City students bag 100 percentile in MH-CET results

UNDAUNTED BY COVID-19 DELAYS

Toppers also thanked lockdown for giving extra study time; experts say pandemic will not affect admissions

As the Maharashtra Common Examination Test (CET) cell this weekend announced results for both its medical and engineering examinations, a few students from Pune rejoiced after scoring in the 100 percentile category.

The examinations had been delayed due to the COVID-19 lockdown, and their muchawaited results were announced by the cell late on Saturday night.

Experts in the education sector also informed that since students who appeared for the exam were less in number this time round due to pandemic tumult, it has impacted the overall percentile system as compared to last year. But they also said that while the percentile would seem to be less, it would not hamper admission prospects, and all students would get an equal chance at the same.

The test was conducted in the entire state and held at 187 centres at the taluka level.

A total of 1,74,679 students appeared for the physics-chemistry-mathematics (PCM) combination (considered for engineering admissions), while 2,11,925 appeared for the physics-chemistry-biology (PCB) combine (for medical admissions).

A total of 22 PCM scholars got 100 percentile, while the same number is 19 for PCB students.

Young Anish Jagdale is the only student from Pune who scored 100 percentile in PCB and PCM both; Sanika Gumaste and Saurabh Jog also scored 100 percentile from Pune. The young pupils all thanked the lockdown for giving them extra time to prepare.


Sanika Gumaste, a student from the P Jog Junior College, shared, “I was able to achieve my best score in the entrance examination as I got extra time to study. While my syllabus was already completed, the lockdown helped me to revise more.”

The topper, who already has admission at IIT-Kanpur for a Bachelors in Engineering (BE), added, “I planned my day well and ensured that I got time for self-study while college was on. During the lockdown, I divided my day into three parts and gave equal time for physics, chemistry and mathematics. Chemistry is such a subject that if we do not revise or practise it, we tend to lose touch. I worked on it till the very last day before the exam. I practised and studied hard, but also liked to listen to music and take regular breaks.”

Similarly, Marathwada Mitra Mandal’s College of Commerce (MMCC) student Anish Jagdale said, “I thank the lockdown as it gave me some extra time to study. For many, it was a problem, but for some students, we must look at the positive side.” Having bagged an MBBS course admission at BJ Medical College, he added, “I studied hard throughout the year and attempted many exams, like NEET and CET. I planned my day and study schedule well. I am looking forward to my career in medicine. While I spent most of my classes XI and XII studying, I did cook and watch movies to take breaks. I ensured that I helped my mom in cooking during the lockdown, which also helped me de-stress.”

Commenting on the results this year, Durgesh Mangeshkar, an expert in competitive examinations and director at IIT Prashikshan Kendra, shared, “This time, the number of students appearing for CET reduced to almost one lakh as compared to last year. The number of absent students was also more than last year. As students are already divided into slots and percentile is calculated accordingly, this brought down the percentile compared to last time. But it will not affect students’ admissions. While filling forms and giving preferences during admissions, students usually follow the last year’s cut-off, which will be higher for them. But that does not mean the same results will be applicable this year. Students need to add more 2-4 percentile in this year’s results and then submit college preferences.””