Mysuru: The two-day Common Entrance Test (CET)-2019, conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) for admission to professional courses (Engineering, Architecture, Pharmacy, Agriculture etc.) in the State, began at 21 Centres across the city this morning.

A total of 10,463 students (both boys and girls) have registered for the exam in the city’s 21 centres, which include D. Banumaiah’s PU College, Govt. PU College for Girls in Nazarbad, JSS PU College for Girls, Saraswathipuram, Chinmaya PU College, Government Maharani’s PU College, N.S. Road, Gopalaswamy PU College, Sadvidya PU College, Sarada Vilas PU College, Marimallappa’s PU College, SBRR Mahajana College, Teresian Girls PU College, Vijaya Vittala PU College and Lakshmi Hayagreeva PU College, among others.

On the first day today, Biology was held in the morning session (10.30 am to 11.50 am) while Mathematics in the afternoon session (2.30 pm to 3.50 pm).

Tomorrow, Physics will be held in the morning  and Chemistry in the afternoon. All the subjects will have 60 marks each. Across the State, a total of 1,94,311 students are appearing for the exam at 431 centres, including 84 in Bengaluru and 21 in Mysuru.

The exams were held under tight security, with the Police clamping prohibitory orders in 200 mts radius around all the 21 centres in city between 6 am and 6 pm today and tomorrow.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, DDPUE Dr. Dayananda said that College Principals have been deputed to every centre for functioning as Deputy Chief Superintendents. Every centre will have an Observer, a sitting squad consisting of two staff and a custodian in-charge of question paper bundles.

Pointing out that 400 to 700 students have been accommodated in each centre, he said keeping in mind the safe and secure transit of question papers from District Treasury to every centre, the Department has identified four routes, with one Officer attached to each route.

Explaining the exam system, Dr. Dayananda said that for the first time in CET history, the bell will be rung 7 times during the exam session.

For the exam that commences at 10.30 am, the first bell will be rung 10 minutes earlier at 10.20 am, when the students will be allowed to enter the hall and take seats as per registration number.

The second bell will be rung at 10.30 am, when the question paper will be distributed and the third one at 10.40 am, when the OMR sheets will be distributed; the fourth one at 11.10 am, to send a message that the               exam is into 30 minutes, the fifth one at 11.30 am to indicate that 20 minutes are still left, the sixth one to alert the students that only 5 minutes are left and time is running out and the seventh one at 11.50 pm, the final bell, indicating the end of the exam, he said.

Two students heading for CET killed

In a tragic incident, two students were killed on-the-spot and three others sustained serious injuries when the car they were travelling rammed into a roadside tree in Tiptur taluk of Tumakuru district this morning. The deceased have been identified as Kiran (18) and Trinesh of Dandinashivara in Turuvekere taluk.

Five students from Dandinashivara were on their way in a car to take up the CET exam at a Chikkamagaluru centre at about 8 am when the car rammed into a roadside tree at Kundurpalya on B-H Road. While Kiran and Trinesh were killed on-the-spot, three others who were severely injured in the mishap, were rushed to nearby hospital, where their condition is said to be critical.

K.B. Halli Cross Police have registered a case in this regard.