The Karnataka government will introduce state-level question papers for First Pre-University Course (1st PUC) annual examinations from 2027, ending the practice of individual colleges preparing their own papers.
Under the revised system, the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) will prepare common question papers for pre-university colleges across the state. The government issued an order on November 7, assigning the responsibility to the board. School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa announced the decision through his official social media account.
The new arrangement will also introduce a uniform timetable for written examinations. Question papers will be prepared centrally and transmitted digitally to colleges on the respective examination days.
The Department of School Education (Pre-University) will continue to oversee the conduct of the examinations. KSEAB will be responsible for preparing the papers, while colleges will retain responsibility for evaluating answer scripts.
College-level evaluation to continue
Although students across Karnataka will write common question papers, answer scripts will continue to be evaluated at their respective colleges under the supervision of principals.
Results will be published only after the respective District Deputy Directors of Pre-University Education review and approve the marks submitted by colleges.
Practical examinations will follow a separate schedule prepared at the district level. The government has also provided for inter-college examination supervisors and vigilance squads to monitor examination centres and prevent irregularities.
The revised arrangement will cover government, government-aided and unaided private pre-university colleges, along with institutions offering PU courses under other state government departments.
Government seeks to monitor academic performance earlier
The state government has said the change will help it assess academic standards from the first year of the two-year pre-university course.
“This measure will enable the department to monitor the quality of education as early as I PU stage. Furthermore, it will pave the way for improving the pass percentage in the II PU exam,” Bangarappa said.
Under the existing system, colleges independently prepared, printed and distributed their 1st PUC annual examination papers. This resulted in differences in question patterns, syllabus coverage and difficulty levels across institutions.
A common state-level paper is expected to provide students with a more consistent examination standard and help the department identify learning gaps before they enter 2nd PUC.
Question banks and model papers available
KSEAB and the Pre-University Education Department have made model question papers, question banks and examination blueprints available to students through the board's official website.
The 2027 examinations will follow the prescribed syllabus and published blueprints. The government has not yet announced the detailed examination timetable.