2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Feb 27, 2026 10:28 AM IST
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) will start the Pre-University Certificate (PUC) exams on February 28. The PUC 2 Karnataka board 2026 exams will begin with the Kannada and Arabic papers on the first day. The Class 12 exams will continue till March 17.
For the Class 12 examinations, a total of 7,10,363 students have registered from 5,174 PU colleges. Among the total students, as many as 2,92,645 students are from the science stream, 2,11,174 are from the commerce stream, and 1,42,982 students are from the arts stream. The examinations will be conducted at 1,217 centres across the state. For more updates on Karnataka board PUC 2 Class 12 exams, students can check IE Education website.
The passing criteria have also been relaxed. The minimum qualifying marks for PU II has been reduced from 35 per cent to 30 per cent.
The Karnataka government has reiterated strict examination guidelines and intensified monitoring to prevent the circulation of fake question papers on social media. Miscreants have recently posted fake question papers related to the PU 2 Karnataka board examination on social media platforms.
Clarifying the issue, KSEAB president Prakash Nittali said that the question paper being circulated online is fake and added that a complaint will be filed with the cyber police.
Amid growing concerns over question paper leaks, the School Education and Literacy Department has announced that social media platforms will be closely monitored during both SSLC (Class 10) and PU (Class 12) examinations.
To facilitate the smooth conduct of the exams, free bus travel for students appearing for Class 10 and Class 12 examinations in KSRTC and BMTC buses on production of their hall tickets has also been announced. Free travel arrangements will also be made in private buses in the coastal and Malnad regions.
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The Karnataka board SSLC examinations will start on March 18 with the first language paper on March 18. As many as 9,02,889 students will be appearing in the Karnataka board 2026 SSLC exam this year. Among the candidates, 8,12,855 are freshers, 62,845 are repeaters, and 27,189 are private candidates.
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