Overview

The Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET) is conducted by the Government of Karnataka to assess the eligibility and merit of Karnataka candidates and wards of Jammu & Kashmiri migrants for admission into the first year / first semester of various full-time undergraduate courses. These include Engineering, Technology, Architecture, and several professional courses such as B.Sc. (Nursing), B.V.Sc. & A.H., B.Tech (Agricultural Engineering), B.Tech (Food Technology), and other similar programs under the government quota seats.

Important Dates

To secure admission to any professional course offered through KEA, candidates must appear for the Common Entrance Test (CET) as per their chosen field of study. This exam is conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), Bangalore. The CET-2026 will be held at designated centers across Karnataka. 

KCET 2026 Dates

Selection Process

Candidates first have to fill up the online form released at the university website and appear for the exam. After the results have been declared, wait for the counselling list to be uploaded at the official website of the university begins. After their names have appeared in the list, students must register themselves for the respective college and courses by visiting the college off-site with a counselling call letter as well as original and photocopy of necessary documents. Failing to carry these documents may lead to cancellation of the candidature.

After the final choice of course and college has been made, the students must confirm their admission by depositing the required fee.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for KCET 2026, you must have passed or be appearing in 2nd PUC / Class 12 from a recognized board with the required subjects for the course you want. KEA’s common application covers Engineering, Technology, Architecture, B.Sc. Nursing, Veterinary, Farm Science, Pharmacy, AYUSH, Medical/Dental (through NEET), and other allied courses.

For Engineering / Technology

You generally need:

• Physics + Mathematics as compulsory subjects
• Along with Chemistry / Biotechnology / Biology / Computer Science / Electronics
• You must satisfy the minimum qualifying marks prescribed in the official bulletin / admission rules.

For Pharmacy / Farm Science / Allied Courses

Required subjects vary by course, usually from combinations of:

• Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology

You should check the exact course-wise subject requirement in the official bulletin before filling the form.

For Architecture

Admission is linked to NATA eligibility requirements, not only CET score.

For Medical / Dental / AYUSH / B.Sc. Nursing

These are included in the common application, but admission is based on NEET eligibility and merit rules, not KCET marks alone.

Karnataka eligibility / domicile-style clauses (very important)

For government quota seats, you must satisfy one of KEA’s official eligibility clauses (like Clause A, B, C…O).

Most common: Clause A

You are usually considered eligible under this if you have:

• studied in Karnataka for 7 full academic years
• from 1st standard to 12th / qualifying exam,

and this includes your 10th / SSLC or 12th / 2nd PUC related study records. KEA verifies many such details digitally through SATS.

If your records match successfully, your application can be auto-verified without separate physical verification in many cases.

Non-Karnataka students — important point

If you are not a Karnataka candidate, you can still register in some cases, but KEA states that non-Karnataka candidates who opt for Medical / Dental / AYUSH / B.Sc. Nursing are assigned Clause ‘Y’ for seat allotment purposes. This usually means your eligibility and seat options may be limited depending on the course and quota.

Reservation-related eligibility

If you want to claim reservation benefits, you must have the proper certificates in the candidate’s name and enter the correct RD number in the application.

Required certificate formats include:

• SC / ST → Form D
• Category-I → Form E
• 2A / 2B / 3A / 3B → Form F

Income limit

For reservation benefit under 2A / 2B / 3A / 3B, KEA states the annual family income limit is ₹8 lakh.

Syllabus & Exam Pattern

Exam Pattern

The exam pattern of KCET will be uploaded by the concerned authorities on the official website. Candidates should write ‘CET-2026’ in a test center designated by the KEA within the district in which they completed their 12th grade education or 2nd PUC if they have passed the qualifying exam or are appearing for it in Karnataka.

Syllabus

The syllabus for the KCET exam will be released by KEA on their official website cetonline.karnataka.gov.in. The Karnataka State Department of Pre-University Education’s First and Second PUC syllabi will serve as the basis for the Common Entrance Test question papers.

KCET Mathematics Syllabus

Students can check the KCET first year and second year PUC syllabus here.

KCET Physics Syllabus

Applicants can check the KCET first year and second year PUC physics syllabus here.

KCET Chemistry Syllabus

Candidates can check the KCET chemistry first year and second year PUC syllabus here.

Admit Card

The admit card contains important details related to the examination such as roll number, paper codes, and other details. The KCET 2026 admit card will be made available by KEA during the first week of April 2026. Link to the same will be made available at the official website cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea.

Candidates must provide their application number and the first four letters of their name in order to download their KCET 2026 admission card. The candidates must carry the admit card to the examination hall. Failure to this may result in cancellation of the candidature.

Result

Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) releases the KCET result on their official website cetonline. Karnataka.gov.in candidates are suggested to visit the official site at least two times to be better updated about the result.

KCET result contains subject wise scores, total scores and the rank obtained by the candidates. Those who clear the entrance are listed for the KCET counselling process.

Merit List and Counselling

The university prepares a merit list based on the final result of KCET 2026. Candidates with their names on the merit list are eligible for the counselling sessions. Dates for the same will be announced officially.
Candidates can follow the below given procedure

Step 1 - Document Verification and Registration: All qualified candidates must verify their document at the centres listed by the university. After verification, candidates will be provided with a unique ID and password that have to be retained throughout the procedure.

Step 2 –  Verified candidates can make a choice of their preferred colleges and courses using their KCET number. No changes will be made after the choices are locked.

Step 3 – Seats are then allotted to the candidates based on preferences and availability. There will be two rounds of seat allotment along with a second extended round and special round. The provisional letter at the end of the counselling must be downloaded and printed by the candidate.

Step 4 – Candidates in the final list of selection are required to visit the respective allotted institutes in order to confirm their admission before the last date. Along with the counselling fees, Candidates must carry the allotment letter, documents (original as well as photocopied)

Cut Off

The cut off list is released after every round of the counselling. It will be accessed from the official website of the university. Thus, it is advisable to check the official website regularly to stay updated.

Answer Key

KEA will release the Preliminary KCET 2026 answer key online on their official website, tentatively in the month of April. This key can be challenged based on valid grounds. The final key is expected in the second week of May, 2026. This key can be considered by the students for calculating their probable scores.

Preparation Tips

To achieve a good score, following strategies can be considered

• Try using different strategies for preparation Students should avoid using same strategies of notes and books to study. Instead, they should try new methods like video lectures to understand complicated concepts.
• Mandatory Revision Concepts should be revised and re-revised in order to have a firm grip over them.
• Mastering the syllabus This will help the students to easily attempt mock tests and gain confidence. Apart from this, a thorough analysis of the exam pattern is also necessary.
• Prioritise mental and physical health Exams should be dealt with in a healthy way. Getting too much stressed due to undue exam pressure serves no purpose. Thus, students should practice meditation and healthy eat and sleep habits.

Apply Online

The Karnataka Examinations Authority will release the KCET application form 2026 in the online mode tentatively in January, 2026. The last date to fill the application form of KCET 2026 will be tentatively February, 2026. The process to fill up the application form is mentioned below.

Step 1 - New User Registration

Candidates have to visit the official website of KEA at cetonline.karnataka.gov.in to register for the exam. To register themselves candidates have to enter the required information and submit the details. Upon successful registration the candidate will receive their application number and User ID on the registered mobile number and mail ID.

Step 2 - Form Filling & Image Upload

Candidates have to proceed to fill up the application form after successfully completing the registration process. All details pertaining to personal information, communication details, academic details have to be entered while filling up the application form. Moreover, while filling the KCET 2026 application form candidates have to upload their passport size photograph, signature, left thumb impression and signature of parents.

Step 3 - Payment of Application Fee

After filling the application form and uploading the necessary documents candidates have to pay the requisite application fee either in the online mode or through the offline mode.

Step 4 - Printout of Application Form & Principal Signature

Students after paying the application fee must take a printout of the application form. Upon taking a printout of the application form candidates have to affix a passport size photograph and sign on the printed copy of the form along with their respective left thumb impression. The printed application form has to be duly signed by the Principal of the 2nd PUC college along with a seal.\

NOTE Candidates are supposed to fill in the correct details since the correction window is made available only once.

FAQs

When is the last day to fill up for KCET 2026?

Last date for the submission of KCET 206 is not clear as Notification is to relaease in January 2026.

Who is the concerned authority to conduct KCET examination?

Karnataka Examinations Authority is the main conducting body of the KCET exam.

Which documents should I present for document verification procedure?

Candidates should carry the following set of documents with them

• Scorecard of SSLC/10th Standard.
• Scorecard of 2nd PUC/12th Standard.
• Two recent passport-size photographs.
• Study Certificate Countersigned by the concerned BEO/DDPI.
• Any other required documents.
•  KCET 2026 application form printout
•  Proof of application fee payment.
• KCET 2026 admit card.

List of Documents Required for KCET Counselling 2026

• Caste / Caste Income Certificate
• Kannada Medium Certificate.
• Income Certificate
• Rural Study Certificate.
• Parent’s study certificate / Hometown certificate / Domicile certificate / Employment certificate / Cumulative Record / Marks Card, etc., for the candidates claiming eligibility for Government seats based on the parent’s domicile/study/employment.

Duly sworn in Affidavit of the candidate who claims eligibility under Horanadu and Gadinadu Kannadiga clauses C and D. (Regarding Mother Tongue).

Can the Choice of College Earlier Made, be Changed?

Yes. The choice of college as well as the course earlier made can be changed through the correction window made available to the candidate for a certain time period. Students can only make changes related to their course and colleges at the counselling step. No changes related to the background of candidate can be changed at this point.