State Engineering CETs
Each large state runs its own Common Entrance Test (CET) for B.E./B.Tech admission to government and private colleges in that state — Maharashtra (MHT-CET), West Bengal (WBJEE), Karnataka (KCET), Andhra Pradesh (AP EAPCET) and Telangana (TG EAPCET). Together they fill several lakh engineering seats, mostly with a domicile quota plus some all-India seats.
Eligibility
Broadly: pass in Class 12 with Physics and Mathematics plus Chemistry/Biology/a technical subject, with 45–50% aggregate (relaxed for reserved categories); exact criteria vary by state. State domicile matters for the large home-state quota and fee concessions, but most of these exams also admit non-domicile candidates against a smaller share of seats. Age limits are liberal — typically none, or a minimum of ~16–17 years.
Age limit: Generally none or a minimum of ~16–17 years; check the individual state brochure.
Exam pattern
Patterns differ by state. MHT-CET (Computer-Based Test, CBT): Maths paper of 50 questions at 2 marks each plus a Physics+Chemistry paper of 100 questions at 1 mark each, 90 minutes per paper, no negative marking. WBJEE (pen-and-paper OMR): Maths (75 questions) and Physics+Chemistry (40+40) with three category types carrying negative and partial marking. KCET (OMR): 60 questions per subject, 80 minutes each, no negative marking. AP/TG EAPCET (CBT): 160 questions (Maths 80, Physics 40, Chemistry 40) in 3 hours, no negative marking.
Syllabus at a glance
Each exam follows its own state-board Class 11–12 syllabus (largely NCERT-aligned since the syllabus convergence), covering the standard PCM topic set at board-exam depth. MHT-CET weights Class 12 at roughly 80%; KCET and EAPCET stay close to their state textbooks; WBJEE leans slightly tougher, particularly in mathematics.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 registrations open (varies by state) | Dec 2026 – Feb 2027 | expected |
| KCET 2027 exam | Apr 2027 (2026 edition was 23–24 Apr, with the Kannada test on 22 Apr) | expected |
| MHT-CET 2027 exam windows (PCM group) | Apr–May 2027 (2026 attempts ran 11–20 Apr and 12–21 May) | expected |
| WBJEE 2027 exam (single day, OMR) | Apr–May 2027 (2026 edition was 24 May) | expected |
| AP EAPCET & TG EAPCET 2027 exams | May 2027 (2026 AP engineering window was 12–18 May) | expected |
| State counselling rounds | Jun–Aug 2027 | expected |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- Respective state board Class 11 & 12 textbooks (e.g. Maharashtra Board for MHT-CET, Telugu Akademi for EAPCET)
- NCERT Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (Class 11 & 12)
- MHT-CET Triumph series (PCM) — Target Publications
- WBJEE Chapterwise Explorer — MTG / Arihant WBJEE guide
- KCET solved papers (17+ years) — MTG
- EAPCET (EAMCET) chapterwise solved papers — Arihant / Deepthi
How toppers play it
- Prepare from your state board's own textbooks first — CET questions are often lifted almost directly from them (MHT-CET weights Class 12 at ~80%), with NCERT as the supplement.
- Know your exam's marking scheme: MHT-CET, KCET and EAPCET have no negative marking (attempt everything), while WBJEE penalises errors and gives partial credit in Category 3 — guessing strategy must differ.
- These are speed papers, not depth papers: drill full-length previous papers against the clock (e.g. KCET gives 60 questions in 80 minutes; EAPCET 160 in 180).
- If you are already preparing for JEE Main, the content is a superset — spend your CET-specific time only on state-board-exclusive topics and on untimed-to-timed mock conversion.
- Get domicile, income and category certificates ready well before counselling — document verification, not the exam, is where state-quota seats are most often lost.