KPSC KAS Gazetted Probationers Recruitment 2026 - Group A & Group B, 319 Posts, Apply Online

The Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) has released its Gazetted Probationers 2026-27 notification, inviting applications for 319 posts — 117 Group A and 202 Group B — across 18 designations in departments like Revenue, Commercial Tax, Co-operation, Social Welfare and Urban Development. Any Bachelor's or Master's degree holder aged 21 to 40 (with relaxation for reserved categories) can apply. The extended online application deadline is 7 September 2026.

Who Should Apply

• Group A posts (117 vacancies) — includes Assistant Commissioner (Junior Scale), Assistant Commissioner of Commercial Taxes, Assistant Director (Treasury), Executive Officer/Assistant Secretary (Panchayat Raj), and Assistant Director Grade-1 (Social Welfare)
• Group B posts (202 vacancies) — includes Tahsildar Grade-2, Commercial Tax Officer, Assistant Superintendent (Prisons), Assistant Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Chief Officer Grade-1 (Urban Development), Section Officer (Secretariat/KPSC), and several other departmental posts

Any candidate with a Bachelor's or Master's degree from a recognised Indian university is eligible for all 18 designations — there's no separate subject-specific qualification bar for individual posts under these rules, unlike many other government recruitments.

Eligibility & Age Limit

The sole qualification requirement across all 18 posts is a Bachelor's or Master's Degree from a University established by law in India (or an equivalent qualification) — there's no post-specific subject requirement. Minimum age is 21 years. Maximum age is 40 years for General Merit candidates, 43 years for Category 2A/2B/3A/3B, and 45 years for SC/ST/Category-1 candidates. A one-time additional relaxation of 5 years applies to all these limits for this specific recruitment cycle (per Government Order dated 29 January 2026). On top of that, Ex-servicemen get relaxation equal to their length of military service plus 3 years, Persons with Disabilities get 10 years, and widowed/divorced candidates who haven't remarried get 10 years — subject to conditions in the notification.

See every current opening open to degree-holder candidates.

Salary & Pay Scale

The notification does not specify individual pay scales for each of the 18 posts — pay is governed by the respective service rules for each designation and isn't detailed in this recruitment notice. [Check] the exact pay scale for your target post directly with KPSC or the relevant department's service rules before relying on any specific figure quoted elsewhere.

Important Dates

The exact date, time and venue for the Preliminary Examination will be published separately closer to the exam; Main Examination and Personality Test dates aren't announced yet.

Application Fee

Fee is paid online via Net Banking, Debit Card, Credit Card, or UPI, and is non-refundable once paid — it also can't be adjusted against any other exam or notification.

How to Apply

1. Visit kpsconline.karnataka.gov.in.
2. If applying for the first time, complete One Time Registration (OTR) with all personal details — these can't be edited later once submitted.
3. Log in using your Enrollment Number/Mobile Number/Email ID and OTP.
4. Go to "Apply to Post," select this notification, and review the eligibility conditions shown.
5. Complete the post-specific application form using details carried over from your OTR profile.
6. Click "Pay Now" and complete the fee payment via UPI, Debit Card, Credit Card, or Net Banking — don't close the browser or press back/refresh while payment is processing.
7. Verify your submission under "Applied Post" and download the confirmation receipt with its QR code.

Since the exam involves negative marking and a tight photo/signature spec, resize your photo and signature to the exact spec — photo under 200 KB, signature under 70 KB, both JPEG/JPG — before you start the form, and use the age calculator to confirm you fall within the age window as on the application deadline.

How Are Candidates Selected

Preliminary Examination: Objective (MCQ), two papers of 200 marks each (400 total) — Paper I covers General Studies of national/international importance, Paper II covers state-specific General Studies, Science & Technology, Environment & Ecology, and Mental Ability. There's negative marking of 0.25 marks per wrong answer. This stage is purely a screening round — marks don't count toward final merit. Candidates advance to the Main Exam at roughly 1:15 against vacancies.

Main Examination: Descriptive, with 2 qualifying language papers (Kannada and English, 150 marks each — candidates must score at least 35% in each to qualify, though these marks don't count toward merit) plus 5 compulsory papers (Essay, and General Studies I–IV, 250 marks each, 1250 marks total).

Personality Test: Candidates who clear the Main Exam are called for interview at roughly 1:3 against vacancies, worth 25 marks — combined with the Main Exam's 1250 marks for a grand total of 1275.

Note: for posts involving field or law-and-order duties (Karnataka Police Service Junior Scale Group A, Karnataka Prisons Service, and Deputy Superintendent of Excise), the notification also prescribes minimum physical standards (height, chest measurement, endurance test).

Why This Job Matters

This is one of Karnataka's most sought-after state civil service recruitments — KAS Gazetted Probationer posts feed directly into administrative leadership roles across the state government, from Tahsildars handling revenue administration to Commercial Tax Officers and Section Officers in the Secretariat. With 319 vacancies across 18 designations in a single cycle, this is a notably large drive, and 22 of those posts carry a dedicated Hyderabad-Karnataka (Article 371(J)) local cadre reservation reflecting that region's special constitutional status.

The FreshersLike Take

Best fit: A strong fit for Karnataka graduates who want a genuine administrative civil-service career with long-term stability and a clear promotional hierarchy — since qualification requirements are the same across all 18 posts, you have real flexibility in choosing which department appeals most to you.

Who should think twice: This is a genuinely tough multi-stage exam — Preliminary marks don't even count toward merit, they're pure screening, and the Main Exam alone runs to 1250 marks across five descriptive papers plus two qualifying language papers, so this isn't a quick-prep exam; budget for months of sustained study, not weeks.

Practical tip: Since Preliminary Exam marks are discarded entirely once you clear the cutoff, don't over-invest in squeezing out marginal extra marks there — focus your real preparation time on the Main Exam's descriptive General Studies papers, since that's where your actual rank gets decided.

Documents Required

• Bachelor's/Master's Degree certificate or provisional pass certificate
• SSLC/10th standard marks card, for date of birth verification
• Category certificate (SC/ST/Category-1/2A/2B/3A/3B), issued by the competent Tahsildar, where applicable
• Non-creamy layer certificate, where applicable for 2A/2B/3A/3B categories
• Rural study certificate, where claiming rural candidate benefit
• Kannada Medium study certificate, where claiming Kannada Medium candidate benefit
• Ex-Military Person certificate/discharge certificate, where applicable
• Disability certificate in the prescribed format, where applicable
• Hyderabad-Karnataka (Article 371(J)) local candidate proof, where applicable
• Recent photograph (under 200 KB) and scanned signature (under 70 KB), JPEG/JPG format

What Happens After Selection

[Check] — the notification and available sources detail the examination and interview stages in full, but don't specify what happens after the Personality Test (such as final result publication timeline, document verification scheduling, or joining/posting process) — check the KPSC website directly for this once results are announced.

Important Links

Common Questions

How many vacancies are there in KPSC Gazetted Probationers Recruitment 2026?

319 total — 117 Group A posts and 202 Group B posts across 18 designations, including 22 posts under the Hyderabad-Karnataka local cadre quota.

What is the last date to apply?

7 September 2026 (extended from the original 31 August 2026 deadline, reportedly due to a server issue affecting caste/income certificate access on the Nadakacheri/Seva Sindhu portal).

Can a postgraduate apply, or only a Bachelor's degree holder?

Both — the notification accepts a Bachelor's Degree or a Master's Degree from a recognised Indian university, or an equivalent qualification, for all 18 posts equally.

Is there a different qualification for each of the 18 posts?

No. Unlike many recruitments, KPSC's Gazetted Probationers Rules set one common qualification (Bachelor's/Master's degree) for every post in this notification — there's no post-specific subject requirement.

What is the application fee?

₹600 for General Merit, ₹300 for Category 2A/2B/3A/3B, ₹50 for Ex-Military Personnel, and no fee for SC/ST/Category-1/PWD candidates.

Is the Preliminary Exam computer-based?

No — it's a pen-and-paper objective (MCQ) test, not a computer-based test, based on the sources reviewed.

Do Preliminary Exam marks count toward my final rank?

No. The Preliminary Exam is purely a screening/qualifying stage — only Main Exam and Personality Test marks (1275 total) count toward the final merit list.

What is the salary for these posts?

The notification doesn't specify pay scales for individual posts — this is governed separately by each post's service rules. [Check] this directly before assuming any figure you see elsewhere.

Browse every current opening in Karnataka.