The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) will conduct the II Pre-University Course (PUC 2) Examination 2026 from February 28 to March 17, 2026, as per the official schedule.
The examination will commence with Kannada and Arabic papers on the first day.
A total of 7,10,363 students from 5,174 Pre-University colleges have registered for the II PUC examination across the state. The exams will be held at 1,217 examination centres in Karnataka.
Stream-wise Student Registration Details
- Science: 2,92,645 students
- Commerce: 2,11,174 students
- Arts: 1,42,982 students
Revised Passing Criteria
As per the updated norms, the minimum qualifying marks for II PUC have been reduced from 35% to 30%, in line with the revised evaluation policy.
Strict Rules to Prevent Cheating
The Board has given strict instructions to make sure the exams are conducted smoothly and fairly. It has also increased monitoring to stop the spread of fake question papers on social media.
KSEAB President Prakash Nittali has clarified that the question paper currently being circulated online is fake and confirmed that a formal complaint will be lodged with the cyber crime police authorities.
The School Education and Literacy Department has also directed close monitoring of social media during the conduct of both SSLC and II PUC examinations to prevent misinformation and malpractice.
Free Bus Travel for Students
To facilitate students appearing for the examinations, the Karnataka Government has announced free bus travel upon production of valid hall tickets in:
- Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses
- Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses
Arrangements have also been made for free travel in private buses in the coastal and Malnad regions.
Karnataka SSLC Exam 2026 to Begin from March 18
The Karnataka SSLC Examination 2026 will start on March 18, 2026, with the First Language paper.
This year, a total of 9,02,889 students have registered for the exam. These include:
- 8,12,855 fresh students
- 62,845 repeat students
- 27,189 private candidates
The Board has stated that all required arrangements have been made to ensure the smooth and fair conduct of both SSLC and II PUC exams across the state.
