MHT CET for Law 2027: Eligibility, Pattern, Dates & Fees

What is MH CET Law?

MH CET Law is the gateway to legal education in Maharashtra. It is a state-level, computer-based entrance test conducted every year by the State Common Entrance Test Cell, Maharashtra, in coordination with the Directorate of Higher Education, Maharashtra, and its score is accepted by government, aided, university and private law colleges across the state. Unlike national exams such as CLAT and AILET, which feed the National Law Universities, it is built specifically for admission to participating colleges within Maharashtra, which makes it the primary route for students who want to study law in the state.

The mh cet law entrance exam admits students into two distinct programmes. The 3-year LLB is for candidates who have already finished a bachelor’s degree, while the 5-year integrated LLB (offered as BA LLB, BBA LLB and similar formats) is for candidates who have just completed Class 12. The degree it leads to is a law qualification recognised by the Bar Council of India, which is what allows graduates to go on and practise. You apply for one of these routes, and the paper you sit differs slightly between them.

Other names you may see for the same test include MAH-LLB, MAH CET Law, law cet maharashtra and MHT CET Law. They all refer to this one exam. The official portal for every step, from registration to seat allotment, is cetcell.mahacet.org.

MH CET Law at a glance

MH CET Law 3-year LLB vs 5-year LLB: which one is for you?

The single most common point of confusion is which programme to apply for. The rule is simple. Your latest qualification decides your route.

Search terms like mh cet llb 3 years, mhcet llb 3 years, mh cet 3 year llb, mah cet llb 3 years, mht cet llb 3 years, llb 3 years, llb 3 years cet and llb cet 3 years, plus the five-year variants mhcet 5 year llb and mah llb 5 years, all map onto this one choice. If you already hold a degree, you want the 3-year LLB. If you are coming straight out of school, you want the 5-year integrated LLB.

MH CET Law eligibility criteria

Meeting the eligibility criteria is what gets your application accepted without trouble later. The criteria are set by qualification and by category, and there is no upper age limit for either programme.

3-year LLB eligibility

You need a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university, with the minimum aggregate shown below.

Final-year degree students can usually apply under the "Appearing" status and submit their result later, as specified in the information brochure for the cycle.

5-year integrated LLB eligibility

Category relaxations apply to candidates holding valid Maharashtra domicile and category certificates. Keep your category certificate details spelt exactly as on the certificate when you fill the form, since a mismatch is the most common cause of rejection at verification.

MH CET Law exam pattern and marking scheme

The paper is a computer-based test of 120 multiple-choice questions carrying 120 marks, one mark for each correct answer, to be completed in 2 hours. There is no negative marking, so leaving a question blank is never better than a considered guess. The paper is offered in English and Marathi, and you choose your preferred language. This 120-question format is a revision from the older 150-question paper used in earlier years.

The 3-year LLB paper has four sections: Legal Aptitude and Legal Reasoning, General Knowledge and Current Affairs, Logical and Analytical Reasoning, and English. The 5-year integrated LLB paper has the same four plus a Basic Mathematics section, making five in total. In the 3-year paper, English and General Knowledge carry substantial weight, so candidates from non-legal backgrounds should not underestimate them. The exact number of questions per section is fixed in the official brochure for each cycle, and it has stayed stable across recent years.

MH CET Law syllabus, section by section

The syllabus rewards steady, section-wise preparation rather than last-minute cramming. Here is what each section tests.

Legal Aptitude and Legal Reasoning

Tests your grasp of legal principles and your ability to apply them to short fact situations. You do not need prior legal knowledge, but you must reason from a stated principle to a correct conclusion. Expect questions on legal maxims, basic constitutional ideas, contracts, torts and current legal affairs.

General Knowledge and Current Affairs

Covers static general knowledge and events of national and international importance, with a strong current-affairs bias over the twelve months before the exam. Reading a daily newspaper and keeping a monthly current-affairs digest is the highest-return habit here.

Logical and Analytical Reasoning

Tests structured thinking through syllogisms, series, blood relations, directions, arrangements and analytical puzzles. Accuracy and speed both matter, and this is the section most improved by timed practice.

English

Assesses comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and usage. Reading passages, sentence correction and word meanings dominate. Consistent reading plus targeted grammar revision covers most of it.

Basic Mathematics (5-year LLB only)

Limited to fundamental, roughly Class 10 level numerical ability and problem solving. It is a small section, but for 5-year candidates it is often the easiest place to secure quick, reliable marks.

MH CET Law important dates

The 2026 cycle is complete and now in its admission stage. The table below records the 2026 dates as a reference, then sets out the expected 2027 schedule based on the State CET Cell’s usual calendar.

MH CET Law 2026 (completed cycle, for reference)

MH CET Law 2027 (expected schedule)

Treat the 2027 dates as a planning guide until the official notification confirms them on cetcell.mahacet.org. The State CET Cell often issues deadline extensions during the application window, so building a small buffer into your own timeline is wise.

MH CET Law application process and fees

The entire process, from registration to fee payment, is completed online at the official portal, cetcell.mahacet.org. Apply only through the official site, never through third-party links, and verify the padlock and https in your browser before entering any details.

1. Open the Law CET registration link for the current cycle on the official portal.

2. Register with your name exactly as on your marksheets, plus mobile number and email, and verify the one-time passwords.

3. Log in and fill the detailed form with personal, contact, category and academic details.

4. Upload your photograph and signature in the specified file sizes and formats, along with category and other documents where required.

5. Pay the application fee online, submit the form, and save a printout of the confirmation page for your records.
   

Application fee

The fee is the same for both the 3-year and 5-year programmes. If you intend to apply for both, you register and pay separately for each.

MH CET Law result, percentile and cut-offs

Results are declared separately for the 3-year and 5-year programmes in the candidate login at cetcell.mahacet.org. Your scorecard shows your normalised CET score along with your name, roll number and registration number. Because the exam runs across multiple shifts, scores are normalised so that candidates who sat different shifts are compared fairly, which is why your percentile can differ from a raw-marks expectation.

There is no fixed qualifying mark. Any candidate with a non-zero score can enter the Centralised Admission Process. What actually decides admission is the cut-off, which is the closing score for your category at a given college, and that varies widely. Sought-after institutions such as Government Law College, Mumbai and ILS Law College, Pune sit at the higher end, so a competitive score matters far more than merely clearing the paper.

CAP counselling and seat allotment

MH CET Law does not admit you the moment your result is out. Admission runs through the Centralised Admission Process, or CAP, conducted online by the State CET Cell. If you have seen how a centralised counselling process runs for other law exams, CAP will feel familiar. In brief, you register for CAP, verify your documents, fill and lock your college preferences in order, and then receive a seat allotment based on your score, category and choices across successive rounds. Filling preferences carefully, and ordering them by genuine priority rather than by reputation alone, is what turns a good score into the seat you actually want.

Top colleges accepting MH CET Law

More than 140 law colleges in Maharashtra admit students through MH CET Law across both programmes. Well-regarded names that consistently draw strong applicants include the following.

• Government Law College, Mumbai, among the oldest law schools in the country.

• ILS Law College, Pune, a long-established and highly rated institution.

• KC Law College, Mumbai, a popular choice in the city.

• University departments and reputed private colleges across Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur and other cities.
  

Note that Maharashtra National Law University conducts its own separate admission process and is not filled through MH CET Law.

How to prepare for MH CET Law

A focused three to six month plan clears this exam comfortably for most candidates. The essentials mirror a structured six-month preparation plan, and stay the same whether you target the 3-year or 5-year route.

1. Master the pattern first. Since there is no negative marking, your strategy is to attempt every question, which changes how you manage time.

2. Build a daily current-affairs habit. General Knowledge is high yield and compounds over months, so start early rather than late.

3. Drill Legal Aptitude with principle-and-fact questions until applying a stated rule becomes automatic.

4. Practise Logical Reasoning and, for 5-year aspirants, Basic Mathematics under a timer to build speed alongside accuracy.

5. Sit full-length mock tests in the exam interface, then review every mock to convert mistakes into marks.

Consistency is what clears this exam. Four focused hours with honest mock review will always beat eight distracted ones, and starting early is the single biggest advantage a candidate can give themselves.

MH CET Law vs CLAT: which law exam should you take?

This is the question most exam pages leave you to answer alone, and it is the one that shapes your career the most. MH CET Law and the national CLAT are not competitors for the same seat. They open different doors, and the smart move is often to prepare for both, because the syllabus overlaps heavily.

Because the core skills of legal aptitude, reasoning, English and general awareness are shared, a candidate preparing seriously for CLAT is already most of the way to a strong MH CET Law score. If a National Law University is your dream but you want a strong Maharashtra option as security, preparing for CLAT and adding MH CET Law is a low-cost, high-safety strategy. Our guide to what the CLAT exam is and our AILET guide go deeper on the national route if that is where you are headed.