Maharashtra CET to Be Held Twice a Year from 2026 for PCM, PCB, and MBA Courses
Pune, 11th November 2025: The Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell will now conduct entrance examinations for PCM, PCB, and MBA courses twice a year starting from the 2026 academic session. The move aims to offer students more flexibility and better opportunities, similar to the pattern followed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for JEE Main.
The decision was announced by Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil during a review meeting held to discuss the conduct of upcoming CET examinations. Senior officials, including Additional Chief Secretary of the Higher and Technical Education Department B. Venugopal Reddy, CET Cell Commissioner Dilip Sardesai, Director of Higher Education Dr. Shailendra Devlankar, Director of Technical Education Dr. Vinod Mohitkar, Deputy Secretary Ashok Mande, and Deputy Secretary Pratap Lubal, attended the meeting.
As per the revised schedule, the first CET for PCM, PCB, and MBA courses will be conducted in April 2026, while the second session will take place in May 2026. The detailed timetable will be released soon by the CET Cell.
The state government has modeled this new structure on the JEE Main, which is held twice annually at the national level. This approach will give students two opportunities to appear for the entrance exam. While it will be mandatory for students to take at least one exam, the second attempt will be optional. In cases where a student appears for both sessions, the higher score will be considered for admission.
Officials said the reform will help reduce exam-related stress among students and allow them to improve their performance with an additional attempt.
The CET Cell is expected to issue a detailed notification soon outlining exam dates, registration procedures, and other guidelines.
