Maharashtra Considers Class 12 Marks Weightage in Engineering Admissions

MUMBAI — The Maharashtra government is considering giving weightage to Class 12 board marks in engineering and pharmacy admissions following concerns and allegations over discrepancies between students' board exam results and their entrance test scores.

In a letter sent to the higher and technical education department, the state Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell urged the government to set up an expert panel to review the current eligibility criteria used for admissions based on MHT-CET scores. An official from the cell noted that the existing system creates suspicion among students and parents, even though the cell maintained there are no anomalies in the results.

The CET Cell also pointed out that because Class 12 board examination marks currently carry no weightage in the admission process, students tend to focus almost entirely on entrance exam preparation while neglecting their regular board studies. To address this, the cell asked the department to formulate a revised policy early so that prospective students are informed well ahead of time.

The issue resurfaced after questions were raised regarding candidates who secured exceptionally high MHT-CET percentiles despite scoring modest marks in their board examinations. Specifically, 202 students who scored between the 98th and 100th percentile in the entrance test had secured only 40 to 50 percent marks in physics, chemistry, and mathematics in their Class 12 exams. While the CET Cell dismissed allegations of irregularities, explaining that variations across different examinations and score bands are common, it recommended revising the merit criteria.

A department official said a committee will be constituted in the coming days and given a 15-day deadline to submit its recommendations. The government aims to formulate the policy in time for the 2027-28 academic session, giving students adequate notice to align their studies. Some state university vice-chancellors have already been briefed regarding the proposed policy change.

Unlike national entrance exams such as NEET-UG, which mandates at least 50 percent aggregate marks in physics, chemistry, and biology, or IITs and NITs, which require a minimum of 75 percent or a top-20 percentile board rank, Maharashtra currently has no similar qualifying threshold. In 2022, then education minister Uday Samant announced a proposed 50-50 weightage split between Class 12 marks and CET scores, but no final decision was taken following a subsequent change in the state government.