MHT CET Negative Marking: None, So How Should You Guess?
MHT CET negative marking does not exist: wrong answers lose nothing, so every blank is a free 25% chance, and each 90-minute block auto-submits, so guess before each block ends.
By Rahul Jeewani, Founder · Updated 3 Oct 2026
Key takeaways
- 01MHT CET has no negative marking in PCM or PCB (clauses 7.1.5 and 7.2.5 of the 2026 brochure), so no question should stay blank.
- 02On average a blind guess is worth 0.25 marks on a Physics or Chemistry question and 0.5 marks on a Maths question. Crossing out options raises that.
- 03Physics and Chemistry auto-submit at 90 minutes, so guess in the last three minutes of each block, not at minute 180.
- 04Log guessed answers separately in every mock, because guessed marks are luck and they hide your weak chapters.
In this article
- 1Does MHT CET have negative marking in PCM and PCB?
- 2Which brochure sets the MHT CET marking scheme?
- 3How many marks is a guess worth in MHT CET?
- 4Why do the two 90-minute blocks decide when you should guess?
- 5What should you do in the last three minutes of each block?
- 6How do you stop guessed marks from hiding your weak chapters?
- 7Do raw marks equal your MHT CET percentile?
- 8How can you practise guessing under real MHT CET timing?
- 9Frequently asked questions
Physics and Chemistry in MHT CET share one locked block of 90 minutes, as clause 7.3 of the 11.04.2026 brochure sets out. Whatever is unanswered when that block closes is gone, and the Maths or Biology block that follows cannot lend it any time.
The penalty rule is short. The timing rule is where marks are won or lost, because it decides where in each block a guess belongs and how many marks a guess is really worth.
Below you get the rule with its clause numbers, the expected value of a guess, and a checklist for the last three minutes of each block. It covers PCM (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics) and PCB (Physics, Chemistry, Biology). MHT CET (Maharashtra Health and Technical Common Entrance Test) is run by the State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell, the Maharashtra government body that conducts the exam as a computer-based test (CBT).
Does MHT CET have negative marking in PCM and PCB?
No. Clause 7.1.5 of the 2026 brochure says "There is no Negative Marking" for PCM, and clause 7.2.5 says the same for PCB. A wrong answer adds nothing and removes nothing. As of 3 October 2026, the latest published rule is the MHT-CET 2026 brochure (updated 11.04.2026). Each year's brochure sets that year's rule, so check the 2027 brochure when it is released.
| Group | Questions | Marks per question | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCM | 150 (50 each in Physics, Chemistry, Maths) | Physics 1, Chemistry 1, Maths 2 | 180 minutes |
| PCB | 200 | 1 for every subject | 180 minutes |
Every question has four options and only one is correct (clauses 7.1.1 and 7.1.2). Totals: PCM is 50 + 50 + (50 × 2) = 200 marks. For the full pattern, see our page on the MHT CET exam pattern.
Which brochure sets the MHT CET marking scheme?
The engineering rule sits in the Information Brochure for MHT-CET (Technical Education Courses), listed on the CET Cell's brochure page. As of 3 October 2026, the latest file is the one updated 11.04.2026. Clauses 7.1.5 (PCM) and 7.2.5 (PCB) say there is no negative marking.
The CET Cell also publishes separate brochures for other entrance tests, such as the MBA/MMS (Master of Management Studies) brochure. Check that the first page says MHT-CET 2026 (Technical Education Courses) before you quote a rule.
If an old answer or thread says wrong answers cost marks, the current brochure decides, and for MHT CET it says they do not.
How many marks is a guess worth in MHT CET?
On a blind guess with four options, the expected gain is 0.25 marks on a 1-mark question and 0.5 marks on a 2-mark Maths question. This is our own model: expected gain = blank questions × marks per question × chance of being right. It assumes each option is equally likely and guesses are independent.
| Blanks you guess | No elimination (1 in 4) | One option crossed out (1 in 3) | Two crossed out (1 in 2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Maths questions | +2.5 marks | +3.3 marks | +5.0 marks |
| 10 Physics or Chemistry questions | +2.5 marks | +3.3 marks | +5.0 marks |
| Both sets together | +5.0 marks | +6.7 marks | +10.0 marks |
The real result swings around these averages. For the combined blind-guess row, one standard deviation (a typical spread either side of the average) is about 2.4 marks, from the square root of (10 × 1² × 0.25 × 0.75) + (5 × 2² × 0.25 × 0.75).
Two things follow. Gaining 10 marks by blind guessing needs 40 marks' worth of blanks, which is 40 one-mark questions or 20 Maths questions. A handful of blanks, which is realistic, is worth 2 to 5 marks. That is worth taking, but it will not rescue a paper. Elimination is worth more than the guess itself, because two crossed-out options double your odds.
Why do the two 90-minute blocks decide when you should guess?
Physics and Chemistry run together for the first 90 minutes and are auto-submitted at the end of that time. Only then does Maths (PCM) or Biology (PCB) open for its own 90 minutes (clause 7.3). Time saved in block 1 cannot be carried into block 2, so "guess in the last minutes of the paper" is wrong for block 1, which has already closed by then.
The blocks also differ in pace. Block 1 has 100 questions in 90 minutes, which is 54 seconds per question on average (90 × 60 ÷ 100). For PCM, block 2 is Maths with 50 questions, which is 108 seconds each. For PCB, block 2 is Biology with 100 one-mark questions in 90 minutes, so 54 seconds each (clause 7.3b).
Maths gives you double the time per question, but one long calculation can eat several minutes. Protect time for each 2-mark Maths question so you never reach the last three minutes with many unattempted.
Our recommendation: reserve the last three minutes of each block for guessing, and spend the rest solving. A guess takes seconds. The real cost is guessing early, when the same minute could have solved a question you were able to get right.
What should you do in the last three minutes of each block?
Run this checklist at the 87-minute mark of each block, when three minutes are left. It is our recommended routine, and every step has a pass or fail test.
Count your blanks.
Open the question palette and count unanswered questions. Pass: counted in under 20 seconds. Fail: you scrolled through questions one by one.Check your budget.
You have 180 seconds, so divide by the count. Pass: 10 seconds or more per blank (18 blanks or fewer). Fail: more than 18 blanks, so use the fixed-letter rule below for the extras.Cross out what you can.
For each blank, strike any option you can prove wrong, then pick from the rest. Pass: you chose from two or three options. Fail: you chose without reading them.Fixed letter for the rest.
Where nothing can be crossed out, tick one letter and move on. A fixed letter is no better than random, but it takes about 3 seconds and stops you dithering.Zero blanks at the bell.
Check the palette once more before time ends. Pass: zero unanswered. Fail: any blank when the block closes.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| You know the answer | Answer it |
| You can narrow it to two options | Answer it (a 50% chance) |
| You know nothing and have more than a minute | Spend about 20 seconds crossing out, then answer |
| You know nothing and have under a minute | Tick your fixed letter |
How do you stop guessed marks from hiding your weak chapters?
Log every mock question as correct, incorrect, unanswered or guessed, so luck stays separate from skill. This is the same routine as our 45-minute PCM error log.
Worked example, using our model above: your Physics and Chemistry block shows 78 marks, and 12 of those answers were blind guesses with nothing crossed out. Expected luck is 12 × 0.25 = 3 marks, so your solid score is about 75. If your score keeps dropping when you stop guessing, the gap is in your chapters, not your exam technique.
Do raw marks equal your MHT CET percentile?
No. Percentile is not the same as the percentage of marks you got (Section 8 of the brochure), and it is calculated from your raw marks within each shift (Section 10). Every mark a guess adds therefore counts towards your raw score, but it does not convert to a fixed percentile across shifts.
If you appear in both attempts, the best of your two total percentile scores is used for admission. For what raw marks can and cannot tell you, see our page on why raw marks cannot guarantee an MHT-CET percentile.
How can you practise guessing under real MHT CET timing?
Practise in two locked 90-minute blocks, because the blocks are what the checklist depends on. The CET Cell publishes a mock link for the computer-based test (clause 7.3c), and our guide to the official MHT-CET mock test shows how to use it. Log every guess as above.
If Physics is where your marks leak, our MHTCET 2027 Long Term Batch (Physics) is taught by Rahul Jewaani (RG Sir). As of 3 October 2026 it costs ₹1,632 on the store page, down from ₹1,999.
Fix your Physics marks with the MHTCET 2027 batch
Frequently asked questions
No. JEE Main (Joint Entrance Examination Main) gives 4 marks for a correct multiple-choice answer and deducts 1 mark for a wrong one, as the JEE Main Information Bulletin from the National Testing Agency (NTA) sets out. MHT CET deducts nothing, so cross out before you guess in JEE Main.
Sources
- 1.MHT-CET 2026 Information Brochure, updated 11.04.2026 (clauses 7 to 7.3, Sections 8 and 10), State Common Entrance Test Cell
- 2.CET Information Brochure page (where the brochures are listed), State Common Entrance Test Cell
- 3.MAH-MBA/MMS-CET 2026 Information Brochure (the separate MBA/MMS brochure), State Common Entrance Test Cell
- 4.JEE Main Information Bulletin (the JEE Main marking scheme), National Testing Agency
- 5.RG Lectures MHT CET 2027 store page (batch price as of 3 October 2026)
