KPSC Exam Pattern 2024: Syllabus, Marking Scheme, Subject Wise Pattern

Introduction

Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) is the governing body for recruiting public servants. The KPSC conducts these exams twice a year. The first session is between January and June, and the second one is between July and December.

This guide consists of details about KPSC exam patterns and syllabi of various exams conducted by the KPSC. Some of the main posts for which this exam serves as a basis are

• Karnataka Administrative Services,
• Group A, B, C, D postings,
• Assistant Controller of Forests (ACF),
• First Divisional Assistant (FDA),
• Second Divisional Assistant (SDA),
• Assistant Engineers (AE),
• Junior Engineers (JE), etc.

KPSC exam pattern is slightly different for different posts.

KPSC 2024 Highlights of the Exam

Here’s a summary of the KPSC KAS Recruitment 2024 highlights:

Particulars	Details
Name of the Board	Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC)
Website	www.kpsc.kar.nic.in
Name of the Post	KPSC Administrative Posts
Year	2024
Vacancies	384
Application Start Date	4th March 2024
Application End Date	15th April 2024
Selection Process	Prelims, Mains, Document Verification
Exam Center Location	Karnataka
Prelims Exam Date	Originally on 27th August 2024, now re-exam scheduled for 29th December 2024
Exam Mode	Offline
Pay Scale	INR 28,100/-
Age Limit	21 to 38 years (with relaxations for certain categories)
Admit Card Release Date	To be announced
Mains Exam Date	To be announced
Contact Info	Helpline: 080-44554455; Email: kpsc.kar.nic.in

Key Updates:

• The re-exam for the KPSC KAS Prelims has been officially scheduled for 29th December 2024.
• The total number of vacancies has been confirmed at 384, including positions in both Group A and Group B.
• Candidates must adhere to the age limits and application deadlines specified above to be eligible for the recruitment process.

For more detailed information, you can visit the KPSC official website or check updates on platforms like Testbook and ABP News.

KPSC 2024 Exam dates

TThe KPSC (Karnataka Public Service Commission) has scheduled the KAS (Karnataka Administrative Service) Prelims exam for August 27, 2024. The exam will be conducted in two shifts: from 10 AM to 12 PM and 2 PM to 4 PM​.

If you’re planning to apply, make sure to submit your application by April 15, 2024, as this date has been extended​. For more details on the exam structure and other updates, you can visit the KPSC official website.

KPSC Exam Pattern for 2024

The KPSC Exam pattern consists of a 3-stage evaluation process. This pattern is valid for most posts like Grade A, Grade B, Grade C, Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF), etc. The syllabus for the exam for different posts might differ.

The KPSC exam pattern for various posts is mentioned below:

• KPSC Karnataka Administrative Services (KAS) exam pattern:

Stage 1– Preliminary Exam:

This is the first stage of the KPSC exam and is divided into two papers. Details about these papers are:

• Each paper has 100 questions and carries 200 marks.
• The duration of each prelim exam paper is two hours.
• All questions are multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
• According to the KPSC, negative marking for each wrong answer is applicable.
• There will be a fixed deduction of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer.

The purpose of this exam is to filter non-eligible candidates. KPSC does not count the marks obtained in this exam for the merit list of candidates who appear for the interview.

Stage 2– Mains Exam:

This is the second stage of the KPSC exam and is a written and subjective test. The details are:

• This exam has a total of 9 descriptive papers.
• Candidates must pass a separate English and Kannada test before the Mains exams.
• This is the first and second exam of this stage. The following paper includes essay writing. Then there are four general papers. The last two papers are from an optional subject.
• The examination is conducted in English, except for the Kannada test.
• The total of marks for this stage of examination is 1,250.
• The English and Kannada language tests are of two hours. The maximum duration for the rest of the Mains papers is three hours.

KPSC considers only marks obtained in the general and optional exams for the final merit. All those who clear the cut-off of the KPSC Mains exam are selected for the final interview round.

Stage 3– Final Interview:

A panel of seasoned experts conducts this stage of the examination. This is a one-on-one personality test. The chairperson of KPMC leads the interviewing body.

KPSC ACF exam pattern: 

• The prelims stage is the same as the KAS exam pattern.
• The Mains stage consists of only four papers. The first two papers are descriptive papers based on English and Kannada language.
• The other two papers are Forestry 1 and Forestry 2 for BSc Forestry graduates. People who graduated in other subjects can choose from a list of optional subjects.
• All papers from the prelims as well the Mains stage carry 100 marks.
• The interview stage is common for all categories of KPSC exams.

KPSC FDA exam pattern:

The KPSC FDA/SDA exam pattern differs from the other posts. The KPSC FDA exam pattern is shown below:

• The exam comprises only three papers.
• The main paper is a Compulsory Kannada Paper. It is descriptive and carries 150 marks.
• The remaining two papers are General English/ General Kannada and General Knowledge. They are of objective types and carry 100 marks each.
• The duration of each FDA/SDA paper is 90 minutes.
• Candidates can choose an option between General English and General Kannada.

The KPSC FDA and SDA exam patterns are the same

For Group A, B, and C Exam:

KPSC Group A exam pattern:

• The first stage is the same: two MCQ-type papers of 200 marks.
• The second stage, or the Mains, comprises eight papers of descriptive type. Two of these are language tests for English and Kannada. The third and fourth papers are for General Studies.

KPSC Group B exam pattern:

• Candidates have to clear a Kannada language exam.
• A competitive exam of 400 marks follows this. This exam comprises two papers of 200 marks each and is of MCQ type.
• After this, there is a document verification followed by a personal interview.

KPSC Group C exam pattern:

• The exam consists of only two papers, the first being General Knowledge.
• The second paper is a general paper consisting of four subjects.
• A personal interview follows these two papers.

KPSC 2024 Syllabus

The syllabi of KPSC exams for various posts are as follows:

1. Karnataka Administrative Services (KAS) Exam:

Prelims Paper I Syllabus	Prelims Paper II Syllabus
National & international current affairs	Current affairs related to Karnataka
History of Karnataka, India, and the World	Various schemes of the Karnataka state government
Geography of Karnataka, India, and the World	Knowledge about general science and technology
Indian political system and economy	Environment, climate change
	Mental Ability

• The syllabus for KAS Mains Exam is as follows:

Papers	Syllabus
Paper 1: English	Comprehension, vocabulary, precis, grammar communication, short essay writing
Paper 2: Kannada	Same as above
Paper 3: Essay writing	Two essays (written either in Kannada or English)
Paper 4: General studies 1	Modern history, cultural heritage, etc.
Paper 5: General studies 2	Physical and natural resources, the Constitution of India, etc.
Paper 6: General studies 3	Basics of the general sciences
Paper 7: General studies 4	Aptitude, ethics, etc.
Paper 8: Optional subject 1	Agriculture, marketing, sericulture, and agriculture cooperation Animal husbandry, fisheries, and veterinary sciences Athropology, Geography, Geology, History, Law Political science and international relations Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology Management, Mathematics, Mechanical engineering· Botany, Chemistry, Civil engineering Commerce and accountancy, Economic Electrical engineering Physics, Statistics, Zoology Rural development and cooperation English, Hindi, Kannada, Urdu.
Paper 9: Optional Subject 2	Same as above

2. ACF Exam syllabus:

• The syllabus is the same as the KAS exam for the prelims stage.
• Syllabus for Mains

Paper 1	English
Paper 2	Kannada
Paper 3	Forestry 1
Paper 4	Forestry 2

Non-Forestry graduates have to choose an optional subject from:

Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Civil engineering, Botany, Zoology, Agriculture, Animal husbandry & Veterinary science.

The syllabus for the KPSC FDA/SDA exam is as follows:

SUBJECT	SYLLABUS
Paper 1: Compulsory Kannada	Kannada grammar, spelling, vocabulary, short essay, etc.
Paper 2: General English/General Kannada	English/Kannada grammar, vocabulary, idioms and phrases, etc.
Paper 3: General Knowledge	Social sciences, general sciences, current affairs, etc.

• Syllabus for the KPSC Group A, B, and C Exam:

Group A Prelims Syllabus:

Prelims Paper I (150 marks)	Prelims Paper II: Syllabus (300 marks)
General Studies	Commerce and management

Group A Mains Syllabus:

Paper 1	Kannada
Paper 2	English
Paper 3	General Studies 1
Paper 4	General Studies 2
Paper 5	Financial Accounting
Paper 6	Principles of management
Paper 7	Corporate finance, taxation, etc.
Paper 8	Auditing, eCommerce, etc.

Group B Syllabus:

Paper 1	English, mental ability, general awareness
Paper 2	Civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering

Group C Syllabus

Paper 1	General knowledge
Paper 2	General Kannada, English, Computer knowledge

Conclusion

In conclusion, the KPSC exam pattern is robust and designed to select the most capable candidates for public service roles in Karnataka, promoting integrity, intelligence, and commitment to serving the community. For more detailed information about the KPSC exam pattern and updates, you can refer to the official KPSC website or the recruitment notifications.

Frequently Asked Questions