The Common Entrance Test (CET) for admission into professional courses like Engineering, Agricultural Sciences, and Veterinary Sciences for the year 2026 will be conducted on April 23 and 24 by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA). Strict measures have been implemented.

For Kannada language candidates from border and outside states, the Kannada language test will be held on April 22 in five centres across Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Vijayapura, and Belagavi.

• April 23: Physics & Chemistry exams

• April 24: Mathematics & Biology exams

Tight security arrangements have been made, according to KEA Executive Director H. Prasanna.

To prevent malpractice, CCTV surveillance will be used, similar to recruitment exams. All 745 centres will be monitored through webcasting. District Commissioners and Zilla Panchayat CEOs will oversee arrangements at the district level.

In Bengaluru alone, 77,604 candidates will appear across 163 centers. A central command center has been set up at the KEA office.

A total of 970 differently-abled candidates will be provided necessary facilities. Those using hearing aids must report two hours early for additional verification.

Sensitive centers are equipped with signal jammers to prevent cheating.

Arrive Two Hours Early

Candidates must arrive at least two hours before the exam due to strict checking procedures.

• Facial recognition and QR code verification will be used

• This ensures that no one writes the exam on behalf of someone else

• The same verification will be used during college admission

KEA has assured that strict measures are in place to ensure fairness and transparency.

Students who scored low marks or failed in the 2nd PUC first exam still have a chance to improve. They are encouraged not to skip CET. Marks from the second exam will also be considered in CET results.

Dress Code

For the first time, each centre will have a dress code officer to avoid confusion.

Guidelines:

• Wear half-sleeve clothing

• Prefer clothes without collars

• Men: simple pants with no or minimal pockets

• Kurta-pyjama and jeans are not allowed

• Shoes are prohibited

Strictly banned items:

• Mobile phones

• Bluetooth devices

• Earphones

• Microphones

• Any electronic gadgets

Candidates should carefully read the dress code instructions on the KEA website before attending.

Candidates must fill the OMR sheet accurately:

• Name

• CET number

• Question paper version code

• Question paper serial number

All details must be correctly filled and shaded properly.

Mistakes in these details have previously caused result issues, so candidates must be careful.

A sample OMR sheet is available for download along with the admit card for practice to avoid errors.

Statistics

• Total candidates: 330,479

• Boys: 144,380

• Girls: 186,099

• Differently-abled candidates: 970

Exam Arrangements

• Total exam centres: 745

• Deputy Chief Superintendents: 745

• Dress code officers: 745

• Exam centre staff: 12,665

• CCTV cameras: 15,265

• Room invigilators: 13,770

• Frisking teams: 3,304

• Facial recognition teams: 3,304

Also read: Karnataka: No grades. Marks to be given for third language in SSLC exams, says HC