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MBA CET Cut Off Category Wise 2026 — How MAH-CET Closings Work

MAH-CET category-wise cutoffs are the percentiles at which each institute closed admission for each reservation category, in each CAP round, in a given year. They are an outcome of the counselling process, not a threshold announced in advance — and that distinction is the source of nearly every mistake candidates make with this data. Because they are outcomes, they move. A category-wise closing reflects how many candidates in that category applied, what percentiles they scored, how many seats existed in that category at that institute, and how many allotted candidates actually reported. Change any of those and the number changes. A figure from an earlier year is a useful indication of the band an institute sits in; it is not a mark you can aim at and expect to clear. Reading them correctly requires three labels on every number: the category, the CAP round, and the year. Open-category closings sit above reserved-category closings, and the gap varies by institute and by year. Round 1 closes tighter than later rounds because the strongest candidates are allotted first. And a loose Round 3 figure often sits behind a seat that will not exist in your category next cycle. Compare Round 1 to Round 1, in the same category, across three years — that gives you a band worth planning against.

⚡ Quick Answer

MAH-CET category-wise cutoffs are the closing percentiles from CAP allotment, published per institute, per category and per round. They are outcomes rather than announced thresholds and move every year — always read a figure with its category, round and year, and compare the same round across years.

Why Category Closings Differ

  • •Seats are reserved category-wise, so each category has its own pool and its own last-allotted candidate.
  • •The number of applicants and the percentile spread within each category differ, which sets where that pool closes.
  • •Open-category closings sit above reserved-category closings, but the size of the gap varies by institute and year.
  • •Candidates eligible for a reserved category still compete in the open pool if their percentile clears it, which affects both closings.
  • •Category claims require valid documentation verified at admission — an unverified claim collapses the allotment.

What Moves Cutoffs Between Years

FactorEffect on the closing percentile
More MAH-CET applicantsPushes closings up
An easier paper compressing top percentilesPushes closings up
Seat matrix expansion at an institutePulls closings down
Allotted candidates not reportingPulls later rounds down
A strong placement year at the institutePushes closings up
New institutes entering CAPDistributes demand, pulling closings down slightly

Using the Data to Build a Preference List

  1. 1.Pull three years of Round 1 closings for your category at each institute you are considering.
  2. 2.Take the tighter end of that band as your working assumption, not the average and never the loosest year.
  3. 3.Sort institutes into reach, realistic and safe tiers against your own percentile.
  4. 4.Fill the CAP option list completely and in honest preference order — an incomplete list forfeits allotments you would have accepted.
  5. 5.Keep the safe tier genuinely safe; the cost of an unfilled list is a lost year, and the cost of a longer list is nothing.

CAP Versus Direct Admission

MAH-CET closings govern seats filled through Maharashtra CAP counselling. Many Pune management institutes also fill seats directly, accepting CAT, CMAT, MAT or XAT scores through their own processes, where a CAP cutoff does not apply at all. If you are targeting an institute that fills both ways, treat them as two separate applications on two separate timelines.

Where to Confirm

  • •The Maharashtra CET Cell CAP portal, which publishes round-wise and category-wise closings for every participating institute.
  • •The DTE Maharashtra information brochure for the reservation rules and the documentation each category claim requires.
  • •Individual institute admission pages for the seats they fill directly, outside CAP.

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MAH-CET

Maharashtra MBA Entrance

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Round-wise

Closings Move Each CAP Round

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3 Labels

Category, Round, Year

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CET Cell

Official Source for Cutoffs

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