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The Mindset Behind IIT JEE Advanced AIR 56, IJSO Gold, and World Rank 10 in SIN: Vasu Vijay’s Extraordinary Journey

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Very few academic journeys reflect excellence across so many of the world’s most prestigious examinations and Olympiads at such a young age. From securing an extraordinary AIR 56 in IIT-JEE Advanced, to winning a Gold Medal with International Rank 8 at the International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) 2022 in Bogotá, Colombia, to achieving International Rank 10 along with Distinction in the prestigious Sir Isaac Newton (SIN) Exam conducted by the University of Waterloo, Vasu Vijay’s accomplishments stand as a remarkable testament to intellectual depth, discipline, and conceptual mastery.

What makes his story especially meaningful to me, however, is not merely the scale of these achievements, but the transformation behind them.

As Vasu himself shares in this testimonial, there was a time when Physics felt difficult and unintuitive to him. Over the years, through a learning approach centered around intuition, conceptual understanding, analytical thinking, and scientific imagination, he gradually developed not only mastery over the subject, but also a genuine love for it.

His words beautifully reflect a philosophy I have always believed in deeply — that true excellence in Physics does not emerge from memorizing formulas or mechanically solving thousands of problems, but from learning how to think clearly, understand concepts fundamentally, and approach challenges with calmness and intelligence.

One of the most touching parts of Vasu’s testimonial is his gratitude toward the way he was taught to approach both Physics and examinations themselves — not with fear or pressure, but with curiosity, strategy, and confidence. To know that this mindset contributed meaningfully to his Olympiad journey, his international success, and his IIT-JEE performance is profoundly fulfilling as a teacher.

Vasu’s journey is not merely a story of ranks and medals. It is a story of transformation — from confusion to clarity, from hesitation to confidence, and from learning formulas to truly understanding the beauty of Physics.

I feel immensely proud to have been part of his journey and deeply grateful for the sincerity and warmth with which he has expressed his appreciation.


Respected Devansh Sir,

I remember that at the beginning of Class 9, Physics was the subject I struggled with the most. Even the basic concepts often felt unclear to me, and I never really enjoyed studying the subject. However, the way you taught Physics completely changed how I viewed it. Your emphasis on intuition and conceptual understanding helped me develop genuine interest in the subject.

What impacted me the most was that your teaching was never limited to memorizing formulas or blindly applying methods. Instead, you always encouraged us to understand the idea behind every concept and every question. Because of this, whenever I now encounter a Physics problem, my first instinct is to understand the concept deeply before attempting to solve it. The questions discussed in class were themselves more than sufficient to develop a strong understanding, without the need to solve hundreds of questions from multiple books.

Apart from academics, your guidance regarding examination pressure and mindset also helped me immensely. I still remember your idea of treating an exam like a puzzle, where the objective is to optimize marks, calmly and intelligently. That approach proved to be extremely effective for me and positively influenced my performance in every major examination thereafter.

This way of learning and approaching Physics helped me throughout my entire Junior Science Olympiad journey, from NSEJS and INJSO to the OCSC selection camp at HBCSE, eventually culminating in a Gold Medal and an International Rank 8 in IJSO 2022 held in Bogotá, Colombia. The same approach and mindset later continued to help me in other examinations as well, including JEE Advanced, where I secured AIR 56, and the Sir Isaac Newton (SIN) Exam, where I secured an International Rank 10 along with a Distinction.

I will always remain grateful to you not just for teaching Physics so beautifully, but also for changing the way I approach learning and problem solving as a whole. Thank you for making Physics so intuitive and enjoyable for me!

Vasu Vijay