MHT-CET syllabus 2026 covers Class 11 and Class 12 Balbharati HSC science. PCM has 150 questions for 200 marks and PCB has 200 questions for 200 marks, both in 180 minutes with no negative marking.
The MHT-CET syllabus 2026 is based on the Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati) HSC science course, roughly 20% from Class 11 and 80% from Class 12. The exam has two groups: PCM (Engineering) with Physics 50, Chemistry 50 and Mathematics 50 for a total of 150 questions worth 200 marks, and PCB (Pharmacy and Agriculture) with Physics 50, Chemistry 50 and Biology 100 for a total of 200 questions worth 200 marks. Both papers run for 180 minutes and, importantly, there is no negative marking.
MHT-CET is the Common Entrance Test conducted by the State Common Entrance Test Cell, Maharashtra, for admission to Engineering, Pharmacy and Agriculture degree courses after Class 12. This guide gives you the exact section-wise pattern, the marking scheme, the PCM versus PCB syllabus, what changed in the 2026 cycle, and our first-party analysis of why Mathematics is the percentile-swinger in PCM, grounded in the question bank we built for the MHT-CET full mock test series on Quiz4Exam.
MHT-CET 2026 is a computer-based test with two groups. PCM has 150 questions for 200 marks and PCB has 200 questions for 200 marks, both in 180 minutes. Physics and Chemistry form one combined 90-minute slot, and Mathematics (for PCM) or Biology (for PCB) is the second 90-minute slot. All questions are single-correct MCQs with no numeric entry.
| Group | Subjects (questions) | Total questions | Total marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCM (Engineering) | Physics 50 + Chemistry 50 + Mathematics 50 | 150 | 200 | 180 minutes |
| PCB (Pharmacy / Agriculture) | Physics 50 + Chemistry 50 + Biology 100 | 200 | 200 | 180 minutes |
The 180 minutes are split into two 90-minute slots. In the first slot you attempt Physics and Chemistry together (50 + 50 = 100 questions). In the second slot you attempt Mathematics if you are a PCM candidate (50 questions) or Biology if you are a PCB candidate (Botany 50 + Zoology 50 = 100 questions). Physics, Chemistry and Biology can be taken in English, Marathi or Urdu, while Mathematics is offered in English only.
No, there is no negative marking in MHT-CET. Every correct answer earns marks and a wrong or blank answer costs nothing. Physics, Chemistry and Biology carry 1 mark per question, while Mathematics carries 2 marks per question. Because there is zero penalty, the smart strategy is to attempt every single question.
| Subject | Marks per correct answer | Marks for wrong or blank |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 1 | 0 |
| Chemistry | 1 | 0 |
| Biology | 1 | 0 |
| Mathematics | 2 | 0 |
This marking scheme changes your strategy completely compared with exams like JEE Main or NEET. With no negative marking, there is never a reason to leave a question blank: even a pure guess has an expected gain and zero downside. The real skill in MHT-CET is speed and accuracy, not guarded attempting, so you should finish the paper and mark an option for all 150 or 200 questions.
The MHT-CET syllabus follows the Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati) HSC course, with roughly 20% of questions from Class 11 and 80% from Class 12. PCM candidates study Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics; PCB candidates study Physics, Chemistry and Biology (Botany and Zoology). Physics and Chemistry are common to both groups, so only the third subject differs.
| Subject | Major topics |
|---|---|
| Physics | Rotational motion, oscillations, gravitation, thermodynamics, kinetic theory, electrostatics, current electricity, magnetism, electromagnetic induction, semiconductors, atoms, nuclei, wave optics, dual nature of radiation, communication systems |
| Chemistry | Solid state, solutions, ionic equilibria, chemical thermodynamics, electrochemistry, chemical kinetics, elements of groups 16, 17, 18, transition and inner-transition elements, coordination compounds, halogen derivatives, alcohols and ethers, aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids, amines, biomolecules, polymers |
| Mathematics (PCM) | Trigonometric functions, matrices, determinants, mathematical logic, differentiation, integration, differential equations, applications of derivatives, definite integrals, probability distributions, straight lines, circles, conics, vectors, three-dimensional geometry, linear programming |
| Biology (PCB) | Botany: cell biology, genetics, plant physiology, biotechnology, ecology; Zoology: animal physiology, reproduction, human health and diseases, evolution, origin of life, control and coordination, circulation |
For both groups the Class 12 chapters dominate the paper (about 80% of questions), so give them the bulk of your revision, but do not skip Class 11: the remaining roughly 20% comes from there and carries the same marks per question. Physics and Chemistry are identical for PCM and PCB, which means an engineering aspirant and a pharmacy aspirant prepare two-thirds of the paper the same way.
The biggest change in the 2026 cycle is a dual-session format: MHT-CET is now held across two sessions, one in April and one in May, and each candidate's better attempt counts. Scores are normalised across sessions and the final result is reported as a percentile, JEE Main style, so no candidate is disadvantaged by a tougher shift.
Under this best-of-two model, you can appear in both sessions and your higher percentile is used for admission. Because scores come from different sets of questions and different difficulty levels, the CET Cell applies statistical normalisation to make percentiles comparable across sessions. The syllabus, the no-negative-marking rule and the 20% Class 11 plus 80% Class 12 split stay the same; only the scheduling and the best-of-two percentile mechanism are new. Our product targets the MHT-CET 2027 cycle, since the 2026 cycle has already run, so treat all dates as expected and confirm them on the official CET Cell notification.
MHT-CET results are declared as percentile scores, not raw marks: your percentile reflects the proportion of candidates who scored at or below you, computed after normalisation across sessions. This percentile then feeds the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) counselling run by the CET Cell, which allots Engineering (from the PCM percentile) and Pharmacy or Agriculture (from the PCB percentile) seats based on merit, category and preference.
Here is the first-party moat we found while building our MHT-CET question bank: in PCM, Mathematics carries 2 marks per question against 1 mark for Physics and Chemistry, so Maths alone contributes 100 of the 200 marks. That makes Mathematics the single biggest percentile-swinger for engineering aspirants; a strong Maths score can lift your percentile more than any other subject. Combine that with the no-negative-marking rule and the winning formula is clear: build speed and accuracy, attempt every question, and prioritise Mathematics accuracy in PCM. To turn this into a study plan, read our MHT-CET preparation strategy guide, and browse all our exam mock test series to plan your attempts.
Before you move on: put the pattern into practice with our MHT-CET full mock test series. It mirrors the exact PCM and PCB pattern, the two 90-minute slots, the no-negative-marking scheme and the 2 marks per Maths question, with percentile-style analysis after every mock. For more preparation reads, visit the Quiz4Exam blog.
No, MHT-CET has no negative marking. Every correct answer earns marks and a wrong or blank answer costs nothing. Physics, Chemistry and Biology carry 1 mark per question, while Mathematics carries 2 marks. Because there is zero penalty, you should attempt every one of the 150 or 200 questions rather than leaving any blank.
MHT-CET PCM has 150 questions, split as Physics 50, Chemistry 50 and Mathematics 50, for 200 marks. MHT-CET PCB has 200 questions, split as Physics 50, Chemistry 50 and Biology 100 (Botany 50 plus Zoology 50), also for 200 marks. Both papers run for 180 minutes in two 90-minute slots.
PCM is for Engineering and includes Mathematics as the third subject, giving 150 questions for 200 marks. PCB is for Pharmacy and Agriculture and includes Biology, giving 200 questions for 200 marks. Physics and Chemistry are common to both. In PCM, Maths carries 2 marks per question; all other subjects carry 1 mark.
MHT-CET is based on both, following the Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati) HSC syllabus. Roughly 20% of questions come from Class 11 and 80% from Class 12, though both carry the same marks per question. Class 12 chapters dominate, so revise them most, but do not skip the Class 11 topics.
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In MHT-CET PCM, Mathematics has 50 questions carrying 2 marks each, for a total of 100 marks out of the paper's 200 marks. Physics and Chemistry carry 1 mark per question. This double weight makes Mathematics the biggest percentile-swinger for engineering aspirants, so accuracy in Maths matters most.
