Karnataka PGCET Exam Dates 2026: MBA/MCA on June 14, Session Wise Schedule and Shift Timing

Key Summary

In this Article, we have discussed about Karnataka PGCET 2026 Important Dates, the Complete Exam Schedule across all papers, and Year-wise Exam Date Trends.

• MBA and MCA exams are on June 14, 2026 (Sunday) — MBA: 10:30 AM–12:30 PM; MCA: 2:30 PM–4:30 PM; report to the exam centre at least 30 minutes before the start bell.
• M.Tech/M.E./M.Arch/M.Plan exam was held on May 23, 2026; revised answer key released June 2, 2026.
• Registration closed April 30, 2026; MBA/MCA admit card available on the KEA portal since June 7, 2026.
• MBA/MCA answer key expected late June 2026; result expected late July–early August 2026; counselling to follow in August 2026.
• PGCET exam dates have moved progressively earlier — from September 2023 to May–June 2026 — as KEA accelerates the full admissions cycle to open academic sessions sooner.

Previous Year Karnataka PGCET Exam Dates

PGCET exam dates have shifted significantly earlier over the past four years. The exam ran in September in 2023, moved to August in 2024, and has now advanced to May–June in 2026 — a 3-month compression that reflects KEA’s sustained push to accelerate PG admissions and open academic sessions before the monsoon peak.

The 2026 cycle is the earliest in at least five years, with M.Tech in May and MBA/MCA in June. The 2025 result (46 days post-exam) was notably faster than 2023 (59 days), signalling that KEA’s back-office processing has also sped up. If the 2026 result follows the 2025 pace from the June 14 exam date, students can expect the result by approximately July 30, 2026.

What are the Karnataka PGCET 2026 Exam Dates?

Karnataka PGCET 2026 spans two exam windows: M.Tech/M.E./M.Arch/M.Plan (completed May 23) and MBA/MCA (June 14, 2026). Below is an event-by-event breakdown of the complete PGCET 2026 lifecycle — from registration through counselling — with key actions students must take at each stage.

Karnataka PGCET 2026 Registration Dates: March 23 – April 30, 2026

The Karnataka PGCET 2026 online registration window opened on March 23, 2026 and was extended to April 30, 2026, from an initial deadline of April 8. The application fee payment window closed separately on May 5, 2026. Registration is now permanently closed; no late applications or post-deadline stream corrections are permitted.

• Registration Start Date: March 23, 2026
• Registration Last Date (Extended): April 30, 2026
• Fee Payment Deadline: May 5, 2026
• Application Fee: Rs 650 (General/OBC); Rs 500 (SC/ST/Category-I)
• Application Portal: cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/pgcet2026
• Status: Closed — no further applications accepted

Note: The Karnataka PGCET 2026 registration window is now closed. No late applications are accepted under any circumstances.

Karnataka PGCET 2026 Application Correction Window

KEA typically offers a brief correction window after registration closes, allowing students to fix errors in personal details, category declaration, or course preference. For PGCET 2026, any officially announced correction dates are published on the KEA portal. Students should check the portal directly for the correction schedule, as KEA does not issue a separate standalone notice for this window.

• Correction Dates: As notified on the official KEA portal
• Fields Typically Allowed: Personal details, category, photo/signature (per KEA guidelines)
• Action Required: Log in to the KEA application portal and submit corrections within the notified window only

Karnataka PGCET 2026 Admit Card Release Date: June 7, 2026 (MBA/MCA)

The admit card for the MBA and MCA exams (June 14, 2026) was released on June 7, 2026 — one week before the exam. The M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan admit card was released earlier on May 15, 2026 (8 days before the May 23 exam). Students must download the admit card from the KEA portal and carry a printed copy to the exam centre; digital display on a mobile device is not accepted as a valid admit card.

• M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan Admit Card: Released May 15, 2026 (exam already concluded)
• MBA/MCA Admit Card: Released June 7, 2026 — download now from the KEA portal
• Download Link: cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/pgcet2026
• Login Credentials: Application number and date of birth
• Documents to Carry: Printed admit card + one valid photo ID (Aadhaar/PAN/Passport)

Note: Report to the exam centre at least 30 minutes before the entry bell. Late entry is not permitted under any circumstances — even if you hold a valid admit card.

Karnataka PGCET 2026 Exam Day Schedule

Karnataka PGCET 2026 is a two-day exam. The M.Tech/M.E./M.Arch/M.Plan paper was conducted on May 23, 2026 in a single afternoon shift. The MBA and MCA papers are scheduled for June 14, 2026 — MBA in the morning shift and MCA in the afternoon shift. Both papers are 2 hours long and conducted in offline OMR-based mode at KEA-designated centres across Karnataka.

M.Tech/M.E./M.Arch/M.Plan — May 23, 2026 (Concluded)

MBA — June 14, 2026 (Upcoming)

MCA — June 14, 2026 (Upcoming)

Note: Report to the exam centre at least 30 minutes before entry opens. Late entry is not permitted under any circumstances — even if you hold a valid admit card.

Karnataka PGCET 2026 Answer Key Release Dates

The provisional answer key for M.Tech streams was released on May 25, 2026, with a 2-day objection window closing May 27. The revised (final) answer key — incorporating expert-reviewed objections — was published on June 2, 2026. For the MBA and MCA papers, KEA is expected to release the provisional answer key within 7–14 days of the June 14 exam, placing the release in the last week of June 2026. The objection window and revised answer key for MBA/MCA will follow before the result is computed.

• M.Tech Provisional Answer Key: May 25, 2026 (Released)
• M.Tech Objection Window: May 25–27, 2026 (Closed)
• Revised M.Tech Answer Key: June 2, 2026 (Released — final for score calculation)
• MBA/MCA Provisional Answer Key: Expected last week of June 2026
• MBA/MCA Objection Window: Expected to open simultaneously with the provisional key
• Revised MBA/MCA Answer Key: Expected early July 2026

Karnataka PGCET 2026 Result Date

The Karnataka PGCET 2026 result is expected in late July to early August 2026. In 2025, KEA declared the result on August 7 — exactly 46 days after the June 22 MBA/MCA exam. Applying that 46-day window to the June 14, 2026 exam places the indicative result date at approximately July 30, 2026. A slip to early August 2026 is possible if the objection review cycle extends, as it did in 2023 (59-day turnaround).

• M.Tech Result: Expected July 2026 (based on May 23 exam date and 2025 precedent)
• MBA/MCA Result: Expected ~July 30–August 10, 2026
• Result Mode: Online; published on the official KEA portal
• Merit List: Separate stream-wise rank lists for MBA, MCA, M.Tech, M.Arch, and M.Plan

Karnataka PGCET 2026 Counselling Schedule

Karnataka PGCET 2026 counselling will be conducted by KEA in online mode after the result and merit lists are published. Based on historical cycles, counselling typically begins 3–4 weeks after result declaration. If the result is out in late July 2026, the first round of counselling is expected in August 2026. Students participate through the KEA portal — no physical reporting to KEA offices is required during the primary counselling round.

• Counselling Mode: Online, conducted by KEA
• Expected Start: August 2026 (subject to result date)
• Process: Registration → Document verification → Choice filling → Seat allotment → Fee payment → College reporting
• Basis: Karnataka state merit list with reservations as per Karnataka government norms
• Eligibility: Karnataka domicile students and students from institutions with Karnataka state quota seats

Note: Karnataka PGCET counselling is conducted by KEA for Karnataka domicile students and students admitted through Karnataka state quota seats. Students from other states who have not applied for Karnataka-based institutions are not eligible for KEA counselling.

Year-wise Karnataka PGCET Exam Dates and Trends

Karnataka PGCET has undergone a major scheduling transformation between 2021 and 2026. The exam, once held in August–September, now runs in May–June — a compression of nearly 3 months across five years. The table below tracks M.Tech and MBA/MCA exam dates across six cycles, alongside result turnaround time, a key metric for institutions planning induction programmes and for students managing post-exam commitments.

Source: https://cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/pgcet2026; historical data from KEA official notifications

Three trend lines stand out from this data. First, exam dates have advanced from September to May–June between 2021 and 2026 — a 3-month acceleration. This compression benefits colleges, which can now open PG sessions before the monsoon break rather than mid-monsoon. Second, the M.Tech–MBA/MCA date gap has widened in 2026: both streams sat within 1–2 days of each other in 2023–2024, but in 2026, the gap is 22 days (May 23 vs June 14), a direct consequence of the UPSC conflict that forced the MBA/MCA postponement. Third, result turnaround has ranged from 35 to 59 days, with 2025 (46 days) and 2022 (39 days) as the fastest cycles on record; 2026 is projected to mirror 2025 if the objection process runs on schedule.

Why Was the Karnataka PGCET 2026 MBA/MCA Exam Postponed?

KEA originally scheduled the Karnataka PGCET 2026 MBA and MCA exams for May 24, 2026 (Saturday). That date clashed directly with the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination — a national-level test sat by a significant number of Karnataka students who are simultaneously preparing for state PG admissions. Forcing students to choose between the two exams on the same date would have barred UPSC aspirants from participating in Karnataka PGCET. KEA acted proactively and revised the date to June 14, 2026 (Sunday), giving students a 21-day buffer after the UPSC Prelims.

• Original Date: May 24, 2026 (Saturday)
• Revised Date: June 14, 2026 (Sunday)
• Reason for Change: Direct clash with UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination on May 24, 2026
• Impact on M.Tech: None — M.Tech exam held as scheduled on May 23, 2026
• Admit Card Reissue: New admit cards for June 14 were released on June 7, 2026; the May 24 admit card is invalid
• Registration/Eligibility: Unaffected — only the exam date changed

Students who had already downloaded their admit card for the original May 24 date were required to re-download the updated card from the KEA portal after June 7. Exam centre assignments, eligibility, and registration data remained unchanged; the postponement altered only the date printed on the hall ticket.

Countdown to Karnataka PGCET 2026 MBA/MCA Exam Date

With the Karnataka PGCET 2026 MBA and MCA exams 3 days away (as of June 11, 2026), the window for final preparation and logistics is extremely tight. The table below tracks days remaining to each upcoming milestone in the PGCET 2026 post-exam timeline, based on the June 14 exam date and historical turnaround patterns.

Source: https://cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/pgcet2026