MHT CET, the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test, is the state-level gateway to undergraduate engineering, pharmacy, and agriculture seats at government, government-aided, autonomous, and private institutions across Maharashtra, including VJTI Mumbai, COEP Technological University Pune, and ICT Mumbai. The Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test Cell conducts both the exam and the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) counselling that follows it, a single-authority structure similar to West Bengal's WBJEEB. MHT CET 2026 ran across two sessions, drawing a record 11.64 lakh unique candidate registrations and roughly 16.29 lakh total appearances. CAP is underway now: registration and document verification for B.E./B.Tech and MBA/MMS opened July 2, 2026, extended to July 16, with the final merit list due July 20.
| Date | Update | Source |
|---|---|---|
| July 11, 2026 | Notice on JEE Main score fetching for B.E./B.Tech CAP 2026-27 candidates | State CET Cell |
| July 10, 2026 | Notice directing candidates to course-specific Admission Portals for all CAP notices and brochures | State CET Cell |
| July 6, 2026 | Online application for BCA and BBA/BMS courses opened | State CET Cell |
| July 4, 2026 | Online application for MCA courses opened | State CET Cell |
| July 2, 2026 | Online application for B.E./B.Tech and MBA/MMS CAP 2026-27 opened | State CET Cell |
| June 19, 2026 | MHT CET 2026 (PCM Group) second-attempt result declared | State CET Cell |
| Full name | Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (historically the Maharashtra Health and Technical Common Entrance Test) |
| Acronym | MHT CET |
| Conducting body | Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test Cell (State CET Cell) |
| Mode | Computer-based test (CBT), online |
| Level | State (Maharashtra), open to candidates from other states |
| Frequency | Annual, two sessions (best of two attempts counted) |
| Total marks | 200 (both PCM and PCB groups) |
| Duration | 180 minutes (3 hours) per attempt |
| Question count (PCM) | 150 (50 Physics, 50 Chemistry, 50 Mathematics) |
| Question count (PCB) | 200 (50 Physics, 50 Chemistry, 100 Biology) |
| Negative marking | None. All questions can be attempted without a wrong-answer penalty |
| Application fee (General, single attempt) | ~₹1,300 |
| Official website | cetcell.mahacet.org |
| 2026 cycle unique registrations | ~11.64 lakh (record high) |
| 2026 cycle total appearances (both sessions) | ~16.29 lakh (7.39 lakh PCM, 3.6 lakh PCB) |
| Participating institutes (2026 cycle) | 370+ engineering institutes, ~1.24 lakh seats, plus separate pharmacy and agriculture pools |
| Notification released | January 9, 2026 |
| Online registration opens | January 10, 2026 |
| Registration deadline (without late fee) | February 20, 2026 (extended from February 12) |
| Registration deadline (with late fee) | February 24-25, 2026 |
| Late/reopened registration window | March 19-20, 2026 |
| Session 1, PCM exam | April 11-20, 2026 (except April 12) |
| Session 1, PCB exam | April 21-26, 2026 |
| Session 2, PCB exam | May 10-11, 2026 |
| Session 2, PCM exam | May 12-20, 2026 |
| Result, PCM group (second attempt, best score reflected) | June 19, 2026 |
| CAP registration and document upload opens (B.E./B.Tech, MBA/MMS) | July 2, 2026 |
| CAP registration deadline | July 12, 2026 (extended to July 16, 2026) |
| Document verification deadline | July 13-17, 2026 |
| Provisional merit list | July 15, 2026 |
| Grievance/objection window | July 16-18, 2026 |
| Final merit list | July 20, 2026 |
| Round 1 option filling and seat allotment | Expected late July to early August 2026 (exact dates pending) tentative |
| Rounds 2 and 3 (centrally run) | Expected through August 2026 tentative |
| Round 4 (institute-level, vacant seats) | Expected through September 2026 tentative |
MHT CET 2026 eligibility requires a pass (or appearance) in Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics for engineering seats (the PCM group), or Physics, Chemistry, and Biology for pharmacy and agriculture seats (the PCB group), with a minimum aggregate of 45% for General category candidates and 40% for Maharashtra's reserved categories. There is no upper age limit. Maharashtra domicile is not required to sit the exam itself, but it materially affects CAP seat eligibility through a five-tier Maharashtra State Candidature structure (Type A through Type E) plus a separate Maharashtra-Karnataka border-area category.
| Age limit | No upper age limit specified; candidates are expected to have completed the standard Class 12 age range. |
| Year of qualifying exam | Candidates who have already passed Class 12 (or equivalent), and those currently appearing in the 2026 board exams, are both eligible. |
| Number of attempts | Two attempts (Session 1 and Session 2) within the same cycle; the better normalised score counts. No year-on-year cap; a non-admitted candidate can reapply the following year. |
| Required subjects (Engineering, PCM) | Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics. Candidates sit the PCM paper (150 questions, 200 marks). |
| Required subjects (Pharmacy/Agriculture, PCB) | Physics, Chemistry, Biology (or PCM with Biology as an additional subject for some pharmacy programmes). Candidates sit the PCB paper (200 questions, 200 marks). |
| Minimum percentage (General) | 45% aggregate in the qualifying subjects. |
| Minimum percentage (SC/ST/OBC/SBC/NT, Maharashtra reserved) | 40% aggregate. |
| Maharashtra State Candidature Type A | Passed Class 12 from a Maharashtra institution and domiciled in and/or born in Maharashtra. |
| Maharashtra State Candidature Type B | Does not qualify under Type A, but father or mother is domiciled in Maharashtra with a domicile certificate. |
| Maharashtra State Candidature Type C | Does not qualify under Type A or B, but father or mother is a Government of India / GoI-undertaking employee posted in Maharashtra before the CAP deadline. |
| Maharashtra State Candidature Type D | Does not qualify under Type A, B, or C, but father or mother is a Government of Maharashtra / Maharashtra PSU employee. |
| Maharashtra State Candidature Type E | Candidate or a parent is/was a Government of Maharashtra or Maharashtra PSU employee, subject to conditions in the current CAP brochure. |
| Maharashtra-Karnataka border area | Separate reservation for candidates who studied in, reside in, and whose mother tongue is Marathi within the officially declared border area; runs alongside the Type A-E structure. |
| Domicile for the exam itself | Not required. Out-of-state candidates can register and sit MHT CET but compete under the Outside Maharashtra (OMS) or All India category during CAP, not under any Maharashtra State Candidature type. |
The MHT CET application is fully online through the State CET Cell portal. Registration for 2026 opened January 10 and closed February 20 without a late fee (late-fee window through February 24-25, with a further reopened window March 19-20 for candidates who missed both). A short correction window typically follows the main deadline.
| Document | Format | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photograph | JPG / JPEG | As specified in the current brochure | Recent, plain background, matching the brochure format |
| Signature | JPG / JPEG | As specified in the current brochure | Signed on white paper, scanned, not typed |
| Class 10 certificate (DoB proof) | As specified in the current brochure | Required to confirm eligibility | |
| Category certificate (if applicable) | As specified in the current brochure | SC / ST / OBC / SBC / NT / EWS as relevant | |
| Domicile / candidature-type proof | As specified in the current brochure | Required at CAP verification against the candidature type claimed, not always at the initial application stage |
| Category | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| General (Maharashtra, OMS, J&K/Ladakh migrants) — single attempt | ~₹1,300 | ~₹1,300 |
| General — both attempts | ~₹2,600 | ~₹2,600 |
| SC/ST/OBC/SBC/NT/EWS/PwD (Maharashtra) — single attempt | ~₹1,000 | ~₹1,000 |
| SC/ST/OBC/SBC/NT/EWS/PwD — both attempts | ~₹2,000 | ~₹2,000 |
MHT CET's paper structure differs by subject group. PCM candidates (targeting engineering) sit 150 questions for 200 marks: 50 Physics and 50 Chemistry questions worth 1 mark each, and 50 Mathematics questions worth 2 marks each. PCB candidates (targeting pharmacy and agriculture) sit 200 questions for 200 marks: 50 Physics, 50 Chemistry, and 100 Biology questions, each worth 1 mark. There is no negative marking in either group.
| Mode | Computer-based test (CBT), online |
| Duration | 180 minutes (3 hours) per attempt |
| PCM paper | 150 questions, 200 marks: Physics 50q/50m, Chemistry 50q/50m, Mathematics 50q/100m (2 marks each) |
| PCB paper | 200 questions, 200 marks: Physics 50q/50m, Chemistry 50q/50m, Biology 100q/100m (1 mark each) |
| Negative marking | None. No penalty for an incorrect answer in either group |
| Attempts per cycle | Two (Session 1 and Session 2); the better normalised score counts |
| Calculator | Not allowed. No physical or on-screen calculator provided |
| Question format | Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) only |
| Sectional time limit | None disclosed; candidates move freely between subjects within the 180-minute window |
The two-session, best-of-two-attempts structure held steady into the 2026 cycle, which recorded the highest participation in the exam's history. No structural change to question count, marks distribution, or the no-negative-marking policy was introduced for 2026. The application fee rose across all categories.
With zero negative marking, every question should be attempted: an unanswered question and a wrong answer both score zero, but a wrong guess carries no additional cost either. This is a meaningfully different mental model from JEE Main or WBJEE, where a wrong guess actively subtracts marks. Mathematics candidates should note that in the PCM paper, Mathematics is worth exactly half the total marks (100 of 200) despite having the same 50-question count as Physics and Chemistry, because each Mathematics question carries double weight. A Mathematics question answered correctly is worth twice as much as a Physics or Chemistry question, even though all three subjects have the same number of questions.
MHT CET's syllabus is drawn directly from the Maharashtra State Board's own HSC curriculum for Class 11 and Class 12, in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology. The State CET Cell weights the paper heavily toward Class 12, with roughly 80% of questions from Class 12 topics and 20% from Class 11. This state-board alignment is MHT CET's single most distinctive syllabus feature, the reason preparation differs between Maharashtra-board and CBSE-schooled candidates.
50 questions in both PCM and PCB papers. Current Electricity, Wave Optics, Electromagnetic Induction, and Modern Physics are flagged as high-weightage across recent papers, presented per the Maharashtra board's own textbook structure rather than NCERT's.
| Unit | Weightage | Key topics |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanics | Moderate-High | Rotational dynamics, oscillations, mechanical properties of fluids |
| Electricity and magnetism | High | Current electricity, electrostatics, electromagnetic induction, magnetic effects |
| Optics | High | Wave optics, ray optics |
| Modern physics | Moderate | Dual nature of radiation and matter, atoms, nuclei, semiconductors |
| Thermal and general physics | Moderate | Kinetic theory of gases, thermodynamics, wave motion |
50 questions in both papers. Physical Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry, particularly p-Block elements and coordination compounds, are consistently flagged as high-yield by coaching-institute analyses.
| Unit | Weightage | Key topics |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Chemistry | High | Chemical thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, electrochemistry, solutions |
| Inorganic Chemistry | High | Coordination compounds, p-Block elements, d- and f-Block elements |
| Organic Chemistry | Moderate | Alcohols, phenols and ethers, aldehydes, ketones and carboxylic acids, biomolecules |
Worth exactly half the PCM paper's marks (100 of 200) despite the same 50-question count as Physics and Chemistry, since each question carries 2 marks. Calculus alone accounts for roughly 35-40% of Mathematics questions on recent papers.
| Unit | Weightage | Key topics |
|---|---|---|
| Calculus | High (35-40%) | Differentiation, integration, applications of derivatives and integrals, differential equations |
| Algebra | Moderate | Matrices, determinants, complex numbers |
| Vectors and 3D geometry | Moderate-High | Vector algebra, three-dimensional geometry, line and plane |
| Probability and statistics | Moderate | Probability distributions, statistics |
| Trigonometry and coordinate geometry | Moderate | Trigonometric functions, pair of straight lines, circle, conics |
100 of the PCB paper's 200 questions, the single largest subject block in either paper. Genetics and Human Physiology are the two most consistently high-weightage areas, alongside general overlap with NEET-relevant content.
| Unit | Weightage | Key topics |
|---|---|---|
| Genetics and evolution | High | Heredity and variation, molecular basis of inheritance, evolution |
| Human physiology | High | Reproduction, human health and disease, control and coordination |
| Plant physiology and biotechnology | Moderate | Plant growth and development, biotechnology principles and applications |
| Ecology | Moderate | Organisms and populations, ecosystem, biodiversity and conservation |
A workable MHT CET preparation plan has to account for three things generic advice often misses: the exam tracks the Maharashtra State Board's own HSC syllabus rather than NCERT directly, there is no negative marking so every question should be attempted, and the final admission merit list blends the CET percentile with Class 12 board marks, so board-exam performance is a direct admissions input, not a side concern.
12-month plan
Months 1-4 (May-August): Foundation. Work through the Maharashtra State Board\'s Class 11 Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics (or Biology) textbooks cover-to-cover, since these are the exam\'s actual syllabus source, not a generic NCERT-first approach. No mocks yet; the conceptual base has to come first.
Months 5-8 (September-December): Class 12 syllabus plus revision of Class 11. Move into Class 12 state board chapters while running periodic revision of Class 11 material, since roughly 20% of the paper still draws from it. Begin one full-length MHT CET-pattern mock per fortnight from November, reviewing every wrong and skipped answer.
Months 9-12 (January-May): Mock-heavy phase, run in parallel with board-exam preparation, not instead of it. Move to two full-length mocks per week from February, three from March, while treating the Class 12 board exam as a high-stakes input to the final merit list. Work through the State CET Cell\'s own released question papers as the primary revision resource in this phase.
6-month plan
Months 1-3 (November-January): Concept-and-practice combined. Read each state board chapter, then work a set of problems from a standard MHT CET-focused reference before moving to the next topic, prioritising Calculus, Current Electricity, and the high-weightage Chemistry and Biology areas. Target full Class 11 and roughly half of Class 12 coverage by end of January.
Months 4-5 (February-March): Complete the remaining Class 12 syllabus while running one mock per week, calibrated against MHT CET\'s own past papers rather than JEE Main or NEET papers, since the question style and chapter emphasis differ meaningfully even where topics overlap.
Month 6 (April-May): Mock-heavy, run alongside final board-exam revision. Three to four mocks per week, an error log built across the prior five months, and a final stretch focused on speed given the zero-negative-marking, attempt-everything strategy.
90-day plan
This plan assumes a candidate salvaging preparation after a slow start, not an ideal scenario.
Days 1-30: Triage. Identify each subject\'s strongest and weakest chapters from early mock results, prioritising Calculus, Current Electricity, Coordination Compounds, and, for PCB candidates, Genetics and Human Physiology, since these carry the heaviest recurring weight.
Days 31-60: Mock-heavy. One MHT CET-pattern mock every other day, with careful review of every wrong answer. Since there is no negative marking, practise attempting every single question, treating an educated guess on an unfamiliar question as free expected value rather than a risk.
Days 61-90: Stamina and review, run alongside final board-exam preparation given the 50:50 merit weighting. Full mocks in the 180-minute window to build familiarity with real exam timing. Final week: no new mocks, only error-log review.
Coaching helps candidates without a strong Class 11-12 science foundation, or without the discipline to work through the state board syllabus independently, particularly since MHT CET\'s textbook source differs from the NCERT material most national coaching content defaults to. For candidates who already have that foundation, self-study built around the actual Maharashtra State Board textbooks, MHT CET-specific reference material, and consistent past-paper practice covers most of what is needed, typically for a modest book budget rather than a full-year programme.
A meaningful share of Mumbai and Pune candidates prepare for MHT CET and JEE Main together, since both exams draw from overlapping content and many strong colleges in the state (VJTI, ICT Mumbai, SPCE among them) fill the large majority of their seats through MHT CET rather than JEE Main. A candidate who has prepared seriously for JEE Main typically needs a comparatively short, dedicated pass through the Maharashtra board\'s own textbooks and past MHT CET papers to adapt.
Topper insight (pending)
Verified MHT CET topper from the 2025 or 2026 cycle, scorecard verified, willing to be quoted by name. The content instruction requires at least 2 verified topper or test-taker contributors with year-stamped credentials. Without this, the page reads like every other generic prep article.
| Book | Subject | Price (₹) | One-line take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target Publications MHT CET Triumph series | Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology | 500 | Purpose-built for the Maharashtra board syllabus and MHT CET's specific question style, the closest analogue to a dedicated exam-pattern book. |
| Maharashtra State Board HSC textbooks (Balbharati) | All subjects | 400 | Non-negotiable starting point since this is the actual syllabus source; do not substitute NCERT alone. |
| MHT CET solved past papers (various publishers) | All subjects | 350 | High-leverage for understanding actual difficulty and recurring question patterns; verify the edition is genuinely MHT CET-specific, not repackaged JEE Main content. |
| NCERT textbooks (Class 11 + 12) | Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology | 400 | Useful supplementary depth for candidates also preparing for JEE Main or NEET, but should not replace the state board textbooks as the primary reference. |
Mocks calibrated to MHT CET's actual PCM (150-question, 200-mark) or PCB (200-question, 200-mark) format and zero-negative-marking scheme are more useful than generic JEE Main or NEET mock series repurposed without adjustment. Confirm any test series is genuinely MHT CET-pattern, and ideally Maharashtra-board-aligned, before paying for it.
The activity with the highest score-to-effort ratio in exam prep is mock-test analysis. Solving a mock takes hours; analysing it correctly takes longer. Most candidates skip the analysis. The candidates who score well do not.
| Year | Difficulty | Hardest section | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Moderate | Mathematics | Record participation; broadly consistent difficulty across both sessions per aggregator post-exam analysis |
| 2025 | Moderate | Mathematics | Second full cycle under the two-session, best-of-two-attempts format |
| 2024 | Moderate | Mathematics | Flagged by coaching-institute analyses as the section with the most multi-step problems |
| 2023 | Moderate | Chemistry | First cycle under the current 50:50 board-marks-plus-CET merit formula |
| 2022 | Moderate | Physics | Standard difficulty distribution reported across subjects |
Across recent MHT CET papers, Current Electricity and Wave Optics recur most often in Physics; Coordination Compounds and p-Block Elements recur most often in Chemistry; Calculus recurs most often in Mathematics, consistent with its roughly 35-40% share of PCM Mathematics questions; and Genetics plus Human Physiology recur most often in Biology for PCB candidates.
| Year | General | OBC-NCL | EWS | SC | ST | PwD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | No percentile-based qualifying gate; nearly all appeared candidates receive a percentile score feeding directly into CAP | — | — | — | — | — |
| College | General (HS) | General (OS) | OBC (OS) | SC (OS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VJTI Mumbai (Computer Engineering, GOPENS) | — | ~99.9-99.95 | — | — |
| COEP Technological University Pune (CSE) | — | ~99.4-99.7 (varies by round) | — | — |
| VJTI Mumbai (Computer Engineering, EWS) | — | ~99.7 | — | — |
| VJTI Mumbai (Computer Engineering, OBC) | — | ~99.7 | — | — |
MHT CET 2026 recorded its highest-ever registration count, roughly 11.64 lakh unique candidates, which typically tightens closing percentiles at the margin, particularly for the most sought-after branches at government and autonomous colleges like VJTI, COEP, and ICT Mumbai. This is a directional read based on registration-volume trend data, not a calibrated statistical model; confirm actual Round 1 and later-round closing percentiles directly against the State CET Cell's published CAP allotment results before making a final choice-filling decision.
Use the College Predictor with full methodology disclosure →MHT CET 2026 results were declared separately for the PCB and PCM groups, with the PCM group's second-attempt result (reflecting each candidate's best score across both sessions) declared June 19, 2026. The scorecard shows normalised percentile scores rather than raw marks, since the exam runs across multiple shifts and two full sessions.
An MHT CET percentile is valid for the admission cycle it belongs to. It cannot be carried forward to the following year's CAP counselling.
MHT CET is a percentile-based, normalised score, not a raw-marks score, since the exam runs across multiple shifts within each session and across two separate sessions. Percentile = 100 x (number of candidates with normalised marks less than or equal to the candidate's own) / total candidates, calculated to several decimal places. Where a candidate sat both sessions, the higher of the two percentiles appears on the final scorecard and feeds the CAP merit list. Since the 2023 cycle, the final CAP merit score for engineering admissions additionally blends this percentile with Class 12 board marks in roughly equal, 50:50 weighting, a distinctive feature covered in the worked example below.
Confirm the current cycle's rechecking or re-evaluation policy directly against the live State CET Cell portal; this research pass did not find a clearly published re-evaluation process, and candidates should not assume one exists without checking the current information brochure.
The State Common Entrance Test Cell itself runs the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) that follows the exam, filling seats at all participating engineering, pharmacy, and agriculture institutes across Maharashtra through the same portal used for the exam application. The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) Maharashtra oversees technical-education policy and college affiliation, but CAP registration, merit-list, and seat-allotment run through the State CET Cell's own portal. CAP for 2026-27 opened for B.E./B.Tech and MBA/MMS registration July 2, 2026, extended to July 16, with the final merit list due July 20.
List every college and branch you would genuinely accept, in honest order. Padding your list with options you would reject if allotted wastes a slot and risks locking you into a seat you did not actually want under a freeze option.
Understand your Maharashtra State Candidature type before you fill choices, not after. A candidate who mistakenly believes they qualify under Type A when their documentation only supports Type B or C risks a rejected verification and a lost seat, well after choice filling is complete.
Put your most realistic reach option first, not last. Government and autonomous colleges like VJTI and COEP fill their most competitive branches in Round 1; a Reach college you might edge into by a small margin belongs near the top of your list.
Remember the board-marks-plus-CET formula when reading your own percentile. A candidate confident about their CET percentile alone can still be surprised by their final CAP merit rank if board marks pull the blended score down.
Out-of-state candidates should plan for the Outside Maharashtra (OMS) category explicitly. Candidates without a Maharashtra State Candidature type compete under a narrower OMS or All India seat share, which meaningfully changes realistic closing-percentile expectations.
CAP for B.E./B.Tech runs four rounds: the first three centrally run by the State CET Cell, and a fourth, institute-level round for seats still vacant after Round 3. This fourth round functions as MHT CET's spot-round mechanism; check the specific institute's admission office for its own vacant-seat process once Round 3 concludes.
Talk to a counsellor about your strategy →Top 1 MHT CET-accepting institutes by NIRF Engineering rank. Each links to the full college page with placements, fees, hostel, and student reviews.
| NIRF rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | VJTI Mumbai | Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Comparison | Mode | Conducting body | Frequency | College scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MHT CET vs JEE Main | CBT vs CBT | State CET Cell (Maharashtra) vs NTA | Annual, two attempts vs Biannual | Maharashtra state institutes (state quota) vs National (NITs/IIITs/GFTIs) plus a small AIQ share at some Maharashtra institutes |
| MHT CET vs WBJEE | CBT vs Pen-paper (OMR) | State CET Cell (Maharashtra) vs WBJEEB | Annual, two attempts vs Annual, single sitting | Maharashtra state institutes vs West Bengal state institutes |
| MHT CET vs KCET | CBT vs Pen-paper (OMR) | State CET Cell (Maharashtra) vs Karnataka Examinations Authority | Annual, two attempts vs Annual, single sitting | Maharashtra state institutes vs Karnataka state institutes |
| MHT CET vs COMEDK UGET | CBT vs CBT | State CET Cell (Maharashtra) vs Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka | Annual, two attempts vs Annual | Government-linked Maharashtra seats vs Private Karnataka seats |
Pending verified contributors
6 to 8 verified test-taker reviews required. Curation mix: 1 recent topper (top percentile scorer), 1 average qualifier (mid-range percentile who secured an admission through CAP), 1 candidate who did not secure a seat through CAP (honest perspective), 1 repeat test-taker (sat both sessions), 1 first-attempt test-taker, 1 female test-taker for gender-specific operational notes. All scorecard-verified and year-stamped. Without these the page cannot meet the experiential trust requirement the content instruction calls for.
CAP registration and document verification for B.E./B.Tech and MBA/MMS opened July 2, 2026, and the deadline has been extended from July 12 to July 16, 2026. The provisional merit list is due July 15, with a grievance window through July 18 and the final merit list due July 20, 2026.
Online. MHT CET is a computer-based test (CBT). Candidates answer on a computer screen at the exam centre, unlike some other state CETs such as WBJEE, which remain pen-and-paper.
Pass (or appear in) Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics for engineering seats, or Physics, Chemistry, and Biology for pharmacy and agriculture seats, with at least 45% aggregate (General) or 40% (Maharashtra reserved categories) in the qualifying subjects. There is no upper age limit.
No. MHT CET carries no negative marking in either the PCM or PCB paper. Every question can be attempted without a wrong-answer penalty, which changes exam-day strategy meaningfully compared with negative-marking exams like JEE Main or WBJEE.
MHT CET runs across two sessions within the same admission cycle, Session 1 and Session 2. A candidate can sit both, and the better of the two normalised percentile scores counts toward the CAP merit list.
Yes, and this is one of MHT CET's most distinctive features. Since the 2023 cycle, the final CAP merit score for engineering admissions blends the MHT CET percentile and Class 12 board marks in roughly equal, 50:50 weighting. A strong CET percentile alone does not guarantee a strong final merit rank if board marks are comparatively weaker, and vice versa.
No. Any Indian candidate can register and sit the exam regardless of home state. Domicile and the related Maharashtra State Candidature structure (Type A through Type E) matter for CAP seat eligibility, not exam eligibility; candidates without a candidature type compete under a narrower Outside Maharashtra (OMS) or All India seat share.
A five-way classification the State CET Cell uses to determine eligibility for Maharashtra-quota CAP seats, based on where a candidate studied, was born, or where their parents are domiciled or employed. See the Eligibility section above for the full breakdown of each type.
Only for a small All India Quota share. VJTI Mumbai and COEP Technological University Pune fill the large majority of their seats through MHT CET's state-quota CAP process; JEE Main covers a limited AIQ portion, not the primary admission route.
Rough benchmarks (General/Open category, 2025 cycle, directional only): above roughly 99.9 for Computer Engineering at VJTI Mumbai; above roughly 99.4-99.7 for Computer Science and Engineering at COEP Pune, depending on the CAP round; percentiles in the 90s still secure Computer Science or allied branches at established government-aided and autonomous colleges outside the top handful; many private colleges admit candidates well below the 90th percentile.
The State CET Cell itself runs CAP, the same authority that conducts the exam. Registration, document verification, merit-list publication, choice filling, and seat allotment happen across four rounds for engineering, with the first three centrally run and the fourth conducted at the institute level for seats still vacant afterward.
Approximately ₹1,300 for General category candidates for a single attempt, or roughly ₹2,600 for both attempts; approximately ₹1,000 for Maharashtra's reserved categories for a single attempt, or roughly ₹2,000 for both attempts. Confirm the exact current figure against the live application portal.
Not for every candidate. Given the exam's direct alignment with the Maharashtra State Board's own HSC textbooks, self-study built around those textbooks, MHT CET-specific reference material, and consistent past-paper practice covers most of what is needed for candidates with a reasonably solid Class 11-12 foundation. Coaching helps more clearly for candidates without that foundation, or CBSE-schooled candidates bridging into the state board's syllabus emphasis.
No. MHT CET is a separate, Maharashtra state-level exam conducted by the State CET Cell, while JEE Main is a national exam conducted by the NTA. Most engineering seats at Maharashtra colleges, including VJTI Mumbai and COEP Pune, are filled through MHT CET's state-quota CAP process, not JEE Main; JEE Main matters primarily for national institutes and a smaller AIQ share at select Maharashtra institutes.
Sources
