Maharashtra and Goa SET held peacefully, 92,525 candidates sit exam at 294 centres

Pune, October 25, 2026: The State Eligibility Test (SET) for candidates aspiring to become assistant professors in Maharashtra and Goa concluded peacefully. According to exam officials, no untoward incident was reported.

The test was held in 18 cities, 17 of them in Maharashtra and one in Goa. A total of 294 exam centres were set up, and the exam was conducted in 32 subjects.

This time, 1,17,768 candidates registered, of whom 92,525 appeared for the exam, an attendance of about 78.56 per cent. The remaining 25,243 candidates were absent, putting absenteeism at 21.44 per cent.

The previous SET was held in June 2025. Registrations have risen compared with that exam. Last year, 1,10,412 candidates registered and 90,046 of them turned up to take the test. Attendance then was 81.92 per cent.

This year registrations rose by 7,356, while the number of those who sat the exam went up by 2,479. Absenteeism has also risen, however. It was 18.08 per cent last year and is about 3.52 percentage points higher this time.

To keep the exam transparent and smooth, the SET headquarters appointed 294 observers. Supervisors were deployed on a system in which 24 candidates were seated in each exam block.

For the first time, 37 special city observers were also deployed. Their job was to make surprise visits to exam centres and review the arrangements and the conduct of the exam.

Exam officials said no untoward incident occurred during the test and that the exam was held peacefully at all centres.

The SET department thanked the participating colleges, exam coordinators, observers, special supervisors, teaching and non-teaching staff, college principals, vice-chancellors, the statutory bodies of universities, candidates and their parents for their cooperation. The SET exam steering committee also congratulated everyone who worked to conduct the exam successfully.