KSEAB to set Karnataka 1st PUC exam papers for all colleges

The Karnataka government on Saturday, 7 November 2026 issued an order under which the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) will prepare the question papers for the first-year Pre-University (I PU) annual examination for all PU colleges in the state. Until now, each college framed its own I PU papers. Under the order, the exams will follow one timetable across Karnataka, the papers will be sent to colleges digitally on the day of each exam, and the Department of School Education (Pre-University) will continue to supervise the exams. Results will be declared only after the deputy director of pre-university education in each district approves them. Reports indicate the change applies to the annual exam of the current 2026-27 academic year, which falls in early 2027.

In Karnataka, the two years after Class 10 are called Pre-University, or PU: I PU is the first year (Class 11) and II PU is the second (Class 12). The II PU exam is a board exam set centrally and counts for college admissions and entrance-exam eligibility. The I PU exam has been an internal exam, with each college setting and marking its own papers. That meant the difficulty and pattern of the first-year exam could vary widely between colleges, even in the same town.

A common paper changes that. Every I PU student in the state will now face the same questions on the same day, set by the board that already conducts the SSLC and II PU exams. For students, the main gain is a fair and predictable exam: they will know what pattern to expect and can prepare from the board's model papers and question banks. It also gives a better early warning. A student who struggles in a statewide I PU exam has a full year to catch up before the II PU board exam, while an easy college-set paper could hide gaps until it is too late.

For colleges, the change takes away the job of setting papers but leaves teaching and supervision with them. The digital delivery of papers on the exam day is meant to reduce the risk of leaks, a recurring problem with printed papers. Practical exams stay local, with district-level timetables, since labs and equipment differ between colleges. The requirement that district deputy directors approve results adds a check before marks are released.

The move follows a wider tightening of exams by KSEAB, which has also taken over setting papers for the SSLC summative assessment and is studying digital evaluation of SSLC and II PU answer scripts.

Peepals timeline: Karnataka had earlier announced that I PU would move to a state-level exam from the 2026-27 academic year, with papers set centrally and evaluation left to colleges. On Saturday, 7 November 2026, the government issued the order giving KSEAB the job of preparing the I PU annual papers, with one statewide timetable and digital delivery of papers on exam days. The exams themselves fall in early 2027.

Short-term: I PU students preparing for the 2026-27 annual exam should expect a common statewide paper and timetable, and should follow the board's model papers and question banks.

Long-term: A uniform first-year exam gives the state comparable data on student performance across districts and could narrow gaps in standards between colleges.

Who is affected: First-year PU students and their parents, PU colleges and lecturers across Karnataka, KSEAB and district pre-university officials.

What to watch next: KSEAB's I PU annual exam timetable for 2026-27, which the order says will be uniform for all colleges.

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