Karnataka PGCET 2025: Exam Dates (May 31 & Jun 22), Application Form, Eligibility, Paper Pattern, Syllabus

Karnataka PGCET counselling is conducted every year for admission to MBA, MCA, M.Tech and MArch courses. Candidates who pass the Karnataka PGCET exam are eligible to participate in the documenty verification process. Those who get their documents verified are eligible for the centralised counselling for admissions based on Karnataka PGCET ranks.

KEA typically conducts the Karnataka PGCET counselling in the month of January. The official website of KEA hosts the Karnataka PGCET counselling schedule soon after the exam results are declared.

There is no qualifying marks in PGCET. However, note that, candidates must get at least 50% marks in qualifying exam (45% marks in QE in case of SC/ST and Category I of Karnataka candidates) to be eligible for admission. Candidates must refer to the eligibility criteria mentioned in the admission brochure issued by desired college for MBA admissions. The eligibility will be checked during the counselling and admission process.

The Karnatka PGCET exam score is valid for one exam session only. That is the scores of 2023 session will be valid for admission in 2023-24 session only. Qualified candidates need to appear for Karnataka PGCET counselling. Candidates are called for the counselling process based on their ranks only. Seats are allotted to candidates based on the merit and priority of options entered by candidates during option entry in the counselling process.

Soon after the declaration of the Karnataka PGCET merit list, candidates qualifying the exam can participate in the Karnataka PGCET counselling for MBA admission across the state. The schedule for counselling is announced after the result announcement. Karnataka PGCET counselling date 2023 will be announced soon. In the counselling round, the allotment of seats is done based on merit and priority options. The counselling process includes candidates' registration, document verification, option entry, and seat allotment. Selected candidates have to pay the admission fee to secure final admission in the allotted college.

Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), the conducting body of Karnataka PGCET exam, has designed the exam with multiple choice questions. Each question in the Karnataka PGCET exam has four answer options. Candidates have to choose one correct option. The most appropriate option will have to be selected and candidates have to mark the bubble corresponding to the most appropriate answer. For example if the answer to question 2 is C, then the bubble C has to be darkened.

No, if you have qualified for the GATE exam, you do not need to appear in the Karnataka PGCET to take admission in the M.Tech course. The GATE is a national-level exam, and admission to the majority of engineering colleges in India is based on its score. You can apply for admission to M.Tech programs at prestigious engineering colleges like Manipal Institute of Technology, Ramaiah Institute of Technology, and BMS College of Engineering with a valid GATE score. If you have a high GATE score, you can also be admitted to NITK Surathkal. In case you have not scored well, you can still appear in the Karnataka PGCET by choosing the "Non-GATE scorer" option in the PGCET application form.

Karnataka PGCET exam is conducted once every year. The exam score is valid for one exam session only. Karnataka PGCET is an offline exam with as many as 100 MCQs to be answered within 150 minutes.  Karnataka Post Graduate Common Entrance Test is administered annually by Karnataka Examination Authority. Karnataka PGCET acts as the gateway exam for admission into PG courses, including MBA, MCA, M.E., M.Tech. and M.Arch in the state of Karnataka. 

Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has released the Karnataka PGCET syllabus for MBA, MCA and Engineering courses. Candidates can find the Karnataka PGCET syllabus for all the courses on the official website. Candidates must check the PGCET Karnataka syllabus before starting the exam preparation. Alternatively, Karnataka PGCET syllabus article from Shiksha can provide a detailed section wise syllabus of Karnataka PGCET exam. The questions in the Karnataka PGCET exam are framed from the pre defined syllabus of the exam. 

All the four sections of the Karnatka PGCET exam will have equal weightage in terms of number of questions and marks. Each 4 section has 25 quwestions and carry 1 marks each. This means each section has equal weightage of marks that is 25 marks.  The sections are Proficiency in English Language, General Knowledge, Reasoning and General Intelligence, and Quantitative Analysis. Total marks of the paper is thus 100.

Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), the conducting body of Karnataka PGCET exam, has designed the exam with multiple choice questions. Each question in the Karnataka PGCET exam has four answer options. Candidates have to choose one correct option. The most appropriate option will have to be selected and candidates have to mark the bubble corresponding to the most appropriate answer. For example if the answer to question 2 is C, then the bubble C has to be darkened.

For every right answer, candidates will be awarded one mark in Karnataka PGCET 2024 exam while for the wrong answers, no marks will be deducted. The total marks of the Karnataka PGCET 2024 exam are 100. Candidates get 120 minutes to answer all the multiple-choice questions. It is compulsory to answer all the questions in the Karnataka PGCET exam. Candidates will not get the option to select questions in the question paper. To score maximum marks, it is important to answer questions with accuracy. No marks are awarded in case of selection of multiple answers.

Karnataka PGCET has a total of 100 questions. There are four sections in the exam and each section has 25 MCQs. Each MCQ carry 1 marks. The sections are Proficiency in English Language, General Knowledge, Reasoning and General Intelligence, and Quantitative Analysis. The total time to complete the exam is 120 minutes. 100 MCQs are to be completed in 2 hours.

The broad topics from Karnataka PGCET 2024 exam include Proficiency in English Language, General Knowledge, Test of Reasoning and General Intelligence and Quantitative Analysis. Karnataka PGCET preparation should be aligned with the syllabus and exam pattern prescribed by the KEA. The topics covered under these board sections are:

• Proficiency in the English Language: The questions in this section check knowledge of the English language, grammar, correct expression of words in English, ability to frame sentences, acumen of business language and vocabulary.

• General Knowledge: Questions in this section will check candidates’ awareness of events happening in India and the world at large. Some of the topics to keep in focus when preparing for the section are Indian Business Environment, Economics, Management, Cultural Events, and others.

• Test of Reasoning and General Intelligence: The questions in this section are in the form of puzzles, analogies, and sets and are analytical in nature. It tests the candidates’ ability to apply their analytical minds to answer questions.

• Quantitative Analysis: Questions in this section will not be from advanced level arithmetic, statistics, and data interpretation. However, knowing the right formula is important to crack questions asked in this section

Candidates preparing for the Karnataka PGCET Reasoning and General Intelligence section must refer to the following bools while preparation:

• Logical Reasoning by Arihant
• Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning by Arun Sharma
• Verbal & Non Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Agarwal
• Reasoning by Mukesh Khanna

In addition to preparation using the above mentioned books, candidates must solve practice question papers to improve their resoning skills. Solving more and more questions will help candidates develop a logical apoproach towards answering questions.

The Karnataka PGCET syllabus is based on the topics from four different sections, namely

• Proficiency in English Language
• General Knowledge
• Reasoning and General Intelligence
• Quantitative Analysis

All the sections in the Karnataka PGCET exam have equal weightage in terms of number of questions and marks. Each section of Karnataka PGCET exam has 25 questions compiling a total of 100 questions in the MBA exam. There will be no sectional timelimit; hence candidates will be able to answer questions from the desired section anytime within the exam duration.

The Reasoning and General Intelligence, as well as the Quantitative Analysis section. It will take maximum time to complete all the topics from these sections of Karnataka PGCET 2023. This is primarily because the problems will be tricky and memorizing different shortcut formulas is not easy. Building logical ability skills takes time and it is acquired only through extensive practice.

Books for general knowledge: For general knowledge part of PGCET, you can refer to these books: 1. First in India 2. First in World 3. Current Affairs 4. Awards Books for reasoning and general intelligence: R.S.Agarwal is one of the best books for PGCET Verbal Reasoning. 1. R.S. Agarwal Verbal Reasoning 2. R.S. Agarwal Logical Reasoning Books for Quantitative Technique: Arun Sharma Apart from practising the questions and the concepts, keep an eye on the time so that you have an estimate of which questions take more time and likewise you will be able to have a SWOT analysis of yours. Keep taking mock tests as these are actually helpful, also helps to build your confidence level and make you more prepared for the test. Hope it helps you in having some insight for the same. All the best for all your future endeavours.

The KEA annually conducts the Karnataka PGCET an entrance examination for postgraduate admission. The following expert tips can help you clear the Karnataka PGCET for MBA: 1. Prepare the study plan according to the time available for the Karnataka PGCET. 2. You can start by reviewing the topics in which you have some knowledge. 3. Later, you can study the difficult topics by reviewing the fundamentals. 4. Select your study material to understand the basics and practice for the exam. 5. You can use online resources such as YouTube to understand complex topics like Statistics. 6. For the English section of KPGCET, regular newspaper reading may help. 7. For the general knowledge section, you can pick up any GK book like one by Arihant, Odisha Experts, or Lucent. 8. Practice well before the actual exam to maintain accuracy in every section. 9. You can also create short tricks for the reasoning and quant sections of the PGCET. 10. Devote one-third of your time to correcting and improving on your mistakes. You can view the experts' decoded strategy on this Shiksha Page: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/karnataka-pgcet-exam-preparation.

Candidates must have a plan for Karnatak PGCET preparation based on their schedule. Hus there is no one shoe that will fit all. However, When you have limited time in hand for Karnataka PGCET exam preparation, each day counts. To utilise each day in the right way, create an hourly plan. Pick up the hard topics or in other words, topics in which you lack confidence in the first week. Divide the topics into two halves. In the first half, devote your attention to completing a hard topic and in the second half to cover an easier topic. By doing this, the stress level will be balanced.

Make a plan that you do not have to regret following or demand a cheat day after following it for certain days. Do not consult your friends while preparing your study plan. No two individual is alike. Create by understanding your individual information intake capacity and picking up topics for each day. If you are confident to cover more than two topics in a day, go for it. Schedule at least two hours to practice one sample paper each day to self-analyse your preparation level

Candidates need to devote a minimum of two hours to practice the Karnataka PGCET exam paper daily without a any miss. This will help them in increasing the accuracy level to answer questions in less time with proficiency. The actual exam duration of the Karnataka PGCET exam is 150 minutes. However, candidates will have to answer all questions within 120 minutes. The remaining 30 minutes are required for frisking and mentioning the details on the answer booklet.

If the previous year's trends are to be followed, the Karnatka PGCET 2024 application process will commence in the month of August. Candidates are able to fill the online application form for PGCET 2024 on the official website only. Offline application forms are not released. Candidates with bachelor's degrees are eligible for MBA admission in Karnataka based on PGCET 2024. Karnataka PGCET registration requires the candidates to provide personal, academic, and communication details. Additionally, candidates have to upload documents and pay the application fee. The last date to apply for Karnataka PGCET 2024 will be released along with the Karnataka PGCET information bulletin.

The official website to apply for Karnataka PGCET 2023 is cetonline [dot]karnataka [dot]gov [dot]in. The official website is the only online portal via which candidates can apply for the exam. The official link that will host the Karnatka PGCET application form 2023 will be available on the official website only.  Karnataka PGCET registration requires the candidates to provide personal, academic, and communication details. Additionally, candidates have to upload documents and pay the application fee. The last date to apply for Karnataka PGCET 2023 will be also announced with the Karnatka PGCET 2023 schedule.

Candidates need to keep the following details/ things handy before they proceed to fill Karnataka PGCET application form for a hassle-free registration process

• Class 10 mark sheet

• Class 12 mark sheet

• Scanned copy of passport-sized photograph

• Scanned copy of signature

• Scanned copy of left thumb impression

• Government-approved ID proof

• Active email ID

• Active mobile number

• Bank details to pay Karnataka PGCET application fee

• Category certificates

• Graduation degree details

• Choice of examination city

• A printer connected with the system to print the application confirmation page

• Good quality internet connection

• The online application form for Karnataka PGCET is best viewed in Internet Explorer 9 or above and the latest versions of Google Chrome & Mozilla Firefox.

Karnataka PGCET application form submission is typically facilitated for a period of 20+ days. However, the deadline can be extended as per the number of registeations received and other factors.

Considering the past exam sessions, the Karnataka PGCET 2023 application process was held entirely online. Candidates were allowed to visit the official website of KEA (kea.kar.nic.in) to complete the PGCET registrations as per the schedule. Also, the form correction window opened for the registered candidates to edit the form if there are any errors in it.

Candidates must carry photo identity proof such as college ID card/ driving license/ PAN card/ Aadhaar Card/ Voters ID card on the exam day along with Karnataka PGCET 2023 admit card. candidates must carry a hard copy of the Karnataka PGCET 2023 admit card on the exam day along with a valid photo ID proof on the exam day. Failing this, applicants will face denial in entry to the exam hall. Officials at the exam centre verifies the identity of the candidates after looking at the ID proof and the admit card.

Karnataka Examinations Authority conducts the PGCET exam every year across multiple cities in the state. While filling the application form, candidates have to choose the test centre preference. KEA will try allocatring a test centre in the prefered exam city. KEA mighty allocate multiple exam centres in one city. In the past exam session candidates had to choose a test city preference among 29 test cities.

Candidates filling the Karnataka PGCET application form will be able to choose the exam centre preference to appear for the exam. Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) will conduct the PGCET exam after allotting the prefered test centre to the candidates. The applicant login will aid candidates to choose the test centre preference. No candidate will be allowed to change the exam centre after issuance of the PGCET hall ticket.

No. Candidates are not allowed to leave the Karnataka PGCET exam centre before the last bell rings. Immediately after the last bell rings, invigilator will collect the answer sheet and provide a replica of the OMR sheet for future references. Candidates have to sign the sheet before leaving the PGCET exam centre to acknowledge receiving the OMR answer sheet. PGCET has an exam duration of 120 minutes.

Karnataka PGCET hall ticket is downloadable from the official website hosted by Karnataka Examinations Authority. Candidates who completed the registration process on or before September 1 are allowed to download the PGCET hall ticket Karnataka. The landing page of the KEA website hosts an 'Admissions' tab in the main menu. Candidates can Access PGCET admissions link from the drop-down under the 'Admissions' tab. the PGCET hall ticket download link is available on the PGCET exam page.

To download the Karntaka PGCET 2023 admit card candidates have to use Karnataka PGCET registration number and their Date of birth in DD-MM-YYYY format. After the admit card has been downloaded, candidates have to cross-check the details filled in the application form with the details furnished on the Karnataka PGCET hall ticket before taking a printout. Any discrepancy in the Karnataka PGCET admit card must be reported immediately. To print Karnataka PGCET hall ticket immediately after downloading the same, the system must be connected with a printer beforehand.

Candidates come across severla details while downloading the Karnataka PGCET hall ticket. The PGCET hall ticket download must not be done in haste; candidates must check all the details mentioned in the Karnataka PGCET hall ticket before downloading the same. Following details are presented on the Karnataka PGCET hall ticket:

• Candidate’s name
• Roll number
• Father’s name
• Photograph
• Signature
• Exam date and time
• Exam venue with complete address
• Karnataka PGCET exam day instructions

Candidates must report the same to the exam conducting authority, in case any of the details in the hall ticket are incorrect.

Candidates require some login credentials to download the PGCET Karnataka admit card. The hall ticket download process for Karnataka PGCET exam will require the candidates to enter the credentials, including the application number and date of birth. After entering the login credentials, candidates have to click on the 'Submit' button to access the Karnataka PGCET admit card dashboard.

In case the candidates are not able to download the Karnataka PGCET admit card using the login credentials that were generated at the time of registration, they must contact the examinations authority for an immediate resolution.

To find your Karnataka PGCET answer key, you can follow these steps:

1. Go to the official website of Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA)
2. Click on the "Karnataka PGCET Answer Key" link on the homepage.
3. Select your course (MBA, MCA, MTech, etc.) and click on the download link for the answer key PDF.
4. The answer key PDF will be displayed on the screen.
5. Download the PDF and check the answers to the questions you attempted.

No login credentials are required to check the Karnataka PGCET answer keys. Candidates will find the Karnataka PGCET answer key in a PDF format available on the official website. The admissions tab under the main menu will host a web page for PGCET admissions. Candidates can find the PDF of Karnataka PGCET answer key under PGCET admissions tab.

Anyone accessing the PGCET website can check the Karnataka PGCET answer keys.

As per the official Karnataka PGCET brochure, the answer key will be available within three days after the completion of the entrance test on the KEA website. The candidates / parents / lecturers, will be able to file their objections, if any, within three days in respect of any of the published answer key. Candidates are also required to submit all the supporting documents & justification for the objection filed. Objections filed by the candidates without justification shall not be considered. Objections received after the last date fixed shall not be considered. Objections received by the KEA will be placed before an Expert Committee, whose decision will be final in this regard.

In 2023 exam session, KEA released the Karnataka PGCET answer key on September 29 for the exam that was conducted on September 23 and 24.

Individuals file their objections in Karnataka PGCET 2023 answer key, if any, addressed to the “Executive Director, Karnataka Examinations Authority, Bangalore” either in person, or through e-mail, or by speed post. Candidates have to attach supporting documents / justification with the objection sent. Objections received from the candidates without justification shall not be considered. The objections received by KEA will be placed before an Expert Committee, whose decision will be final for determination of the right answer key.

Inter-se-merit is prepared based on the scores of the candidates in the Karnataka PGCET exam. When two or more candidates secure the same merit position, inter-se-merit is determined with reference to the total aggregate marks obtained by the candidate in the qualifying exam, that is the graduation degree. If the marks still continue to be equal, then in such a case, inter-se-merit is created based on the age of the candidates. Here, the older candidates are given preference over the younger ones.

KEA prepares the PGCET rank based on the performance of the candidate in the entrance test. KEA provides one mark for each correct response marked by the candidate. The candidates with more marks get higher rank. In case tweo or more candidates have an equal score, tie breaking criteria is applied. Karnataka PGCET inter se merit is determined with reference to the total aggregate marks obtained in the qualifying exam. In the case where marks obtained are equal, the inter-se-merit is determined based on the age of the candidates. Older candidates are preferred over younger ones.

Candidates can check Karnataka PGCET result online through the user account and by entering the PGCET number. The result displays the rank and score of the candidate. KEA releases the result on the official website only. Hard copy of the Karnataka PGCET result or mark sheet is not sent to the candidates. They will have to take printouts of the mark sheet and preserve it till the counselling and admission process is over.

Candidate have to enter their Karnatka PGCET number on the login screen to check their result and rank. The registration number acts as the primary login credential to check the Karnataka PGCET 2023 scorecard. The official website of Karnataka Examinations Authority hosts the PGCET results 2023. KEA releases the result in the form of a scorecard. Candidates need to download the Karnataka PGCET scorecard and print the same for future admission processes. The result displays the candidate’s rank as well as score. 

The Karnatka PGCET exam score is valid for one exam session only. That is the scores of 2023 session will be valid for admission in 2023-24 session only. Qualified candidates need to appear for Karnataka PGCET counselling. Candidates are called for the counselling process based on their ranks only. Seats are allotted to candidates based on the merit and priority of options entered by candidates during option entry in the counselling process.

The dates for Karnataka PGCET will be announced after the result separately. Qualified candidates need to appear for Karnataka PGCET counselling. Candidates are called for the counselling process based on their ranks. Candidates are advised to attend the counselling only if they have the required percentage of marks in the qualifying exam (50 per cent for unreserved categories and 45% for reserved categories).

Candidates who pass the Karnataka PGCET exam are eligble to appear for the centralised counselling process to be conducted by Karnataka Examinations Authority. Candidates are called for the document verification process based on their ranks in the Karnataka PGCET exam. Candidates are advised to attend the counselling only if they have the required percentage of marks in the qualifying exam (50 per cent for unreserved categories and 45% for reserved categories).

Karnataka PGCET counselling is conducted for admission to MBA, MCA and M.Tech courses in Karnataka. The space below mentions the Karnataka PGCET counselling process:

1. Document verification
2. Option entry
3. Mock seat allotment
4. Modification of options
5. First round seat allotment
6. Choice filling
7. Payment of fees
8. Reporting at allotted colinstitute

KEA also conducts second round of Karnataka PGCET counselling to fill vacant seats.

There are about 200+ best MBA colleges accepting Karnataka PGCET Score in Bangalore. Among these, 176 colleges are privately owned and 9 colleges are owned by public/government organisations. Karnataka PGCET is the main accepting entrance exam in top MBA colleges in Bangalore. PES University, Kristu Jayanti College, ABBS, ISBR Business School, Reva University, RV Institute of Management, BMS College of Engineering, etc. are some of the popular PGCET accepting MBA colleges in Bangalore.

The cutoff for Karnataka-PGCET at RajaRajeswari College of Engineering varies depending on the year and the category of the candidate. Here are the available cutoffs for different years and categories:

• Karnataka-PGCET 2022: 3227 - 12554 rank
• KCET 2023 for GM category: 29283 - 200823 rank
• KCET 2023: Round 2 cutoff (releasing soon) 
• KCET 2023: Round 2 seat allotment (out) 

Apart from CAT scores, PES University admission 2023 to MBA course is based on Karnataka PGCET 2023 score. As per the past year trends for GM category, candidates seeking admission to PES University must score between 213 and 255. In 2020, PES University Karnataka PGCET cutoff was 213, in 2021 it was 228 and in 2022 it was 255. On analysing the trends for MBA cutoffs have been increasing. As per the latest notification KEA website, Karnataka PGCET admissions process will now be conducted on Sep 24 for MBA admissions between 2:30 PM and 4:30 PM.    

Reva University cutoff 2023 for MBA course is based on Karnataka PGCET scores. It is mandatory for candidates to have a valid Karnataka PGCET scores in order to be eligible for MBA admissions. Going as per the last few year trends, Karnataka PGCET cutoff for Reva University MBA admission has remained between ranks of 2854 and 4903 for General All-India category .

So, yes as per the past year trends candidates belonging to General category with 2000 or more rank are eligible for Reva University MBA.