmer Shishir Kumar and late Urmila Kumari, Chaitanya Utkarsh, the Patna topper in ISC exam, has set his mind on making a career in law. A student of Don Bosco Academy, he has achieved 99.5% in arts stream with 100 in history, legal studies and political science, besides just two marks short in English. He has also cleared Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) with an All India Rank 145. In a conversation with TOI's Faryal Rumi, Utkarsh shares his study plan and the challenges he faced during board preparations. Excerpts:
How do you feel about your result?
I aimed around 99%, but I was thinking I might get 97% or 96%. However, 99.5% was beyond my expectations. So, I was surprised. We were called to the school to see our results. Everyone was so happy. They started hugging me.
What challenges did you face during preparations?
The biggest challenge was that I also appeared for CLAT-2025. After Aug 2024, I completely shifted my focus on CLAT preparation. At that time, I couldn't give any time to my board examinations, but my school was supportive. After I took the CLAT on Dec 1 last year, I started preparing for my school examination. Managing both was difficult at that time.
How was your CLAT result?
I got an All India Rank of 145 and an EWS category rank of 7.
So you must be planning a career in law?
Yes, I appeared for CLAT, and I will opt for law. The specific field I will practise in is not confirmed yet. My father has a degree in law, but he never practised. So, I will fulfil his as well as my dream of becoming a lawyer.
What was your strategy to prepare for the subjects that were challenging for you?
Legal studies were quite difficult because not many books are available for this subject. Some notes were provided by our teacher, and the rest were given by my coaching institute. I also watched online videos and prepared notes.
Your parents must be proud?
My father is very happy. He started posting about it on his status and other social media platforms. Nobody was expecting such a good result.
Tell me about your family.
My father is a farmer in Naubatpur, Patna. My mother passed away when I was only four years old. My elder brother, Marut Priyadarshi, did his graduation from ISSER, Bhopal, and is now working in a start-up.
Can you share some tips for students deciding streams for higher studies?
Please don't just listen to your peers. Do what you feel like. You must enjoy what you are studying. I got 97% in Class X, so people around me were suggesting I take science in plus II, but I was very sure from the beginning that I wanted to take arts because that's what I love studying.
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