Common Mistakes on the MHT-CET (Maharashtra Health and Technical Common Entrance Test)

Note: MHT-CET is a high-stakes exam with over 750,000 registrants annually . The exam covers Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics (PCM) or Biology (PCB) with 150 questions in 3 hours. The biggest trap? The exam has had faulty questions in multiple years—in 2025 alone, 40 questions were found incorrect (28 in Mathematics, 7 in Physics, 4 in Chemistry, 1 in Biology) . Students who don't know how to handle such errors lose easy marks.

A. The "Preparation Process" Mistakes

• Mistake 1: Starting Without Understanding the Exam Structure

  • Scenario: The student dives into preparation without knowing that MHT-CET has no negative marking , leading to a conservative approach that leaves questions unattempted.

  • Fix:

    • Understand the exam pattern first: 150 questions, 3 hours, no negative marking .

    • With no penalty for wrong answers, you should attempt every single question—guessing is always beneficial.

• Mistake 2: Ignoring the Translation Trap

  • Scenario: In 2025, 21 errors occurred due to translation glitches from Marathi to English . Students who didn't cross-check mediums lost marks.

  • Fix:

    • If you're taking the exam in English, be aware that translation errors can occur. If a question seems nonsensical, check if it might be a translation issue.

    • Raise objections through the official portal—in 2025, 1,414 queries were raised, and 40 questions were eventually invalidated .

• Mistake 3: An Endless Study Schedule

  • Scenario: A common mistake is designing an overly extensive study plan without breaks, leading to burnout .

  • Fix:

    • Study sessions should be short but productive. Incorporate regular breaks and avoid marathon sessions that reduce retention.

    • A 40-10-40 approach (40 minutes study, 10 minutes break, 40 minutes study) works well.

B. The "Subject-Specific" Traps

• Mistake 4: Mathematics Trap – High Error Rate

  • Scenario: In 2025, 28 Mathematics questions were found faulty . Students who spent too long on these questions wasted precious time.

  • Fix:

    • If a Mathematics question seems impossible or has no correct option among the four, flag it and move on. After the exam, raise an objection.

    • With no negative marking, you can still guess, but don't let one faulty question derail your pacing.

• Mistake 5: Physics and Chemistry – Conceptual Over Memorization

  • Scenario: Students memorize formulas without understanding derivations, struggling when questions require application.

  • Fix:

    • Focus on conceptual clarity. Solve problems that twist concepts rather than just plugging numbers into formulas.

    • In 2025, 7 Physics and 4 Chemistry questions were faulty —be prepared for curveballs.

C. The "Exam Day" Traps

• Mistake 6: Not Utilizing the No-Negative-Marking Advantage

  • Scenario: The student skips questions they're unsure about, not realizing that guessing is free .

  • Fix:

    • Attempt every question. With no penalty for wrong answers, even random guesses give you a 25% chance of scoring .

    • Prioritize attempting all questions over agonizing over correctness.

• Mistake 7: Poor Time Management Across Sessions

  • Scenario: The exam has two halves: first half (Physics+Chemistry), second half (Mathematics). Students spend too long on the first half and rush through Math .

  • Fix:

    • Allocate roughly equal time per section. With 150 questions in 180 minutes, you have about 72 seconds per question.

    • Use the first 5 minutes to scan the paper and identify easy questions.