KCET Preparation Guide

KCET (Karnataka Common Entrance Test) is your gateway to top engineering, agriculture, veterinary and pharmacy colleges in Karnataka. Here is the complete preparation strategy. (MBBS and BDS admissions go through NEET, not KCET.)

KCET Exam Overview

• Conducted by KEA (Karnataka Examinations Authority).
• Subjects — Physics, Chemistry, Maths (Engineering) or Biology (agriculture, veterinary, pharmacy, nursing and allied courses).
• 60 questions per subject, 60 marks each (no negative marking).
• Duration — 80 minutes per subject, on an OMR sheet.
• Rank — for engineering, 50% KCET PCM marks + 50% II PUC PCM marks.
• Dates — KCET 2026 was held on 23–24 April 2026; KCET 2027 is expected in April 2027 (not yet announced).

Preparation Strategy

• 1st and 2nd PUC textbooks are the primary source — KCET is heavily textbook-based.
• The PUC textbooks are largely aligned with NCERT — so NCERT-based study covers most of the exam.
• Solve previous years' KCET papers — they show the question style and the chapters that come up often.
• Focus on conceptual clarity — KCET tests understanding, not tricks.

Subject-Wise Tips

• Physics — focus on numericals and the results of derivations from 2nd PUC.
• Chemistry — NCERT Inorganic is crucial. Reactions are heavily tested.
• Maths — practise Calculus, Coordinate Geometry, and Algebra.
• Biology — NCERT line-by-line reading is essential.

Guide based on the KCET 2026 pattern. For dates, see our KCET 2027 important dates.