KPSC Gazetted Probationers 2026-27 — 319 Group A and B Posts
The Gazetted Probationers (GP) exam fills Karnataka's senior administrative posts. This page follows the KPSC notification of 31 July 2026 for 319 posts (117 Group A, 202 Group B; 297 in the residual parent cadre and 22 in the Hyderabad-Karnataka cadre) and its corrigendum of 31 August 2026.
The 2026-27 notification
KPSC notification No. KPSCKA/EXA1/EXMF/9/2026-EXAM-1/I/251710/2026 of 31 July 2026 invites applications for 319 Gazetted Probationer posts under the Karnataka Gazetted Probationers (Appointment by Competitive Examinations) Rules, 1997. Online applications opened on 1 August 2026; the preliminary examination is tentatively set for 15 November 2026. [1]
The original closing date of 31 August 2026 was extended to 7 September 2026 because many applicants could not get caste, income and Hyderabad-Karnataka certificates in time from the Nadakacheri and Seva Sindhu servers. Nothing else in the notification changed. [2]
Group A posts (residual parent cadre + Hyderabad-Karnataka cadre) [1]
| Post and department | RPC | HK | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant Commissioner (junior scale), DPAR | 36 | 3 | 39 |
| Assistant Commissioner of Commercial Taxes | 50 | – | 50 |
| Assistant Director, Treasury | 2 | – | 2 |
| Executive Officer / Assistant Secretary, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj | 13 | 2 | 15 |
| Assistant Director Grade-1, Social Welfare | 11 | – | 11 |
| Total Group A | 112 | 5 | 117 |
Group B posts [1]
| Post and department | RPC | HK | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tahsildar (Grade-2), Revenue | 18 | 7 | 25 |
| Commercial Tax Officer | 74 | – | 74 |
| Assistant Superintendent, Prisons | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Assistant Registrar of Co-operative Societies | 19 | 2 | 21 |
| Assistant Director, Agricultural Marketing | 10 | 2 | 12 |
| Excise Deputy Superintendent | 5 | – | 5 |
| Employment Officer, Skill Development | 3 | – | 3 |
| Chief Officer (Grade-1), Urban Development | 18 | 2 | 20 |
| Assistant Treasury Officer, Finance | 12 | – | 12 |
| Assistant Director, Food & Civil Supplies | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Section Officer, Karnataka Government Secretariat | 5 | – | 5 |
| Section Officer, KPSC | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Assistant Director Grade-2, Social Welfare | 11 | – | 11 |
| Total Group B | 185 | 17 | 202 |
Degree, age and number of attempts
- Qualification: a bachelor's or master's degree from a university established by law in India, or an equivalent qualification (Rule 7). Final-year students may sit the prelims, but must show the degree when applying for the mains.
- Citizenship: the candidate must be a citizen of India.
- Age: at least 21 on the last date for applications. [1]
Maximum age (includes the one-time 5-year relaxation of Government Order 29-01-2026) [1]
| Category | Maximum age |
|---|---|
| General merit | 40 |
| Category 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B | 43 |
| SC, ST, Category-1 | 45 |
- Ex-servicemen: military service + 3 years.
- Persons with disabilities: 10 years more.
- Widows: 10 years more (with a certificate that they have not remarried). [1]
Maximum attempts at the preliminary exam [1]
| Category | Attempts |
|---|---|
| General merit | 5 |
| Category 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B | 7 |
| SC, ST | No limit |
Physical standards apply to some posts — for example Deputy Superintendent of Police (Civil) asks men for 165 cm height and 84 cm chest, and women for 157 cm and 46 kg; Assistant Superintendent of Prisons and Excise Deputy Superintendent have their own tables in para 11 of the notification. [1]
Prelims, mains with Kannada and English, then interview
Preliminary exam — two objective papers, 2 hours each, 2 marks per question [1]
| Paper | Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | General studies (national and international importance) | 40 | 80 |
| Paper 1 | Humanities | 60 | 120 |
| Paper 2 | General studies related to State importance | 40 | 80 |
| Paper 2 | General science & technology, environment & ecology | 30 | 60 |
| Paper 2 | General mental ability | 30 | 60 |
| Total | 200 | 400 |
- Negative marking: one-fourth (0.25) of the marks of a question is deducted for each wrong answer; more than one answer counts as wrong; a blank answer has no penalty.
- Papers are set in Kannada and English; general mental ability is at SSLC level, the rest at degree level.
- 15 times the number of vacancies are admitted to the mains, category-wise. [1]
Main examination (descriptive) [1]
| Paper | Subject | Marks | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | Kannada | 150 | 2 |
| Qualifying | English | 150 | 2 |
| Paper 1 | Essay | 250 | 3 |
| Papers 2–5 | General Studies 1, 2, 3, 4 (250 each) | 1,000 | 3 each |
| Written total | 1,250 | ||
| Personality test | 25 | ||
| Grand total | 1,275 |
The Kannada and English papers only qualify, but you must score at least 35% (52.5 of 150) in each. Anyone who misses this mark is not called for the personality test, however high the other papers are. [1]
Candidates are called for the personality test in a 1:3 ratio to vacancies; the final 1:1 select list adds written and interview marks. [1]
Application fee
| Candidate | Fee |
|---|---|
| General merit | ₹600 |
| Category 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B | ₹300 |
| Ex-servicemen | ₹50 |
| SC, ST, Category-1, persons with disabilities | Exempt |
Source [1]
Paid online only (net banking, debit or credit card, UPI) and never refunded or carried over to another exam. Demand drafts and postal orders are not accepted. [1]
Caste forms, rural, Kannada medium and Hyderabad-Karnataka
Caste certificate formats (Annexure-2 of the notification) [1]
| Category | Form |
|---|---|
| SC (Category A, B, C) and ST | Form D |
| Category-1 | Form E |
| Category 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B | Form F |
- Validity: SC, ST and Category-1 certificates stay valid for life unless cancelled; 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B certificates are valid for 5 years and must be valid on the last date for applications.
- Balija sub-castes: Balija, Banajiga, Naidu, Telaga Balija, Shetty Balija and related sub-castes are 2A for education but must claim 3A for jobs.
- Rural candidates: must have studied Class 1 to 10 in a rural area; general-merit applicants need Form-1 (creamy-layer exclusion from the Tahsildar) and Form-2 (study certificate signed by the head teacher and countersigned by the Block Education Officer); reserved categories need Form-2.
- Kannada medium: Class 1 to 10 in Kannada medium, certified by the head teacher (Government notification of 24-10-2002).
- Hyderabad-Karnataka (Article 371(J)): local-person eligibility certificate in Annexure-A from the Assistant Commissioner of the sub-division.
- Category is final: a reservation not claimed in the online form cannot be claimed later. [1]
What to upload and keep ready
- KPSC one-time registration (OTR) on kpsconline.karnataka.gov.in, then 'Apply to Post'.
- Photograph and signature in JPEG (photo up to 200 KB, signature up to 70 KB).
- Date of birth: only the SSLC (or equivalent) marks card, transfer certificate or cumulative-record extract is accepted.
- Degree certificate and marks cards (for the mains).
- Caste / income certificate RD number, rural Form-1 / Form-2, Kannada-medium certificate, Annexure-A for HK, ex-servicemen and disability papers — all obtained before the last date and uploaded with the form. [1]
Pay scales
The 2026-27 notification lists posts, cadres and vacancy classification but does not print pay scales, so none is shown here. Each department's pay scale is notified under the Karnataka Civil Services rules; in-hand salary adds dearness allowance and HRA and subtracts deductions.
Where Gazetted Probationers work
Group A officers start as Assistant Commissioners (sub-division revenue heads), Assistant Commissioners of Commercial Taxes, Executive Officers of taluk panchayats and Assistant Directors; Group B officers start as Tahsildars, Commercial Tax Officers, Chief Officers of urban local bodies, Assistant Registrars of co-operatives, Section Officers and similar posts. The 22 Hyderabad-Karnataka cadre posts are filled from local candidates of that region. [1]
Where these facts come from
Every fact on this page is taken from the official files below, read on 14 October 2026. Boards change rules, fees and dates every cycle — open the current notification before you apply.
- KPSC — Notification, Gazetted Probationers Group A & B 2026-27, No. KPSCKA/EXA1/EXMF/9/2026-EXAM-1/I/251710/2026 (31 Jul 2026, Kannada) (opens in a new tab) 319 posts, dates, qualification, age and attempts, fee, prelims and mains scheme, negative marking, reservation certificates, physical standards, documents · Last checked 14 Oct 2026
- KPSC — Corrigendum notification, GP 2026-27 (31 Aug 2026) (opens in a new tab) application deadline extended to 7 Sep 2026 · Last checked 14 Oct 2026
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