Maharashtra MHT-CET 2009 in Early May

The Maharashtra combined common entrance test for engineering and health science degree courses MHT-CET 2009 will be held in the first half of May, reports the Times of India , Pune

“We are yet to finalise the date, but the test will be held either in the first or second week of May,” state director of medical education and research (DMER) W B Tayade told TOI on Tuesday.

The DMER is the competent authority for the MHT-CET, which annually draws more than two lakh engineering, medical and pharmacy degree aspirants from Maharashtra and other states.

Asked about the likelihood of the Lok Sabha polls getting scheduled sometime post-April and its impact on the MHT-CET, Tayade said, “There is no link between the two events.”

“We will not change the exam date, irrespective of the schedule of the Lok Sabha elections,” Tayade said. “We are bound by the Supreme Court order which seeks the entrance test to be held in May.” This puts to rest all speculation about the polls casting a shadow over the entrance exam schedule.

The MHT-CET is widely regarded as the gateway to 174-odd engineering, 58 medical and 118 pharmacy colleges in Maharashtra. Last year, 56,881 engineering seats, 3,785 medical and 3,935 pharmacy seats were up for grabs.

Usually, the months of April and May and the first half of June are the period when a slew of common entrance tests (CETs) get lined up each year.

This year, the CET season begins with the prelims of the All India Pre-Medical Test and Pre-Dental Test (AIPMT/PDT) on April 5; followed by the IIT’s joint entrance exam (JEE) on April 12; the All India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE) on April 26; the Armed Forces Medical College’s (AFMC) entrance exam on May 3; the AIPMT/PDT finals on May 10 and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences’ MBBS entrance on June 1.

The timing of the CETs in the neighbouring states like Gujarat and Karnataka are also taken into account while finalising the date for the MHT-CET. In the last four years, the MHT-CET has been held either in the second or third week of May.

Source : Times of India