MHT-CET Chemistry Guide
How MHT-CET Chemistry actually works
A 2,074-question analysis of every Chemistry paper from 2021 to 2025 — 42 papers in all. 50 questions that share 90 minutes with Physics, and no negative marking, so the whole game is order and time rather than selection. We mapped the 23 chapter playbooks, the formulas, the year-on-year drift and the distractor traps.
- Past-year questions
- 2,074
- Papers (2021–2025)
- 42
- Chapters
- 30
- Playbooks
- 23
- of the bank is HARD
- 3.2%
The paper you are actually sitting
Chemistry is the second half of MHT-CET Paper II: questions 51 to 100, after Physics as questions 1 to 50. The two share one clock, so the Chemistry time is a split you choose, not a limit you are given.
- Chemistry questions
- 50
- Marks
- 50
- Paper II clock
- 90 min
- Suggested Chemistry share
- 35 min
of 100 on Paper II
1 mark a question
shared with Physics
a starting budget, not a rule
Read this before anything else
MHT-CET Chemistry has NO negative marking
A wrong answer costs you nothing beyond the time you spent on it. That single fact inverts the advice most candidates carry in from other entrance exams: there is no attempt-versus-skip decision to make, because a blank and a wrong answer score exactly the same. Every one of the 50 questions gets an answer.
So the binding constraint is not accuracy, it is the clock. 90 minutes across 100 questions is 0.9 minutes a question on average — but Chemistry is 3.2% HARD and Physics about 18%. A starting split of 35 minutes for Chemistry and 55 for Physics leaves Physics about a minute a question. Test it in two timed mocks and move it by your own numbers. Within Chemistry the decision is ORDER: the questions you can answer on sight first, the calculations after.
The difficulty split behind that: 1,084 EASY (52.3%), 923 MODERATE (44.5%) and 67 HARD (3.2%) across the 2,074 questions. Chemistry is the cheaper half of Paper II; the minutes it does not need are Physics’ minutes.
About 25 questions a paper are answered on sight
Chemistry is flat — 3.2% HARD — so difficulty is not what separates its chapters. How a question is answered is. The 15 Recall and Reactions chapters run to 24.8 of the 50 questions, each answered by recognising a name, a structure or a reagent. Take them on the first sweep.
- Biomolecules2.17/paper · 2% HARD
- Coordination Compounds2.12/paper · 2% HARD
- Introduction to Polymer Chemistry2.04/paper · 1% HARD
- Transition and Inner Transition Elements1.75/paper · 4% HARD
- Chemical Bonding1.29/paper · 3% HARD
- Elements of Group 16, 17 and 181.29/paper · 2% HARD
- Redox Reactions1.08/paper · 2% HARD
- Surface Chemistry0.92/paper · 0% HARD
- Elements of Group 1 and 20.92/paper · 0% HARD
- Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers3.04/paper · 5% HARD
- Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids2.54/paper · 3% HARD
- Amines1.96/paper · 4% HARD
- Halogen Derivatives of Alkanes1.83/paper · 3% HARD
- Aromatic Compounds0.96/paper · 3% HARD
- Alkanes0.92/paper · 0% HARD
8 Calculate chapters are the other 21
The physical-chemistry chapters — 20.8 questions a paper, most of them with a number for an answer. They are no harder than the rest; they take arithmetic, so they come second.
- Solutions and Colligative Properties3.17/paper · 3% HARD
- Solid State3.04/paper · 5% HARD
- Chemical Kinetics3.00/paper · 2% HARD
- Ionic Equilibria2.96/paper · 2% HARD
- Chemical Thermodynamics2.96/paper · 3% HARD
- Electrochemistry2.88/paper · 9% HARD
- Structure of Atom1.42/paper · 1% HARD
- Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry1.33/paper · 2% HARD
Weightage here is the RECENT rate (2024–2025 papers), not a lifetime average — 2025 halved one chapter and raised three. See Trends.
How the 2,074 questions break down
All 30 chapters tested across the 42 papers in the bank, sorted by questions per paper on recent papers — not by lifetime count, because that is the number worth planning against. Two chapters carry a note: Structure of Atom halved in 2025, and Green Chemistry rose to a question a paper.
| Chapter | Q / paper | Questions | Share | % HARD | Focus subtopics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solutions and Colligative Properties | 3.17 | 131 | 6.3% | 3% | Elevation of Boiling Point (28 · 7% HARD), Types of Solutions, Solubility and Henry's Law (27 · 4%), Vapour Pressure and Raoult's Law (23 · 4%), Osmotic Pressure (22 · 0%), Depression of Freezing Point (16 · 0%), Van't Hoff Factor and Abnormal Molar Mass (15 · 0%). The heaviest Chemistry chapter on recent papers, and four of its six pages are the same move: a colligative property is proportional to the number of dissolved particles. |
| Solid State | 3.04 | 130 | 6.3% | 5% | Density and Crystal Structure Calculations (42 · 7% HARD), Unit Cells, Edge Length and Atomic Radius (30 · 0%), Packing Efficiency and Voids (27 · 15%), Types of Solids, Crystal Systems and Properties (16 · 0%), Crystal Defects, Magnetic Properties and Semiconductors (15 · 0%). One formula, ρ = zM/(a³N_A), carries the density page; packing and voids are the only page with real HARD. |
| Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers | 3.04 | 126 | 6.1% | 5% | IUPAC and Common Nomenclature of Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers (34 · 3% HARD), Phenols, Preparation and Reactions (27 · 7%), Classification of Alcohols and Phenols (21 · 5%), Physical Properties (17 · 0%), Chemical Reactions of Alcohols and Acidity (14 · 14%), Ethers, Preparation and Reactions (13 · 0%). The heaviest organic chapter, and more than half of it is naming and classifying. |
| Chemical Kinetics | 3.00 | 125 | 6.0% | 2% | First-Order Kinetics, Rate Constant and Half-Life (42 · 0% HARD), Rate Law, Order, Molecularity and Rate Expression (36 · 0%), Rate of Reaction, Stoichiometry and Average Rate (25 · 0%), Temperature Dependence, Arrhenius and Collision Theory (8 · 38%), Reaction Mechanism (7 · 0%), Zero-Order Kinetics (7 · 0%). Three questions every paper; 103 of its 125 questions sit on three pages with no HARD question at all. |
| Ionic Equilibria | 2.96 | 122 | 5.9% | 2% | Solubility Product (Ksp) (29 · 3% HARD), Ionic Equilibrium, Ka, Kb and Degree of Dissociation (24 · 0%), pH, pOH and Ionic Product of Water (23 · 4%), Buffer Solutions and Henderson-Hasselbalch (18 · 0%), Salt Hydrolysis (16 · 0%), Theories of Acids and Bases (12 · 0%). Log arithmetic on six pages; salt hydrolysis and the acid-base theories are pure recall. |
| Chemical Thermodynamics and Energetics | 2.96 | 121 | 5.8% | 3% | First Law of Thermodynamics, Internal Energy and Work (50 · 2% HARD), Thermochemistry, Hess's Law and Bond Enthalpy (21 · 5%), Enthalpy and Relation Between ΔH and ΔU (18 · 11%), Thermodynamic Systems, Properties and Processes (12 · 0%), Gibbs Free Energy and Spontaneity (11 · 0%), Entropy and Second Law (9 · 0%). The first-law page is 50 questions — signs and unit conversions, 100 J per dm³ bar. |
| Electrochemistry | 2.88 | 122 | 5.9% | 9% | Galvanic Cells, EMF, Nernst Equation and Thermodynamics (48 · 21% HARD), Molar Conductivity, Kohlrausch's Law and Degree of Dissociation (24 · 0%), Cell Constant and Conductivity Measurements (21 · 5%), Faraday's Laws of Electrolysis (20 · 0%), Batteries, Primary, Secondary and Fuel Cells (9 · 0%). Holds 11 of the bank's 67 HARD questions — ten of them Nernst-equation arithmetic on one page. |
| Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids | 2.54 | 109 | 5.3% | 3% | Preparation Methods of Aldehydes and Ketones (30 · 7% HARD), Nomenclature and Classification (23 · 0%), Carboxylic Acids, Properties, Reactions and Derivatives (21 · 0%), Oxidation, Reduction and Identification Tests (20 · 5%), Nucleophilic Addition and Condensation Reactions (15 · 0%). A named-reaction chapter: Rosenmund, Etard, Stephen, Clemmensen, Wolff–Kishner, Cannizzaro. |
| Biomolecules | 2.17 | 88 | 4.2% | 2% | Amino Acids, Peptides and Proteins (27 · 0% HARD), Carbohydrates, Classification, Structure and Reactions (21 · 5%), Glycosidic Linkages in Di- and Polysaccharides (19 · 5%), Nucleic Acids (16 · 0%), Lipids, Enzymes and Other Biomolecules (5 · 0%). Recall of names, linkages and structures — two questions a paper at 2% HARD. |
| Coordination Compounds | 2.12 | 88 | 4.2% | 2% | Ligands, Denticity and Donor Atoms (33 · 6% HARD), Bonding Theories, EAN, Crystal Field, Hybridization and Magnetism (21 · 0%), Oxidation State, Coordination Number and IUPAC Nomenclature (15 · 0%), Complex Types (13 · 0%), Isomerism (6 · 0%). Counting work — donor atoms, oxidation state, unpaired electrons — rather than calculation. |
| Introduction to Polymer Chemistry | 2.04 | 85 | 4.1% | 1% | Polymers and Their Monomers (29 · 3% HARD), Properties and Applications of Polymers (25 · 0%), Classification of Polymers (22 · 0%), Polymerization Methods (9 · 0%). A monomer table and a uses table carry the chapter; one HARD question in 85. |
| Amines | 1.96 | 81 | 3.9% | 4% | Chemical Reactions and Basicity of Amines (27 · 11% HARD), Nomenclature and Classification of Amines (19 · 0%), Preparation of Amines (15 · 0%), Diazonium Salts and Aromatic Amine Reactions (12 · 0%), Physical Properties (8 · 0%). Basicity order and the Hinsberg and carbylamine tests carry the reactions page. |
| Halogen Derivatives of Alkanes | 1.83 | 79 | 3.8% | 3% | Classification, Nomenclature and Physical Properties (27 · 4% HARD), Preparation of Alkyl Halides (15 · 0%), Elimination and Aromatic Nucleophilic Substitution (14 · 7%), Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions (SN1 and SN2) (12 · 0%), Polyhalogen Compounds — Freon, DDT, War Gases (11 · 0%). Named exchange and coupling reactions — Finkelstein, Swarts, Wurtz, Fittig. |
| Transition and Inner Transition Elements | 1.75 | 76 | 3.7% | 4% | Inner Transition Elements, Lanthanoids and Actinoids (27 · 7% HARD), Colour, Magnetic Properties and Spin-Only Formula (18 · 0%), Position, Electronic Configuration and General Features of d-Block (18 · 6%), Alloys, Minerals, Ores and Catalysts (7 · 0%), Oxidation States (6 · 0%). Configurations and the spin-only formula μ = √(n(n + 2)) BM do most of it. |
| Structure of Atom | 1.42 | 70 | 3.4% | 1% | Bohr's Atomic Model (18 · 0% HARD), Subatomic Particles, Isotopes, Isobars and Isoelectronic Species (14 · 0%), Quantum Mechanical Model, de Broglie, Heisenberg and Quantum Numbers (13 · 0%), Hydrogen Spectrum and Rydberg Equation (10 · 10%), Electromagnetic Radiation (9 · 0%), Electronic Configuration and Pauli/Hund Rules (6 · 0%). One HARD question in 70. Note: Halved in 2025: 2.00 questions a paper across the 27 papers of 2023-24, then 1.00 across the 13 of 2025. Still set every year. |
| Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry | 1.33 | 51 | 2.5% | 2% | Mole Concept and Interconversions (31 · 0% HARD), Laws of Chemical Combination and Percentage Composition (7 · 0%), Stoichiometry and Concentration (7 · 14%), SI Units, Physical Properties and Atomic Abundance (6 · 0%). Mole arithmetic — and rising, from 1.15 to 1.54 questions a paper in 2025. |
| Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure | 1.29 | 64 | 3.1% | 3% | VSEPR Theory and Molecular Geometry (20 · 5% HARD), Molecular Orbital Theory and Bond Order (13 · 8%), Ionic and Covalent Bonding, Lewis Structures and Octet Rule (13 · 0%), Dipole Moment, Polarity and Intermolecular Forces (11 · 0%), Hybridization (7 · 0%). Shapes and bond orders — counting electron pairs, not computing. |
| Elements of Group 16, 17 and 18 | 1.29 | 48 | 2.3% | 2% | Group 16 Chalcogens, Oxygen, Sulphur and Ozone (24 · 0% HARD), Group 17 Halogens, Interhalogens and Oxoacids (21 · 5%), Group 18 Noble Gases and Xenon Compounds (3 · 0%). Recall of trends, oxoacids and structures — and rising, 1.00 to 1.38 questions a paper in 2025. |
| Redox Reactions | 1.08 | 44 | 2.1% | 2% | Oxidation Number Calculation and Determination (26 · 4% HARD), Balancing Redox Reactions and Oxidized/Reduced Species (12 · 0%), Reducing/Oxidizing Agents and Acidic/Basic Oxides (6 · 0%). One skill — the oxidation number — carries almost all of it. |
| Aromatic Compounds | 0.96 | 35 | 1.7% | 3% | Side-Chain Reactions, Oxidation and Other Transformations (15 · 7% HARD), Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution (12 · 0%), Structure, Aromaticity and Identification (8 · 0%). Reagent-to-product recognition around the benzene ring. |
| Surface Chemistry | 0.92 | 39 | 1.9% | 0% | Colloids, Classification, Coagulation and Hardy-Schulze Rule (21 · 0% HARD), Adsorption, Physisorption, Chemisorption and Isotherms (12 · 0%), Catalysis and Nanomaterials (6 · 0%). Has never produced a HARD question. |
| Elements of Group 1 and 2 | 0.92 | 37 | 1.8% | 0% | Industrial Processes, Minerals, Hydrogen Compounds and Alloys (15 · 0% HARD), Group 2 Alkaline Earth Metals (11 · 0%), Group 1 Alkali Metals (11 · 0%). Pure recall, and never a HARD question. |
| Alkanes | 0.92 | 35 | 1.7% | 0% | Preparation of Alkanes, Wurtz, Grignard and Decarboxylation (17 · 0% HARD), Nomenclature, Structural Isomers and Physical Properties (14 · 0%), Reactions of Alkanes, Free Radical Halogenation (4 · 0%). Never a HARD question; the named preparations carry it. |
| Basic Principles of Organic Chemistry | 0.88 | 38 | 1.8% | 13% | IUPAC Nomenclature, Functional Groups and Homologous Series (18 · 11% HARD), Electronic Effects, Hybridization, Intermediates and General Reactions (11 · 18%), Isomerism and Stereochemistry (9 · 11%). The hardest chapter of any size at 13% HARD, just below the playbook line — and the one every organic chapter leans on. |
| Alkenes | 0.75 | 35 | 1.7% | 0% | Reactions of Alkenes, Addition, Oxidation and Ozonolysis (19 · 0% HARD), Nomenclature, Hybridization and Stability of Alkenes (13 · 0%), Preparation of Alkenes by Elimination (3 · 0%). Below the line; Markovnikov and ozonolysis carry it. |
| Green Chemistry and Nanochemistry | 0.75 | 33 | 1.6% | 0% | Green Chemistry, Principles, Atom Economy and Green Solvents (19 · 0% HARD), Nanochemistry, Nanostructures, Classification and Synthesis (14 · 0%). Below the line on the recent rate, but see the note. Note: Rising: 0.67 questions a paper across 2023-24, then 1.00 across 2025 — above the playbook line on 2025 alone. Pure recall and never HARD. |
| States of Matter | 0.67 | 31 | 1.5% | 3% | Gas Laws and Ideal Gas Equation (18 · 6% HARD), Real Gases, Dalton's Law and KTG (13 · 0%). Below the line; PV = nRT does most of it. |
| Modern Periodic Table | 0.42 | 18 | 0.9% | 0% | Periodic Trends (10 · 0% HARD), Position in Periodic Table and Electronic Configuration (8 · 0%). Falling — 0.56 a paper in 2023-24, 0.23 in 2025. |
| Alkynes | 0.29 | 10 | 0.5% | 0% | Reactions of Alkynes (7 · 0% HARD), Nomenclature and Identification of Alkynes (3 · 0%). Ten questions in 42 papers. |
| Elements of Group 13, 14 and 15 | 0.08 | 3 | 0.1% | 33% | Three questions in 42 papers — the thinnest chapter in the bank. Not worth a session. |
“Q / paper” is the rate on recent papers (2024–2025); “Questions” and “Share” are lifetime figures across all 42 papers. Where the two disagree, the rate is the one to plan on. 23 of these 30 chapters ship a full playbook; the rest are covered in the tail block on Strategy.
What’s inside
5 sections, each answering a different question a candidate walks in with. Read top-to-bottom or jump to what you need.
Strategy
Calculate, Reactions, Recall — the strands are how a question is answered, not how hard it is. Answer the fast ones first and bank time for Physics.
Playbooks
23 playbooks — one per chapter above 0.9 questions per paper. The subtopic split, the named reactions and formulas each chapter turns on, and its traps.
Reference
One page of the named reactions, reagents and physical-chemistry formulas the paper actually asks, grouped by chapter.
Trends
What 2025 moved — Structure of Atom halved, Some Basic Concepts and Groups 16-18 rose, and the paper shifted from EASY to MODERATE while HARD stayed near zero.
Traps
On a 3%-HARD paper, marks are lost to misreading, not difficulty: the reagent that looks like another, the unit left unconverted, the order that runs backwards.
The reference page lists 49 reactions and formulas across 20 chapters.
Want the teaching, not just the strategy?
This guide tells you what the exam asks and in what order to take it. The notes teach the chapter: foundations, worked examples, self-checks, drills and a per-subtopic mastery checkpoint. 23 of the 23 playbook chapters have full notes shipped — Solutions and Colligative Properties, Solid State, Chemical Kinetics, Ionic Equilibria, Chemical Thermodynamics, Electrochemistry, Structure of Atom, Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry, Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers, Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids, Amines, Halogen Derivatives of Alkanes, Aromatic Compounds, Alkanes, Biomolecules, Coordination Compounds, Introduction to Polymer Chemistry, Transition and Inner Transition Elements, Chemical Bonding, Elements of Group 16, 17 and 18, Redox Reactions, Surface Chemistry and Elements of Group 1 and 2.
All MHT-CET Chemistry notesWhy we built this
Most MHT-CET Chemistry prep splits two ways: a coaching-class lecture sequence that doesn’t match the chapter weights, or a chapter-list grind with no sense of what the paper actually rewards. We’ve done the third thing — pulled every question, tagged every subtopic, and looked at the patterns.
Every claim on this page is verifiable. Click any “Drill these N questions →” link and you’ll see the exact set we’re talking about.
Data snapshot: 28 September 2026. Numbers refresh as new papers land.