Yogesh and Nandan both scored 95.5 per cent, followed by Ankur Goyal, also from Ruparel, with 95.33 per cent. Sonali Kansara from Sathye College, Vile Parle, scored 95 per cent the highest among girls, and fourth in the general merit list. Isha Gosalia with 94.5 per cent stood second-highest among girls, ranking seventh in the merit list.

Among the backward class candidates, Bhushan Suryawanshi from Ruia College topped with 93 per cent. Prabhakar Sonawane from Vikas Night High School and Jr College, Vikhroli, stood first among night junior college candidates with 77.5 per cent, while Prakash Patil's 79.17 per cent placed him first among handicapped candidates.

Ruparel College topped the general merit list with 12 ranks. But SIES college of Arts, Science and Commerce, Matunga,another regular in the merit list, has more rank holders up its sleeve this time -- with eight of its students placing in the prestigious list.

Among other colleges, Sathye has six; Atomic Energy, six; and Ruia, KC and Swami Vivekananda having five each.

The toppers had no doubts about what brought about their success. Coaching classes, they said, were a ``necessary evil''. If the aim was a place in the merit list, that is. Both Yogesh and Nandan want to study computer science.But Anand Thakur from Chetana College, Bandra, topper in the MCVC stream, says he stayed away from coaching classes, managing only with his father's guidance, and attending classes regularly at the college.

Momaya Ami Vinoo from RA Podar College of Commerce and Economics, Matunga came tops in Commerce stream: ``A good college provides the right academic ambience. Combine that with good attendance and you can score. But to be on the merit list, coaching classes are necessary.'' Momaya, who has enrolled for her CompanySecretaryship, is perhaps the only merit holder to be enthusiastic about sports. She claims one of the main reasons for taking up commerce was that it gave her enough time to pursue her favourite basketball.

The science faculty topper, Punjabi Omar S, also likes badminton and cricket. And he is just as enthusiastic about coaching classes. ``They are more professional and regular,'' he says. Omar intends to take up medicine. Sonali, from Sathye college, does not exactly enjoy the tag of being a topper among girls. Coming out sharply against the gender bias in the compilation of the merit list, she says, ``There should not be any differentiation between girls and boys..I don't agree with that.''Suryawanshi has dreams of being an aeronautical engineer, feels teachers are not `regular' enough in most subjects. Which is where coaching classes step in, he says.

A quiet achievement -- far from the merit list -- is that of Priya Shivraman, from Swami Vivekananda Junior College, Chembur. Priya has got first-classin spite of the fact that she cannot hear or speak.