MHT CET at a glance
The Maharashtra Common Entrance Test is conducted by the State Common Entrance Test Cell, Maharashtra, for admission to engineering, pharmacy, agriculture and other professional courses in Maharashtra. There are two groups: PCM (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics) and PCB (Physics, Chemistry, Biology).
Exam pattern
| Subject | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physics | 50 | 50 | 45 min |
| Chemistry | 50 | 50 | 45 min |
| Mathematics (2 marks each) | 50 | 100 | 90 min |
| Botany | 50 | 50 | 45 min |
| Zoology | 50 | 50 | 45 min |
PCM full paper: 150 questions in 180 minutes. Paper 1: Physics and Chemistry, then Paper 2: Mathematics.
PCB full paper: 200 questions in 180 minutes. Paper 1: Physics and Chemistry, then Paper 2: Biology.
Paper 1 (Physics and Chemistry) is common to both groups. In Paper 2, PCM students answer 50 Mathematics questions worth 2 marks each and PCB students answer 100 Biology questions (Botany and Zoology) worth 1 mark each, so both groups total 200 marks.
Marking scheme
- +1 Correct answer
- +2 Correct answer in Mathematics
- 0 Wrong answer: no negative marking
- 0 Question left unanswered
With no negative marking, a guess can only help: answer every question, eliminating options first where you can.
Who can take it
- Qualification: Class 12 (or appearing) with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics for the PCM group, or Physics, Chemistry and Biology for the PCB group, and English.
- Marks: For engineering admission, usually at least 45% in the group subjects (40% for reserved categories of Maharashtra).
- Maharashtra seats: State-quota seats need you to meet the Maharashtra domicile and other conditions in the brochure.
How the rank is worked out
- Percentile: The exam runs in several shifts, so scores are normalised and given as a percentile, and the merit list is made from it.
- Merit list: For engineering, the CET percentile is used for the state merit list; ties are broken by the rules in the brochure.
Because results are percentiles across shifts, a few marks can make a large difference: practise for speed as well as accuracy.
The usual year
- December – MarchThe State CET Cell publishes the brochure and online registration opens.
- April – MayAdmit cards, then the exam in several shifts over a few weeks.
- May – JuneQuestion papers with answer keys for objections, then the results as percentiles.
- July onwardsCentralised Admission Process (CAP) rounds for seat allotment.
Dates change from year to year. Always go by the latest notice on cetcell.mahacet.org.
After the result
- CAP rounds: Seats in Maharashtra colleges are allotted through the Centralised Admission Process, by merit and the options you fill.
- Courses: Engineering and technology, B.Pharm and Pharm.D, agriculture and allied courses, among others.
- Medical and dental: MBBS and BDS seats in Maharashtra are filled by NEET rank, not by MHT CET.
Syllabus
Maharashtra State Board syllabus: about 20% weightage to Class 11 and 80% to Class 12Physics
Class 11: motion in a plane, laws of motion, gravitation, thermal properties of matter, sound, optics, electrostatics, semiconductors. Class 12: rotational dynamics, mechanical properties of fluids, kinetic theory, thermodynamics, oscillations, waves, wave optics, electrostatics, current electricity, magnetism, electromagnetic induction, AC circuits, dual nature of radiation, atoms and nuclei, semiconductor devices.
Chemistry
Class 11: basic concepts, structure of the atom, chemical bonding, redox reactions, elements of groups 1 and 2, states of matter, adsorption and colloids, hydrocarbons, basic principles of organic chemistry. Class 12: solid state, solutions, ionic equilibria, thermodynamics, electrochemistry, kinetics, p-, d- and f-block elements, coordination compounds, halogen derivatives, alcohols, phenols and ethers, carbonyl compounds, amines, biomolecules, polymers, green chemistry and nanochemistry.
Mathematics
Class 11: trigonometry, straight lines, circles, measures of dispersion, probability, complex numbers, permutations and combinations, functions, limits, continuity. Class 12: mathematical logic, matrices, trigonometric functions, pair of straight lines, vectors, three-dimensional geometry, line and plane, linear programming, differentiation and its applications, integration, definite integrals and their applications, differential equations, probability distributions, binomial distribution.
Biology
Botany and Zoology from Class 11 (biomolecules, respiration and energy transfer, human nutrition, excretion and osmoregulation) and Class 12 (reproduction, inheritance and variation, molecular basis of inheritance, origin and evolution of life, plant water relations, plant growth and mineral nutrition, respiration and circulation, control and coordination, human health and diseases, enhancement of food production, biotechnology, organisms and populations, ecosystems and energy flow, biodiversity and conservation).
This page is a summary to help you plan. MCQIndia is not connected with the State Common Entrance Test Cell, Maharashtra. The official information bulletin for your year has the final word on the pattern, eligibility and dates.