Mumbai, Nov. 12 -- In a major reform for higher education, the Maharashtra government has decided to conduct the Common Entrance Test (CET) for engineering, pharmacy, and MBA courses twice a year, starting from the 2026-27 academic year. The move aims to reduce academic stress and give students a chance to improve their scores, similar to the national-level Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). Higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil announced the decision on Tuesday after a review meeting with senior officials, including additional chief secretary B Venugopal Reddy, CET Cell commissioner Dilip Sardesai, director of higher education Shailendra Devlankar, and director of technical education Vinod Mohitkar. Patil said that the CET Cell will now conduct two sessions of the entrance tests for PCM (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics), PCB (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), and MBA courses. The first CET will be held in April 2026, followed by the second in May 2026. A detailed schedule will be announced soon. "Just like JEE gives students two opportunities, Maharashtra students will now have the same benefit. They can appear for one or both exams, and the best score will be considered for admission," Patil said. He added that from 2027 onwards, there will be a six-month gap between the two sessions to ensure better preparation time for students. The initiative will benefit over 600,000 aspirants across the state every year. In another important decision, the government plans to enhance the state's examination infrastructure by developing 20,000 computer-based exam systems across Maharashtra. Currently, only about 7,000 computers are available for online tests, forcing the CET Cell to hire private computer centres. The government will now equip state-run engineering colleges and university campuses with high-speed internet and computer facilities, said an official. "This will help us conduct exams smoothly and efficiently. When not in use for exams, colleges can use the same infrastructure for academic purposes," the official added. To make the process more student-friendly, the government will also establish around 40 district-level CET help centres to assist students with the examination and admission process. These centres will handle grievances locally, reducing the need to travel to the CET Cell office in Mumbai. "Earlier, the district centres were less active. Now, every district will have one fully functional CET help centre," an official said. Additionally, the CET Cell, established in 2015 following a Supreme Court order, will finally get full-time staff. Until now, employees were either on contract or deputed from other departments. The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) has been asked to recruit permanent staff to strengthen the CET Cell's functioning. "The recruitment process will begin soon. The number of posts and structure will be announced shortly. This will ensure faster approvals and smoother management of CET examinations," a senior official said....