Karnataka School Education Department has announced the schedule of the State-Level First Summative Assessment (SA-1) for SSLC students in 2026-27. According to the official timetable, the exams will be held from September 23 to September 30 across the state.
Student preparation for the final board exams and the format, discipline and transparency related to large-scale public examinations are taken into consideration for this assessment.
The SA-1 exams will be conducted on the lines of the preparatory exams students usually take before the annual SSLC board exams. Question papers for the assessment will be prepared centrally by the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) to ensure uniformity and standardisation in all schools. The department has issued a circular directing schools to strictly follow the prescribed guidelines while conducting the examinations.
According to the Department's schedule, the examination will begin on September 23 with the first language paper. The Science examination will be held on September 24, and the Third Language paper will be held on September 25. Social Science is conducted on September 26. Mathematics is held on September 28, and the Second Language examination will be held on September 29. Physical Education, Vocational Education, and Value Education are the last exams on September 30.
The Education Department has also outlined the process of distributing question papers. The board will send the papers digitally to the login portals of headmasters of secondary schools on the respective examination days under the supervision of the Commissioner’s Office, and the school authorities will be responsible for downloading, printing and distributing the question papers to students. The centralised system is intended to preserve confidentiality and to ensure all schools receive the same question papers simultaneously.
The department believes that by conducting SA-1 examinations in a board-style format, students will be a lot more comfortable with the environment and what they will have to contend with when they are preparing for the final SSLC exams. Students are anxious and stressed when they are preparing for annual public exams.
By exposing them to a similar examination structure earlier in the academic year, the department hopes to foster confidence, improve time management skills, and encourage students to focus on academic preparation rather than worrying about the examination process.
The initiative is also aimed at helping students understand the rigours of annual board exam preparation and the transparency involved. This assessment is designed to teach students discipline, fairness and integrity in examinations, education officials said.
By introducing students to those standards in advance, the department will be able to deter malpractice and motivate them to work hard. With the SA-1 examinations coming to an end on September 23, schools and students in Karnataka are now preparing for the SSLC's big day.
