Maharashtra Common Entrance Test • Conducted by State Common Entrance Test Cell, Government of Maharashtra
General Guidance on Historically Observed Difficulty Patterns Across Blocks
The following reflects general, historically observed difficulty patterns across past MHT CET papers, not a specific post-exam analysis of any particular year's actual paper. MHT CET is generally considered moderately difficult, calibrated closer to Maharashtra's HSC board examination level than to JEE Main or JEE Advanced, though its strict sectional timing and Mathematics-heavy marking weight create distinct challenges.
Overall Difficulty
Moderate
HSC Board-Level Calibration
Mathematics
Moderate-High
Double Weightage, Time-Intensive
Physics
Moderate
Formula Application Focus
Chemistry
Easy-Moderate
Largely Textbook-Based
Given Mathematics' 2-mark-per-question weighting (double that of Physics/Chemistry), Mathematics performance disproportionately determines a candidate's overall MHT CET score. The strict 90-minute sectional block for Mathematics' 50 questions demands efficient pacing, since there is no opportunity to borrow time from the Physics/Chemistry block.
Physics and Chemistry questions in MHT CET tend to follow relatively direct, HSC-textbook-aligned patterns, with Chemistry in particular regarded as the most scoring section given its heavy reliance on direct factual and reaction-based questions rather than complex calculation.
Because MHT CET draws heavily from the same HSC Class 12 curriculum (80% weightage) that candidates are simultaneously preparing for their board exams, students who have thoroughly worked through their Class 12 textbook exercises often find meaningful overlap in question style, creating useful preparation synergy.
Candidate feedback consistently highlights MHT CET's strict sectional timing (rather than individual question difficulty) as the exam's most challenging structural feature, since candidates cannot compensate for running behind in one block by borrowing time from the other, unlike more flexible formats like BITSAT or JEE Main.
The consistent theme across years of candidate feedback is that MHT CET rewards disciplined, block-specific time management and thorough Class 12-focused preparation (especially in Mathematics, given its double weighting) over deep, JEE-Advanced-style conceptual layering.
Since MHT CET 2026 introduced a two-session format, candidates and coaching experts generally expect the State CET Cell to calibrate both sessions to broadly comparable difficulty, with percentile normalization applied to adjust for any residual variation, similar in principle to JEE Main's multi-session approach, though the exact normalization methodology for MHT CET may differ in detail.
Within each session, MHT CET is conducted across multiple days and shifts; the State CET Cell aims to maintain comparable overall difficulty across different question sets, though some natural variation in individual question difficulty across shifts is possible.
No, MHT CET is generally considered less difficult than JEE Main on a per-question basis, since it is calibrated closer to Maharashtra's HSC board examination level, though its strict sectional timing and Mathematics-heavy weighting create distinct challenges.
Chemistry is generally considered the most scoring section, since a large share of questions are direct, textbook-fact-based questions requiring less complex calculation than Mathematics.
Because candidates cannot move between the Mathematics block and the Physics/Chemistry block once a block's 90 minutes conclude, making block-specific time management critical, unlike more flexible formats like BITSAT or JEE Main.
Revise chapter-wise mathematical formulas before launching your test: