GPAT 2026 Topper Rishikesh Dhage AIR 49 Success Story With PW

Rishikesh Dhage has achieved an impressive AIR 49 in GPAT 2026 with 308 marks. Hailing from Nanded, Maharashtra, he completed his BPharm from Dadasaheb Balpande College of Pharmacy, Nagpur.

After his final year, Rishikesh decided to take a complete drop and prepare for GPAT. His preparation was not limited to studying for long hours. He focused on regular tests, subject rotation, revision and analysing his mistakes.

His previous GPAT attempt also played an important role in his preparation. Instead of giving up after the result, he used the experience to identify areas that needed improvement.

Rishikesh Dhage’s GPAT 2026 Journey

Rishikesh comes from Nanded district in Maharashtra. His father is a farmer, and he completed his BPharm from Dadasaheb Balpande College of Pharmacy in Nagpur.

After completing his graduation, he decided to take a full drop for GPAT preparation. He did not take up a job or join another course during this period. His main focus was to prepare for the exam.

During the interview, when asked about his decision to take a drop, Rishikesh said:

“Main complete dropper tha. Main uske saath kuch aur nahi kar raha tha. Mera pura focus GPAT preparation par tha.”

Taking a drop was not always easy for him. Many of his friends had started MPharm or jobs while he was still preparing for the exam.

There were moments when he questioned his decision.

“Bahut baar lagta tha ki maine drop kyun liya. Agar MPharm mein admission le liya hota toh shayad achha hota,” he shared.

However, he continued with his preparation and eventually secured an AIR 49.

How Rishikesh Prepared for GPAT 2026

Rishikesh followed a subject rotation system during his preparation. Instead of studying one subject for the entire day, he divided his study hours between different subjects.

He usually started his day by taking a test related to what he had studied the previous day. After that, he followed his daily study plan.

For example, he would spend around two hours on one subject, followed by another two hours on a different subject. He also gave time to minor subjects.

Explaining his routine, he said:

“Main time divide karta tha. Subah uthkar jo kal padha tha uske related test deta tha. Uske baad pura din plan ke according subjects rotate karta tha.”

This rotation helped him keep different subjects active during preparation.

It also prevented him from getting bored with one subject. Since he was preparing for a competitive exam covering multiple areas, studying different subjects throughout the day helped him keep his preparation balanced.

Why Subject Rotation Helped Rishikesh

One of the important parts of Rishikesh’s preparation was subject rotation.

Instead of completing one subject fully and then moving to another, he kept revisiting different subjects. This also helped him avoid forgetting topics that he had studied earlier.

He explained:

“Agar hum pehle ek subject complete karke doosre subject par chale jaate hain, toh humein lagta hai ki pehla subject bhool rahe hain. Rotation se saare subjects saath-saath chalte rehte hain.”

For Rishikesh, this approach was particularly useful during his drop year because he had enough time to divide his preparation into different study blocks.

Tests Became a Major Part of His Preparation

Rishikesh believes that regular tests played a major role in improving his preparation.

During his previous attempt, he did not take enough tests. He identified this as one of the reasons he could not achieve the result he wanted.

For GPAT 2026, he made sure that testing became a regular part of his routine.

He said:

“Last year meri main mistake thi ki main tests nahi deta tha. Is baar maine us cheez ko correct kiya.”

Initially, his test scores were not very high. Around one month before the exam, he was scoring between 150 and 200 marks in tests.

Instead of getting discouraged, he used the results to find his weak areas.

“Jab mujhe pata chala ki is topic ka revision reh gaya hai ya ye topic mujhe samajh nahi aa raha, toh maine dobara videos dekhe aur specific tests diye.”

With regular practice and revision, his scores gradually improved.

Rishikesh’s Approach to PYQs

Rishikesh also solved previous year questions during his GPAT preparation.

He believes that PYQs help students understand the type of questions asked from a particular topic. However, he did not expect exact questions to be repeated in the exam.

According to him, questions may be asked from similar concepts in a different form.

He said:

“PYQs ka kaafi important role hai. Same question exact repeat ho, zaroori nahi hai, lekin same topic se different form mein question aa sakta hai.”

He therefore used PYQs to understand the pattern and practise the concepts rather than simply memorising the answers.

How PW Helped Rishikesh in GPAT Preparation

Rishikesh had a particularly positive experience with Chemistry during his preparation with PW.

Chemistry was one of the areas where he needed more improvement. His previous performance had also shown that Chemistry was affecting his overall score.

After studying the subject through PW videos, he found the concepts easier to understand.

He said:

“Mere liye PW mein sabse zyada helpful Chemistry rahi. Last time mere marks kam aane ka reason bhi Chemistry thi. PW ke videos dekhne ke baad Chemistry kaafi improve hui.”

For him, the subject that had once been a challenge gradually became one of the more comfortable areas.

This improvement also shows why identifying weak subjects early can be useful during competitive exam preparation.

How Rishikesh Improved After His Previous Attempt

Rishikesh did not treat his previous attempt simply as an unsuccessful result. He looked at what went wrong and changed his preparation accordingly.

The biggest changes included:

• Taking regular tests

• Analysing test performance

• Revising weak topics

• Solving PYQs

• Following subject rotation

• Improving Chemistry

• Working on exam strategy

He also became more aware of negative marking and the importance of staying calm during the exam.

For him, preparation was not only about completing the syllabus. It was also about understanding where he was losing marks.

Rishikesh Dhage’s GPAT 2026 Result

Rishikesh secured 308 marks in GPAT 2026 and achieved AIR 49.

He initially expected his rank to be somewhere around 100. He was happy to see his name at Rank 49 when the result was released.

Interestingly, he did not find out about the result through an official announcement first.

His friend messaged him asking about his rank. Rishikesh did not know that the result had been released and replied that the result was not out yet.

His friend then sent him the result PDF.

Rishikesh checked it during a call with his friend and found his rank.

“Maine usi time check kiya aur dekha ki meri rank 49 hai. Main bhi bahut khush tha aur mera friend bhi bahut khush tha,” he recalled.

He then called his family and shared the news with them.

The Role of Friends and Family in His Journey

Rishikesh credits his friends for keeping him motivated during his preparation.

His roommates were also preparing for different competitive exams. Some were preparing for government exams while others were preparing for GPAT.

He mentioned friends including Vaibhav, Bharat, Sumit and Prithviraj.

Since Rishikesh was taking a drop while many of his friends had moved ahead with their studies or jobs, their support was important to him.

He said:

“Mere friends ne mujhe hamesha motivate rakha ki main kar sakta hoon. Jab main repeat karne gaya, tab bhi unhone mujhe encourage kiya.”

His family also supported his decision to take a dedicated year for preparation.

Rishikesh’s Advice to GPAT Aspirants

Rishikesh believes that students should not lose confidence because of low marks in practice tests.

His own experience showed him that test scores can improve when students analyse their mistakes and work on weak areas.

He said:

“Agar starting mein marks kam aate hain toh demotivate mat hona. Aap improvement kar sakte ho. Bas preparation achhi rakho aur hard work karte raho.”

He also wants students to trust themselves and continue working towards their goals.

For students who are taking a drop, his journey shows that the year can be used to focus on preparation if they have a clear plan and remain consistent.

What Is Next for Rishikesh?

After securing AIR 49 in GPAT 2026, Rishikesh is now preparing for NIPER.

He plans to spend some more time completing his preparation before moving towards regular mock tests.

When asked about his preferred branch, he mentioned Pharmacology and said that NIPER Mohali is his preferred choice.

His immediate focus is therefore on using the momentum from GPAT and preparing for the next entrance exam.

Key Takeaways From Rishikesh Dhage’s GPAT Journey

Rishikesh’s preparation highlights a few simple habits that can help GPAT aspirants:

• Take regular tests instead of waiting until the GPAT syllabus is complete.

• Use test results to identify weak topics.

• Follow subject rotation to keep multiple subjects active.

• Practise PYQs to understand question patterns.

• Give extra attention to weak subjects.

• Revise topics after identifying mistakes.

• Do not let low practice-test scores stop your preparation.

• Stay consistent throughout the preparation period.

His journey from a previous attempt to AIR 49 in GPAT 2026 was built on changes in his preparation strategy, regular testing and consistent effort.

For future GPAT aspirants, his experience shows the importance of analysing your mistakes instead of simply studying for more hours. As Rishikesh puts it:

“Aapko khud par bharosa hona chahiye. Marks kam aaye toh demotivate mat hoiye. Preparation achhi kijiye aur hard work karte rahiye.”