MHT CET 2026: Exam Date, Syllabus, Application Form, Eligibility Criteria, Question Paper

Maharashtra Common Entrance Test, also known as MHT CET, is a state-level entrance test to select candidates for admission to undergraduate engineering and pharmacy programs at various colleges throughout Maharashtra. The exam is conducted every year by the Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test Cell. The difficulty level of MHT CET exam is similar to JEE Mains. The MHT CET exam is conducted separately for PCM Group (BTech) and PCB group (BPharma). Important details related to MHT CET exam is given in the table below.

MHT CET Exam Highlights

The Maharashtra CET Cell is yet to announce the eligibility criteria for MHT CET 2026. Candidates can check here the eligibility criteria as per the last year's notification. Candidates applying for MHT CET exam 2026 must check the eligibility criteria before filling the application form. The CET Cell has specified conditions that every candidate must fulfill to be considered for admission to courses in Maharashtra. The MHT CET eligibility criteria are

General Eligibility Conditions

• Candidate must be an Indian citizen
• Candidates must have passed class 12 or appearing in class 12 in 2026
• There is no age limit to apply for MHT CET
• Candidate should have Physics and Mathematics as compulsory subjects along with any one subject among Chemistry/ Biotechnology/ Biology/ Technical Vocational subject/ Computer Science/Information Technology/ Informatics Practices/ Agriculture/ Engineering Graphics/Business Studies in class 12
• Candidates must obtain at least 45% marks in class 12. Candidates belonging to the backward class, Economically Weaker Section, and Persons with Disability category should obtain at least 40 % marks in class 12

Course Specific MHT CET Eligibility Criteria

Admission of Non-Maharashtra Candidates

• Candidates who are not from Maharashtra can appear in MHT CET. Non-Maharashtra candidates also have the option of applying for BTech admission through JEE Main.
• All the conditions of eligibility are same for Maharashtra as well as non-Maharashtra candidates.
• MHT CET reservation policies do not apply to non-Maharashtra candidates.
• Around 85% of seats are reserved for Maharashtra candidates under Home-Sate quota and the remaining 15% are for Outside Maharashtra State (OMS) candidates.  

For OCI/PIO/NRI Candidates

• OCI/PIO and NRI candidates are exempted from appearing in MHT CET. Such candidates can apply for admission based on class 12/equivalent exams. Separate counselling is held for OCI/PIO/NRI candidates after the admission process of MHT CET. 

Note: Candidates fulfilling any of the following criteria are considered Maharashtra state candidates

• A candidate who is either a domicile of Maharashtra or born in Maharashtra.
• A candidate whose father or mother is domiciled in the State of Maharashtra and holds a Domicile Certificate.
• A candidate whose either of the parents is an employee of the Government of India or a Government of India Undertaking (PSUs) and is posted and reported for duty in Maharashtra State.
• A candidate whose parents are employees or retired employees of the Government of Maharashtra or a Government of Maharashtra Undertaking (PSUs).
• Candidates who have passed the SSC and/or HSC Examination from a disputed Maharashtra-Karnataka Border Area, or Maharashtra, residing in the disputed Maharashtra-Karnataka Border area, and whose mother tongue is Marathi.
• Candidates belonging to a specific linguistic or religious minority community from the State of Maharashtra, as notified by the Government, can apply for the MHT CET.

The application form for MHT CET 2026 will be available online only. Candidates can fill the MHT CET Application Form 2026 from the MHT CET official website - cetcell.mahacet.org.  MHT CET Registration link will be provided on this page once the application starts. The process of filling application form is a multi-step process that includes

Step 1- MHT CET Registration

Step 2- Filling personal and educational details

Step 3- Upload scanned images of the photo, signature, and category certificate. Category certificate has to be uploaded only by reserved category candidates.

Step 4- Pay application fees

The MHT CET form will be submitted once the application fee is paid. Candidates need to download and take a printout of their filled application form. The print copy has to be kept safe till the completion of the admission process as it is required at the time of college admission. The detailed step-by-step process to fill out the MHT CET application form is given below.

Step 1: Registration

The candidate must visit the official website to submit the application form. The first step is registration. Registration has to be done by entering a few personal details, a valid email address, and a phone number. The candidate will receive the application form login credentials at the registered email address.

Step 2: Filling Personal and Educational Details

• The candidate should fill their name in the application form exactly as it is mentioned in the Class 10 and Class 12 mark sheets.
• The candidate must fill in the required personal details and education details in the application form.
• Candidates should carefully mention PCM or PCB or both while filling out the application form.
• The question paper will be available in English/Hindi/Marathi/Urdu. The candidate should mention the language in which they want to take up the examination while filling out the application form.

Step 3: Uploading Documents

• The candidate should upload his/her photograph and signature in the proper format and size.
• If the candidate has applied for the reserved seat, then the candidate must upload the caste certificate.
• Proof of identity, mark sheets, and other documents should be uploaded in the correct format and size.

MHT CET Image Specification

Step 4: Application Fee Payment

The application fee can be paid either online or offline. The application form will be automatically submitted after the successful payment of application fees. Candidates will need to download the pdf of the filled application form and keep it safe as it will be required at the time of the admission process. The fees for MHT CET 2026 has not been released yet. Candidates can check last year MHT CET fees here.

MHT CET Application Fees

MHT CET Application Form Correction

The Maharashtra State CET Cell will provide the facility to correct/modify the details in MHT CET application form after the completion of application process. To access the MHT CET application form correction window, the candidates have to log into their account using registered email ID and password.  After login, the candidates will find three new links under the "important links" Menu for MHT CET form correction.

1. Change Subject Group
2. Add Subject Group
3. Edit My Application Form

Change Subject Group: Under the change subject group, the subjects can be changed from PCM to PCB or PCB to PCM.

Add Subject Group: Candidates can also add the subject group PCM or PCB if they missed adding it while filling out the application form. The candidate must pay the application fee along with the late fee for the new subject group added.

Edit My Application Form: Using this link, the candidate can change the name, date of birth, photo, and signature.

Note: In case, the candidate has forgotten the password and cannot access their application for correction, they should click on the link that says “I cannot access my account” in the login page to reset their password.

The Maharashtra CET Cell will soon release the MHT CET 2026 Syllabus PDF. As the MH CET syllabus is similar to class 11 and 12 Maharashtra Board syllabus, they can study using for MHT CET 2026 using their school books of Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics/Biology. The details of topics covered in the MHT CET syllabus are given below. The question paper is prepared by taking 20% questions from class 11 topics and 80% topics from class 12.

MHT CET Class 11 Topics

MHT CET Class 12 Topics

Check MHT CET 2026 Syllabus details here

MHT CET exam pattern 2026 will be released soon. Candidates can check here the last year exam pattern to know details about the structure of exam. The exam will be held online as a computer-based test and will have multiple-choice questions (MCQ). The CET Cell conducts separate exam for PCM and PCB groups. The MHT CET question paper will be set with 20% weightage to class 11 topics and 80% weightage to class 12 topics.

PCM Group Paper Pattern: The question paper for MHT CET PCM group will have a total of 150 questions, 50 each from Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. In each subject, 10 questions will be from class 11 topics and the remaining 40 questions will be from class 12 topics.

PCB Group Paper Pattern: The question paper for PCB group will have a total 200 questions, 100 from Biology and 50 each from Physics and Chemistry. In Biology, 20 questions will be from class 11 topics and the rest 80 from class 12 topics. In Physics and Chemitry, 10 questions will be from class 11 and 40 from class 12 topics.

MHT CET Exam Pattern Highlights

MHT CET Marking Scheme and Number of Questions

Candidates can check here the previous year MHT CET question paper. Candidates can use these MHT CET previous year question papers to understand the difficulty level of the exam, exam pattern, and chapter-wise weightage of topics. Candidates studying for the MHT CET 2025 can download previous years' question papers with solutions from numerous educational websites to get a better understanding of the examination pattern.

MHT CET 2024 Question Paper PDF

MHT CET Previous Year Question Papers

MHT CET 2026 aspirants can start preparing for the examination by understanding the syllabus and topics that are covered in the exam. Aspirants must have a thorough understanding of the MHT CET exam pattern and syllabus before beginning their preparation. Candidates should start studying from the Class 11 and Class 12 Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics/ Biology books of the Maharashtra State Board to build their basic concepts, and slowly move to other reference books. Additionally, downloading and solving past years’ MHT CET question papers to get familiar with the format, syllabus, and types of questions asked.

The MHT CET is one of the most important exams for admission to undergraduate engineering programs, and its level of difficulty is equal to the JEE Main. To pass the exam, candidates should thoroughly prepare for it.