SANGLI: An unprecedented 100 per cent score was the last thing on his mind when young Sahil Shah, a student of Wellingdon College in Miraj, near here, reached out for his computer to check the result for the Maharashtra health and technical common entrance test (MHT-CET) 2006 on Wednesday. He faced problems in opening the official website for the result.
By the time he could, a close friend had called, informing Sahil that he had emerged state topper.
And what a way to achieve that feat: 200 out of a maximum of 200 in the physics, chemistry and mathematics (PCM) group! Sahil is poised at the numero uno slot not only in the engineering, but also in the pharmacy merit list. A little over 1.55 lakh candidates appeared for the MHT-CET that was held on May 21 at 417 centres across Maharashtra. The combined test is meant for admissions to first-year degree courses in engineering, health sciences and pharmacy. "All the hard work I put in has paid off," Sahil said while reacting to his stupendous success. "The result only makes me feel more confident about the fact that a person can succeed if he is determined." "I always had this feeling that I would score more than 190 marks in MHT-CET. This (200) is something more heartening," Sahil said. "I would like to pursue a degree course in electronics engineering, either in Pune or Mumbai," he added. Sahil attributed the success to his parents and teachers. Sahil's father, Ajay Shah, is head of the department of mechanical engineering at J.J. Magdum Engineering College at Jaisinghpur, 10 km from here. His mother is a postgraduate in microbiology. The parents had all reasons to feel proud about their son, considering that Sahil had scored only 86 per cent marks in his higher secondary certificate (standard XII) and 89 per cent marks in his secondary school certificate (standard X) state board exams.