KEA conducts Karnataka PGCET exam with OMR answer sheets. Candidates must abide by the Karnataka PGCET exam day guidelines, and OMR filling guide for a hassle-free examination process.
Karnataka PGCET Exam Day Guidelines
Karnataka PGCET 2026 Exam Day Guidelines: The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has successfully conducted the Karnataka PGCET exam for ME/MTech courses. KEA will conduct PGCET 2026 exam for MBA/MCA courses on June 14. Candidates appearing for MBA exam must abide by all exam day guidelines. Candidates can download the Karnataka PGCET 2026 hall ticket from the official website, cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea, until the exam day. KEA PGCET 2026 admit card also mentions the exam day guidelines. Candidates appearing for the exam must remember specific instructions for a hassle-free exam experience. Knowing the dos and don'ts beforehand will also help reduce exam day anxiety. Read this article to know the Karnataka PGCET exam day guidelines 2026.
- Karnataka PGCET 2026 Shift Timings
- Karnataka PGCET Exam Day Guidelines 2026
- Karnataka PGCET Bell Timings 2026
Karnataka PGCET 2026 Shift Timings
KEA has scheduled the Karnataka PGCET 2026 exam for both MBA and MCA papers in separate shifts. Check PGCET Karnataka shift timings below:
| Course |
Shift Timing |
|---|---|
| MBA |
10:30 AM to 12:30 PM |
| MCA |
2:30 PM to 4:30 PM |
Commonly asked questions
Karnataka PGCET exam dates and event schedule is released by Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA). KEA conducts the Karnataka PGCET exam for admission to MBA/MCA, and MTech courses offered by colleges in Karnataka. Besides these courses, candidates aspiring for MArch courses are also required to fill the PGCET form to be considered for the centralised counselling process. Karnataka MArch admissions are based on CoA's PGETA.
KEA releases the schedule for Karnataka PGCET exam, including the application schedule, admit card dates, exam dates, answer key release schedule, and result declaration dates. Besides these events, KEA also conducts the centralised counselling process for MBA admission and the schedule for the same is released seperately.
The golden rule of all speed-based test is time management and this is applicable for Karnataka PGCET exam as well. In order to master skills of managing time for the test, practice Karnataka PGCET question papers multiple times as well as any available online test on MBA exam question paper. Do not just practice, keep an eye on the time taken to solve the question paper. On the exam day if you know all the answer but cannot manage the time you will end up completing a fraction of the test paper. Your aim should, therefore, be to answer a maximum number of questions accurate within less duration.
Challan copy is a proof of the candidate’s candidature in Karnataka PGCET, hence it is an important document to retain. Candidates must reach out to the concerned bank or KEA for a resolution.
KEA conducts the Karnataka PGCET exam every year for admission to MBA and MCA courses. Besides the MBA, MCA admissions, Karnataka PGCET exam also aids the MTech admission for candidates who do not have a valid GATE score. There is no fixed timeline for Karnataka PGCET exam. The exam dates for MBA and MCA exam remains the same. Whereas, the PGCET exam date for ME/MTech courses is different. Karnataka PGCET 2025 exam is generally conducted in the month of June for MBA and MCA courses.
Karnataka PGCET Exam Day Guidelines 2026
Candidates appearing for Karnataka PGCET 2026 must be careful of dos and don’ts for the exam day. The space below mentions the exam day instructions for Karnataka PGCET 2026:
- Candidates are advised to leave for the Karnataka PGCET examination centre, keeping the unforeseen delays in mind.
- Candidates must not carry any modern electronic equipment, including gadgets, pagers, Bluetooth devices, mobile phones, calculators, wireless devices, smartwatches, etc.
- Besides electronic gadgets, candidates must also avoid carrying bits of paper, markers, white fluid, books, study notes, etc.
- Candidates must report at least 1 hour before the scheduled time of Karnataka PGCET 2026.
- Candidates must not carry any watch inside the exam centre. KEA will install caution bells at different intervals of the exam.
- No candidate will be allowed to enter the Karnataka PGCET exam hall without producing a hard copy of the admission ticket/hall ticket.
- Along with the Karnataka PGCET admit card, candidates must carry a valid photo ID proof, such as:
- Driving License
- Passport
- Aadhaar Card
- PAN Card
- Voter ID Card
- Final year degree admit card
- Candidates must occupy the allotted seat immediately after the first bell, i.e. after 10 AM or 2 PM.
- No candidate will be allowed to enter the Karnataka PGCET exam centre after 10:30 AM/2:30 PM. Therefore, candidates must try to reach the centre on time.
- Candidates must carry a blue or black ballpoint pen. Any colour other than blue or black is not readable while evaluating the responses.
- The candidate will write their name on the OMR answer sheet only after the first bell rings.
- Additionally, candidates are required to shade the relevant spaces in the OMR sheet to add their PGCET number and PGCET subject.
- Candidates are also required to add the question booklet version code and serial number on the nominal roll shared by the invigilator.
- The invigilator will not allow the candidates to leave the exam hall before the stipulated time of the Karnataka PGCET exam.
- Candidates must retain the Karnataka PGCET hall ticket even after the exam is over. The hall ticket is to be produced in later stages of the admission process.
- Candidates must verify the subject printed on the admit card with that on the question paper. In case of any discrepancy, candidates must inform the authorities immediately.
NOTE: Candidates appearing for ME/MTech/MArch exams can carry non-programmable calculators to the exam hall.
KEA will also mention the Karnataka PGCET exam day guidelines on the hall ticket. Although the PGCET hall ticket will mention the shift timing, reporting time, and exam duration, KEA will release Karnataka PGCET bell timings separately. Karnataka PGCET 2026 bell timings is released two to three days before the exam date. Knowing the PGCET exam day guidelines and bell timings helps candidates plan their exam day.
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Karnataka PGCET Bell Timings 2026
Check the table below for KEA PGCET bell timings 2026 below:
| Bell |
Morning Session |
Afternoon Session |
|---|---|---|
| First Bell |
10:00 AM |
2:00 PM |
| Second Bell |
10:15 AM |
2:15 PM |
| Third Bell |
10:30 AM |
2:30 PM |
| Fourth Bell |
11:30 AM |
3:30 PM |
| Fifth Bell |
12:00 Noon |
4:00 PM |
| Sixth Bell |
12:25 PM |
4:25 PM |
| Seventh Bell |
12:30 PM |
4:30 PM |
Read More:
- Karnataka PGCET 2026 Eligibility Criteria
- How to Prepare for Karnataka PGCET in One Month?
- How to Prepare for Karnataka PGCET in Three Months?
- How to Prepare for Karnataka PGCET Quantitative Analysis?
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- Last 10 Years KEA PGCET Question Papers PDF; Download Past Papers
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a month ago
The highest rank acceptable in 2024 was 2206 for the General AI category. So, students who have a rank below 2206 have a better chance of admission in the MBA/PGDM course. Students should know that the cutoff for other categories will vary.
Note: Cut- off data is an estimate and not official.
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
To get a seat at NITTE Meenakshi Institute of Technology for the MBA/PGDM course, students have to first appear for the Karnataka PGCET entrance exam and then for its counselling process to be considered eligible for admission.
The Karnataka PGCET cutoff is released in the form of open and closing r
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
To get a seat at this university for the MBA/PGDM course, students have to appear for the Karnataka PGCET entrance exam, followed by its counselling process. The cutoff is released in the form of ranks for various AI and HS quota categories.
Candidates who clear the round, year and category-specific
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Qualifying Karnataka PGCET is compulsory for Karnataka domicile students to get admission in M.Arch in BMS School of Architecture. For others, it is not compulsory and they can get admission based on GATE score or through Management Quota.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Abhishek Dhawan is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He holds a BA degree from the University of Delhi. At Shiksha, Abhishek primarily covers MBA and BBA entrance
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