PUNE: Maharashtra’s Common Entrance Test (CET) examinations saw a sharp rise in participation this year, with nearly 4 lakh more students appearing compared to last year, reflecting growing competition for professional courses across the state.Maharashtra’s CET exams saw a sharp rise in participation this year, with nearly 4 lakh more students appearing compared to last year. ((PIC FOR REPRESENTATION))According to the State CET Cell, 16.29 lakh students appeared for various CET examinations for admissions to professional courses in the 2026–27 academic year, up from 12.46 lakh last year — an increase of around 3.83 lakh candidates.A total of 18.12 lakh students registered for 20 CET examinations conducted between March 24 and May 20, with 89.89% appearing for the tests. Around 1.83 lakh students remained absent. The computer-based examinations were held at 340 centres across all 36 districts.The MHT-CET PCM group recorded the highest participation, with 8.01 lakh registrations and 7.39 lakh appearances across both attempts. The PCB group saw 4 lakh registrations and 3.59 lakh appearances, while MBA-MMS CET recorded 1.86 lakh registrations and 1.57 lakh appearances.This year, the CET Cell introduced a second-attempt facility for MHT-CET PCM, PCB and MBA-MMS examinations, following directions from Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil. Officials said the move was aimed at aligning Maharashtra’s entrance format with national-level examinations such as JEE (Main).Together, the PCM, PCB and MBA-MMS examinations accounted for more than 76% of registrations and over 77% of appearances, underlining the dominance of engineering, medical and management admissions in the state.Apart from the major CETs, more than 1.10 lakh students appeared for the BEd CET, while over 69,000 took the three-year LLB CET.