Rajasthan`s Mahesh Kumar has topped the medical entrance exam NEET-UG, while Madhya Pradhesh`s has bagged the second rank, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced on Saturday.

More than 12.36 lakh candidates out of 22.09 lakh test takers qualified the exam. The number is down from last year`s 13.15 lakh qualifying candidates. However, the number of test takers was also higher last year at over 23.33 lakh.

Maharashtra`s Krishang Joshi and Delhi`s Mrinal Kishore Jha bagged the third and fourth ranks, respectively. Among females, Delhi`s Avika Aggarwal emerged topper, bagging the fifth rank nationally.