Maharashtra has revised the MHT-CET 2027 examination plan, deciding that both attempts for engineering and pharmacy admissions will be conducted only after students complete their Class 12 board examinations. The state had originally planned to hold the first attempt in December 2026 and the second in April 2027. Following feedback from parents, counsellors and education experts, the higher and technical education department has dropped the December test and moved both attempts into a March-May 2027 window.

Officials have also confirmed that there will be roughly four weeks between the two examinations and that, as in the previous cycle, a candidate's higher score from the two attempts will be considered for admission.

MHT-CET 2027: Both Attempts Shifted to After Class 12 Exams

The change is significant for students preparing simultaneously for board examinations and competitive entrance tests. When Maharashtra originally planned the 2027 cycle, one attempt was expected in December 2026 and another in April 2027. The December schedule drew concerns from students and parents who argued that preparing for an entrance examination shortly before Class 12 boards could increase academic pressure.

A senior official from the higher and technical education department told Hindustan Times that feedback from different parts of Maharashtra revealed particularly strong concerns in rural districts. Parents and counsellors from areas including Dharashiv, Nandurbar and Chandrapur were among those who asked the state to conduct both attempts only after the board examinations. After consulting education experts, the department agreed. The revised plan places both tests either across March-April or April-May 2027, although exact examination dates are still pending.

Exact MHT-CET 2027 Exam Dates Not Announced Yet

Students should be careful with social-media posts or coaching-centre schedules claiming that final 2027 dates have already been fixed. They have not. The Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test Cell is expected to issue a provisional calendar covering its entrance examinations shortly. Only that official schedule will confirm the exact dates for PCM and PCB candidates. Current confirmed information is limited to three points:

• Both attempts will be held after the Class 12 board examinations.
• The examination window will fall between March and May 2027.
• Approximately four weeks will separate the first and second attempts. Candidates should therefore wait for the official CET Cell timetable before making travel or examination-day arrangements.

Why Maharashtra Changed the Schedule

The two-attempt system itself is relatively new. Maharashtra announced the format to give students another opportunity to improve their entrance-test performance, broadly following the approach used in national examinations such as JEE. Instead of one examination determining the entire admission outcome, candidates can sit for both attempts and use their better performance. However, placing one attempt in December created another problem.

For Class 12 students, December falls during an important stage of board-exam preparation. Schools are completing syllabi, practical examinations are approaching and students are usually moving into revision. Parents and counsellors argued that an entrance examination during this period could force students to divide their attention between the state board syllabus and CET preparation. The revised timetable is intended to prevent that overlap.

What Changes for MHT-CET Engineering Candidates?

Students seeking admission through MHT-CET engineering will continue appearing for the PCM route covering Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. The most important change is scheduling rather than examination purpose. Candidates will no longer have to prepare for a December 2026 first attempt immediately before their board examinations. Both opportunities will instead come after the Class 12 examination period. For MHT-CET engineering aspirants, this potentially allows preparation to be divided into two clearer phases: board preparation first, followed by focused CET revision.

However, students should not interpret the schedule change as a reason to postpone entrance-test preparation entirely. The gap between boards and the first attempt may still be limited depending on the final timetable.

What About MHT-CET Pharmacy Admissions?

The revised schedule also applies to MHT-CET pharmacy admissions. Students seeking pharmacy-related programmes generally appear through the PCB route involving Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Like engineering aspirants, they will receive two opportunities after the Class 12 examination period. The state has not announced a different two-attempt policy specifically for MHT-CET pharmacy candidates. The same broad principle—two attempts and consideration of the better score—is expected to apply. Detailed PCM and PCB dates will be available only after the CET Cell publishes its timetable.

How Did the 2026 MHT-CET Schedule Work?

Students searching for cet exam date 2026 maharashtra may notice that the previous cycle also used two attempts, but the timetable was different.

For the first 2026 attempt, the official State CET Cell schedule placed:

• PCM examinations between April 11 and April 20, 2026
• PCB examinations between April 21 and April 26, 2026

The second attempt was later scheduled for:

• PCB: May 10-11, 2026
• PCM: May 12-21, excluding May 16 and 17

These dates come from official Maharashtra CET Cell notices.

That previous cycle is useful context for anyone searching cet exam date 2026 maharashtra, but students must not reuse those dates for the 2027 examination.

The new cycle will receive a separate timetable.

Why Is There a Four-Week Gap Between Attempts?

The state plans to maintain approximately four weeks between the two examinations. That gap gives candidates enough time to review their performance after the first attempt and make adjustments before trying again. For example, a student who struggled with time management or certain topics in the first examination can use the intervening weeks to focus on those areas. At the same time, four weeks is short enough to keep the overall admission process moving. This is particularly important because entrance-test results must eventually feed into counselling and seat-allocation schedules for engineering, pharmacy and other participating programmes.

Which Score Will Be Considered?

Candidates do not need to perform better in both examinations. Officials have said the best score out of the two attempts will be considered for admission, continuing the approach used in the previous cycle. This is one of the main benefits of the two-attempt model. A candidate who has a poor first session because of illness, examination pressure or an unexpectedly difficult paper receives another opportunity without losing the advantage of a stronger first score if the second attempt goes worse. Students should nevertheless wait for the 2027 information brochure for detailed rules concerning percentile calculation, normalisation and counselling.

Will MHT-CET Return to an Offline Exam?

Separate discussions have taken place about whether the entrance examination should be conducted offline. Times of India reported that some parents and admission counsellors have recommended an offline model in which all candidates appear on the same day for each attempt. Their argument is that a common paper could reduce concerns surrounding multiple shifts and normalisation. However, no confirmed decision to shift the examination offline has been announced. The scheduling change—moving both attempts after boards—is confirmed. A change in examination mode is not. Candidates should therefore avoid assuming that 2027 will necessarily be pen-and-paper based unless the CET Cell formally announces it.

Where Should Students Check the Official Schedule?

Candidates should monitor the Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test Cell website for the provisional and final examination calendars. The CET Cell maintains a dedicated timetable section where official examination notices, schedules, objection windows and related updates are published. Once the 2027 notification is released, students should check:

• PCM and PCB exam dates
• Registration opening and closing dates
• Application fee
• Eligibility requirements
• Examination mode
• Admit-card dates
• Syllabus and marking scheme
• Normalisation rules
• Rules governing both attempts

The official information brochure should take precedence over dates circulating on coaching portals or social media.