Maharashtra may put Class 12 marks back into engineering admissions, a five-member panel reports in 15 days

Maharashtra is reopening a question most states have already argued over once: should the Class 12 board result count towards an engineering seat, or should the entrance test decide it alone?

What has been set up

A five-member committee, on a proposal from the State CET Cell:

• Vice-Chancellor, University of Mumbai: chairperson
• Vice-Chancellor, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Lonere
• Vice-Chancellor, COEP Technological University, Pune
• Director, Directorate of Higher Education, Pune
• Director, Directorate of Technical Education, Mumbai: member secretary

What it has to answer

Two things, within 15 days. First, the exact ratio in which Class 12 performance and the MHT-CET percentile should be combined to build the merit list for B.Tech and B.Pharm admissions. Second, and this is the part students should watch, when the change should take effect, with enough notice that a candidate can prepare for both examinations rather than being told after the fact that their boards now count.

Why it matters beyond Maharashtra

Board-marks weightage changes behaviour, not just arithmetic. A CET-only merit list tells a student that Class 12 is a qualifying hurdle; a weighted list tells them it is half the race. States that have moved this lever have seen coaching patterns, subject choices and even board selection shift within a year. Gujarat already runs a blended model in its own engineering admissions, where GUJCET sits alongside the Class 12 science result. Students comparing states will now be comparing two versions of the same idea.

Nothing is decided yet: this is a committee with a deadline, not a notification. But if you are in Class 11 in Maharashtra now, the answer lands in time to matter to you.

CareerBox News Desk, reporting on the Government of Maharashtra’s committee on Class 12 weightage in B.Tech and B.Pharm admissions, constituted on a proposal from the State CET Cell. Official portal: cetcell.mahacet.org. Dates and eligibility change; confirm them on the official portal before you act.