Srinagar, April 19 -- A few months later, she came back with 99.84 percentile, the highest score among female candidates in Jammu & Kashmir.

"I just focused on what I had to do better," she said.

There was no dramatic overhaul, no change in coaching institutes, no new test prep subscriptions. Attiya kept her schedule tight, cut back on distractions, and stuck to a plan. She revised old material, took mock tests, and kept her phone use minimal. She credits her success to consistency.

A student of Alasma Educational Institute and later Spring Buds School Budgam, Attiya was known by her teachers for being focused and disciplined, though never the kind to raise her hand first or speak the most.

"She was not loud about her efforts," one of...