Biology For MHTCET

Source: The Times of India, Mumbai edition, Thu July 31, 08, page 4

The Directorate of Medical Education and Research, DMER is on its way to give Mumbai a new state-run medical college. As of now, Grant Medical College is the last such medical college which was started in 1845, more than 150 years ago. Other reputed medical colleges which admit students strictly on basis of merit(in MHT-CET) such as Seth G. S. M.C. (K. E. M. , Parel), T. N. M. C (Nair, Byculla) and L. T. M. C. (Sion) are run by the municipal corporation.

Dr. W. B. Tayade, the director of DMER and his team is trying hard and are hopeful that the first-year classes will commence the next year.

Update: The below list for is for MHT-CET 2008. If you are looking for the 1st round cutoffs for MHT-CET 2009, please click here to download the PDF file.

The results of 1st selection round were published by DMER on July 17 08. I have analyzed the results and created a simple table giving the following information:

1. Total no of students selected for the MBBS and BDS course through MHT-CET 2008 selection round 1
2. No. of students selected from open category for MBBS and BDS through MHT-CET 2008 selection round 1
3. Last SML from open categories admitted to MBBS and BDS courses through MHT-CET 2008 selection round 1.

Click here to download the file. (PDF format)

Please note that the first round is NOT the final round. The statistics may change after subsequent rounds. All changes shall be updated. There may be some delay because the file format in which DMER publishes its results is not optimized for computerized analysis.

Syllabus for MHT-CET

The syllabus for MHT-CET is same as that for H.S.C. exam of the Maharashtra State Board(Source: CET brochures published every year by DMER). No question that is beyond the scope of the syllabus is asked in MHT-CET exam. H.S.C. exam refers only to Std.XII (^12th) and not both std. XI and std XII.

Its is a common misconception that MCQs from CBSE/NCERT syllabus are also asked in MHT-CET. However, this is not true.

Text-books for MHT-CET

Textbooks, in accordance with the syllabus prescribed by the Board are published by private publications. Only few of the titles have been sanctioned by the Board. For any question appearing in the MHT-CET exam, the answer, as given in these sanctioned textbooks is considered as the final answer. Sanctioned textbooks and other textbooks which have not been sanctioned by the Board may give different information, which may occasionally contradict each other. Under such circumstances, the answer as given in the sanctioned textbooks is considered as the correct one(even if its actually wrong). If two or more textbooks, which are sanctioned by the Board, contain inconsistent information about a particular specific topic, the Board either releases a corrigendum(correction). If there is no such corrigendum, the question is usually not asked in MHT-CET exam. If such question is asked in MHT-CET, the Competent Authority(of DMER) omits the question from the evaluation and all students are offered either 1 mark or no mark for that question, irrespective of the answer they marked in the exam.

Sanctioned textbooks

Sanctioned textbooks can be differentiated from non-sanctioned textbooks by looking at their 1^st page, under the front-cover of the book. A sanctioned textbooks has lines similar to below ones describing the textbook’s sanction:

This textbook has been sanctioned by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Pune-411 010.

Sanction no: R.M./P.P.E./209/HSC/XII-2007/B-8/Date: 8-1-2007

The above sanction no. used as an example has been taken from ‘A textbook of Biology’ by Nirmitee Publications.

For the subject of Biology, 9 textbooks have been sanctioned. A list of all those textbooks along with other information such as publisher, author and price has been compiled and available for immediate download in the downloads section(see under miscellaneous sub-heading). There are several inconsistencies in the early editions and re-prints of the sanctioned textbooks. The Board has published a corrigendum(Jan 2008) for the same and it is available for immediate download in the downloads section.

Reference and MCQ practice books

Every professor has a different opinion about various books available. My personal recommendations(for Biology) are Himalaya Publications’s MCQ practice book for high-quality MCQs and Target Biology for exhaustive and syllabus-relevant synopsis.

[I no longer recommend Target Biology for MCQ practice. One MCQ which was asked in MHT-CET 2010 Biology paper had its answer wrongly  given in Target Biology book. Therefore, if at all you should use this book, please confirm the answer from your teachers and/or textbooks.]

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DMER has published the 1^st round of seat allocation of candidates to health science courses through MHT-CET 2008.

Click here to download (PDF format)

A companion notification regarding admission to Ayurveda and Unani institutes has also been published. Click here to download(PDF format).

The wait is finally over!

MHT-CET 2008 results are out! I hope you have been successful in this endeavour and also wish you best luck for all your future endeavours in the career of your choice.

Few words for the 2009 batch

Dear students, I would like to bring it to your notice that MHT-CET 2008 was ‘difficult’ compared to previous years’ CETs. While physics was already difficult for many, many students have reported that they have scored ‘less than expected’ marks in biology. The root cause for most of such problems are some common mistaked. Make sure that these common mistaked won’t affect you or your ambition by following few simple practices. For physics, numerical practice is a must. Your physics professor can guide you better. Please speak to him/her. Practice chemisty on similar lines.

For biology, I personally recommend that you read all the 9 sanctioned textbooks. Please don’t scare yourself because ‘they are 9!’. Reading from 9 textbooks won’t be a difficult task if follow a simple practice given below:

1. For theory purpose, learn a chapter from the study material given to you at your coaching classes or tuitions or any other material that you prefer.
2. Read the same chapter from 9 textbooks one-by-one. Underline every unique point you come across and is not present in the study material that you used in step 1.

While reading from sanctioned textbooks, please remember that many textbooks have gone overboard the syllabus prescribed by the ‘Board’ and included stuff which you are not supposed to study. This has already created long-standing confusion between teachers and students alike. To overcome it, a Circular has been issued in the month of Jan 2008 which explains which part the textbooks have either wrongly included or missed out. We have compiled those changes for the subject of biology and they can be downloaded here. When in doubt about whether what you are studying is a part of the syllabus or not, always ask your teachers.

Not all study material that you come across is worth studying. So don’t fall making a ‘collection’ of study material, but dedicate yourself to only a few selected study material. Its a well-known marketing trick adopted by some publishers to go overboard with syllabus and include stuff that is actually not a part of your syllabus. That ‘out of syllabus’ stuff will never be asked in your exams. So better avoid such stuff and such books to if possible. Remember, all CET questions are asked only from sanctioned textbooks and no other book.

I and few students of 2008 batch have together some reference materials at out forum. You can visit them using the below links.

1. Reference material for physics and chemistry
2. Reference material for biology
3. XII v/s CET, managing them

MCQs 4 U!

Progesterone – The pregnancy hormone

Progesterone is the pregnancy hormone. It has a great role in the survival of a pregnancy. Without it, pregnancy would just be impossible. Following are few of the reasons why its is dubbed as ‘The pregnancy hormone‘,

1. It prepares the uterus for implanation of the embryo.
2. It is believed to suppress the rejection of the embryo by the mother.
3. It decreases contractility of myometrial muscles and prevents expulsion of embryo and fetus.

Key to MCQs: 1) Alcoholic fermetation 2) Hallucinations 3) cretinism

More memory based questions from MHT-CET 2008(bio) here. (Contributed by Nawaf, me_101 and noor786)

Also visit MHT-CET-online.com : A companion site for online MCQ solving

Welcome MHT-CET 2009 batch!

The MHT-CET 2008 is finally over! Henceforth, the newsletters will primarily focus on students aspiring for MHT-CET 2009.

Dear Students of the new batch,

I would to introduce you to BiologyForMhtcet. BiologyForMhtcet.com helps students aspiring admission to medical colleges in Maharashtra through MHT-CET. Resources such as articles, podcasts(mp3 files), monthly newsletters and a discussion forum are available for the students. Since its inception on October 11, 2008, till date, we have served a total of 14,000 pages to about 6500 unique visitors. It is my most important goal to serve you with the same service as that to the 2008 batch.

Dear Students of the old batch,

It has been a great pleasure to help you. The help few students lent is also appreciative. In this aspect, I would to particularly appreciate 3 members of our forum.

1. Nawaf
2. Aniket
3. me_101

I wish you all and other students Best Luck for all your future endeavors.

MHT-CET 2008 MCQs

There are few of the MCQs that were asked at MHT-CET 2008.

Pregnancy hormone is
a) progesterone b) Estrogen c) FSH d) LH

Method of artificial vegetative propagation used for plants which do not root easily is

a) Cutting b) Budding c) Grafting d) Both ‘A’ and ‘C’

Platelets are derived from
a) Megakaryocytes b) Hemoblasts c) Myoblasts d)Anisocytes

(Answer key at bottom of this page)

Tips that proved most useful for 2008 batch students

1. For biology, reading 9 sanctioned textbooks is a must.
2. Practicing numerical problems for physics is a must. Theory questions are in general not so often ask. I remember one students exclaiming “OMG! The physics paper was full of numerical problems”. The recommended book for numerical practice is one by P.S. Bangui.
3. Numerical problems and reactions in chemistry are most reward-giving rather than dry theory.

Key to MCQs: 1) Progesterone 2) Grafting 3) Megakaryocytes

More memory based questions from MHT-CET 2008(bio) here. (Contributed by Nawaf, me_101 and noor786)

Links: Reference material for

1. Physics and Chemistry (by me_101)
2. Biology (by Rohan Shenoy)

Companion site for Online MCQ solving: MHT-CET-online.com

Only a week left!

Dear students, the most awaited exam is just a week far. I wish you best luck for the exam.

Have you taken the survey?

Dear students, I am conducting an online survey for students appearing for MHT-CET. If you have not taken the survey yet, you can take it right now. The survey is completely anonymous and no person information is collected in the survey. Please click here to take the survey.

MCQs 4 U!

A diuretic principle is found in
a) Adathoda zeylanica and Aparagus racemosus

b) Aloe vera

c) Arjun

d) Chaulmoogra

Pollination by snails is termed as
a) Anaemophily b) Malacophily
c) Oophily d) Hydrophily

Which of these is a steroid hormone?
a) TSH b) Oxytocin c) Estrogen d) Gonadotropin

(Answer key at bottom of this page) More MCQs at MHT-CET-online.com

How HIV spreads inside the body

HIV infects cells with CD₄ receptors. Eg: Helper T cells, macrophages, neutrophils and neuroglial cells. An infected helper T cells is the site of multiplication of viral proteins. When the infected helper T cell dies, it releases all the viral proteins which inturn behave as independent virus particles and further infect other helper T cells. Thus HIV spreads inside the body

Answer key of MCQs: 1) a: Adathoda zeylanica and Aparagus racemosus 2) b: Malacophily 3) c: Estrogen

Attention: The list of sanctioned text-books for Biology has been updated with an addition.

Make the best use of the time!

Dear students, we hope your Board exams were great and its time to face another highly competitive exam-MHT-CET! With just 38 days left, there are some important tips for you to follow so that you utilize your time efficiently.

1. Use only a couple of books for MCQ practice: There are many MCQ practice books in the stores that boast of thousands of MCQs. But my opinion would be to practice from only a couple of them and read the sanctioned textbooks. Though you may be tempted to buy all the practice books, its not worth the money, effort and time as almost all of them contain the same MCQs. You may restrict yourself to Himalaya’s(preferred) and Target Biology.
2. Read sanctioned textbooks: Reading 9 sanctioned textbooks for Biology could be a time-consuming task if you do it wrongly. Lets look at some common speed-breakers:
   • A common mistake is reading textbooks one by one. Instead, read a chapter from all 9 books at once. That saves a lot of time and improves your memory too.
   • Use a pen or pencil to underline unique information found in one but not in other textbooks. Avoid use of fluorescent markers as it is time-consuming. Moreover, the fading of the ink is another risk.
   • If it is not possible for you alone to read all the 9 textbooks yourself, make a reading group and share the textbooks among it. Allot everyone the textbook to be read and marked by them. Decide a chapter for reading and once finished the chapter, exchange the textbooks.
3. Join a test series or buy a model papers book: Join a test-series that is near to your residence. Postal or courier test series is also preferable. Before you enroll for a test-series, get an opinion about its MCQs quality and solutions offered for the MCQs. This is very important because some rip-off model test papers from commonly available practice books and offer it as ‘their’ test series. On the other hand, some go overboard and purposely include MCQs that are beyond the scope of MHT-CET syllabus to overwhelm unsuspecting students. Be careful you don’t fall into such traps. If you still can’t find one, buy a book containing model question papers, I would recommend Navneet Publications books for this. They really offer few great MCQs.
4. Don’t rely too much of ‘Memory based‘ previous years papers: After going through memory based question papers and confirming with the students, it has come to my attention that some publishers have wrongly included questions that were never asked at the MHT-CET, and many times these question happen to be beyond our syllabus. So if you doubt if a question is within our syllabus, better confirm it with your teachers rather than wasting time reading CBSE and ICSE Board books.
5. Buy 2^nd books: This definitely comes with an ‘Conditions apply‘ that the books are in good condition and were in possession of a studious student who has marked important points. This is may reduce some work load, but on a serious note, it worth neither the risk it contains nor the benefit it offers! So better do your stuff yourself!

MCQs 4 U!

The term ‘osmoregulation‘ was coined by
a) Hober b) Hermans c) Metchnikoff d) Waldeyer

Catalytic, exergonic breakdown of food CANNOT occur in
a) Cytosol b) Mitochondria
c) Extracellular space d) None of these

The hormone believed to play an important role in flowering is
a) Florigen b) Nitragin c) Angiogin d) Gonadogen

(Answer key at bottom of this page) More MCQs at MHT-CET-online.com

Concept of chemotherapy in cancer

Cancer is a dreadful disease which can be cured if detected in early stage. Once detected, chemotherapy is usually instituted. The cytotoxic chemicals can reach places where the surgeon’s scalpel can’t. It can kill 2^o neoplasms which may be small enough and at sites where the surgeon can’t reach. Along with 2^o neoplasms, the primary tumor too is affected and usually reduces in size. Reduction in size of the primary tumour increases the chances of a successful surgery. Once the tumor is removed from the body, the remaining cancerous cells and those cells which show cancerous tendencies are destroyed by radiation.

Answer key of MCQs: 1) a: Hober 2) d: None of these 3) a: Florigen

Attention: The list of sanctioned text-books for Biology has been updated with an addition.

Wish you best luck!

We wish you Best Luck for your H.S.C. Board exams.

Test-series prices may go up

First things first. Its a thanks giving time for me that many students have chosen our services.

After starting with mere 138 unique visitors in October 07, we now serve about 1000 unique visitors every month. This speaks about how you have helped us become more popular among students and our credibility. We also launched MHT-CET-online.com and created an IT system that allows us to conduct the online test series.

We tried our best to keep the overhead expenses at a minimum so that test series fees are not affected. But after much trying and consulting other knowledgeable people, it was realized that it would not be entirely possible to avoid a price increase. Assured that prices won’t increase before March 19 2008, the prices may increase by 10-12 % or more from March 20 as we will be upgrading the whole system. As promised, students who have already confirmed their enrollment won’t be affected by this price increase. For those who have placed ‘PriceLock’ valid till March 5 2008, are requested to confirm their enrollments, failing which it will lapse.

Refreshing Multiple choice questions (MCQs)

Yes I know you were waiting for this inspite of being in middle of exams. I thank you for such gratitude. Here we go!

The frequency of micturition in an anuric person is (per 24 hrs)
a) 2-3 b) 1-2 c) 10-25 d) Nil

___ water molecules must be photolysed to synthesize 1 glucose by Calvin-Beson cycle
a) 6 b) 12 c) 18 d) 1

Hormone that inhibits pregnancy during lactation is
a) Relaxin b) Estrogen c) Prolactin d) HCG

(Answer key at bottom of this page)

Avoid Aloe vera in pregnancy: WHY ?

The leaf extract of Aloe Vera(Korphad) contains an abortifacient principle. An abortifacient is one which can induce abortion and threaten pregnancy. Latest research also indicates that vasicine( from Vasaka or Adathoda zeylanica) also contain an abortifacient principle.

On the other hand, extract of Shatavari (Asaparagus racemosus) have found to act as anti-abortifacient. It also aids milk production in lactating lady and helps improve menstrual problems. For these reasons, it is commonly referred to as “Friend of women”.

Answer key of MCQs: 1) d: nil 2) b: 12 3) c: Prolactin

More MCQs at MHT-CET-online.com