In 2012, this young prodigy cleared the IIT-JEE on his first attempt, securing an AIR of 8137. However, he he took the exam again in 2013, significantly improving his rank to AIR 670 with an impressive score of 292 out of 360, becoming the youngest Indian to achieve this milestone.
The IIT-JEE is known as one of the toughest exams in India, with over 15 lakh students appearing each year, but only a small fraction securing a coveted seat in the prestigious IITs. While many students spend 1-2 years preparing for this exam, there is a remarkable young talent who cracked it at just 12 years old: Satyam Kumar, the youngest IITian in history. Born on July 20, 1999, Satyam hails from Bakhorapur, a small village in the Bhojpur district of Bihar. Though he always showed academic brilliance, his life took a decisive turn when his father decided to send him to Kota for IIT-JEE preparation, following a suggestion from a close acquaintance.
In 2012, Satyam cleared the IIT-JEE on his first attempt, securing an All India Rank (AIR) of 8137. However, he didn’t stop there—he took the exam again in 2013, significantly improving his rank to AIR 670 with an impressive score of 292 out of 360, becoming the youngest Indian to achieve this milestone.
In doing so, Satyam also broke the record of Sahal Kaushik, who had previously become the youngest IITian at the age of 14 in 2010.
After securing a remarkable rank in the IIT-JEE, Satyam Kumar enrolled in a dual degree program (B.Tech. + M.Tech.) in Electrical Engineering at IIT Kanpur.
Upon completing his degree, Satyam received job offers from prominent tech giants such as Amazon and Microsoft, as well as internship opportunities from Facebook, Google, and Apple. He chose to intern at Apple, where he worked on a Machine Learning project for three months in Switzerland.
Satyam later pursued a Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin. He currently serves as a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Texas, according to his LinkedIn profile.