MAH CET participation jumps 28%; 18.12 lakh students appear this year Maharashtra entrance exams

The State Common Entrance Test Cell, Maharashtra (MAH CET) has recorded participation of nearly 18.12 lakh students across its entrance examinations in 2026, marking a substantial rise in the number of aspirants appearing for professional admission tests conducted by the authority. MAH CET Cell said in the press note that the increase reflects a visible expansion in the reach of state-level entrance examinations across engineering, pharmacy, agriculture and allied professional streams.

The authority stated that this represents an increase of over 28% compared to the previous year’s participation levels. It further noted that the application volume had already shown upward movement in 2024 by 11%, when more than 13.02 lakh candidates had registered across engineering, pharmacy, agriculture and other streams.

MAH CET Cell in its press release attributed this rise largely to its transition towards technology-backed examination processes and wider digital accessibility among students. The release said the agency has increasingly relied on computer-based testing(CBT) frameworks, digital registration systems and district-level outreach mechanisms to make participation easier for students from semi-urban and rural geographies.

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The exam cell press release mentioned that Chandrakant Dada Patil, minister for higher and technical education, said the state intends to keep the admission system “transparent, accessible, and future-ready” through policy support and institutional reforms.

MAH CET Cell: CBT exams, district centres and GIS mapping

As per the press communication, one of the major structural shifts has been the scaling up of computer-based testing for physics, chemistry and mathematics (PCM) and physics, chemistry and biology (PCB) groups, which the authority said has helped standardise test administration across districts while reducing manual logistical inconsistencies.

The CET Cell also highlighted several intervention points currently being implemented:

• CET-Atal Assessment Support: Mock testing and psychometric familiarisation for students new to digital exam mode
• Extension Centre Proposal: CET guidance and registration support planned across all 36 districts
• GIS-based Educational Mapping: Geospatial tracking of infrastructure gaps for targeted academic deployment
• Digital Candidate Assistance: support for students lacking personal devices or technical registration access

The exam authority said in the press release that these systems are being designed particularly keeping in view Maharashtra’s large rural population, with over half of the state’s residents living outside major urban clusters.

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Commissioner and competent authority Dileep Sardesai said the present numbers indicate both “scale and trust” in a technology-enabled examination ecosystem, adding that the long-term focus remains on equalising opportunity irrespective of geography.

MAH CET: Wider professional education access

MAH CET Cell said the increased student turnout is expected to have implications beyond admissions, particularly in improving access to professional education among rural, semi-urban and historically underrepresented student populations. The authority also pointed to gradual diversification in student preference toward engineering and technology-linked sectors.

MAH CET cell press release said that the agency is now working with a target of taking annual unique CET participation to around 18 lakh students by 2029-30 through expanded CBT infrastructure and policy support.

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The release added that the broader objective is to make state-level professional entrance testing less dependent on geography, device ownership and local institutional barriers, while creating a more uniform admission pipeline across Maharashtra.