| Conducting body | Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC). Official website ↗ |
|---|---|
| Posts | KAS Officer (Junior Time Scale) Trainee: Stream 1 (open), Stream 2 (government employees) and Stream 3 (first gazetted officers) |
| Qualification | A bachelor's degree in any subject, including professional degrees, from a recognised university or a national institute set up by the Government of India. |
| Age limit | 21–32 years on 1 January 2025 (general category) |
| Domicile | See the notification |
| Selection stages | Preliminary exam: two objective papers, screening only → Main exam: three descriptive papers → Interview (45 marks) |
| Latest notification | KAS Officer (Junior Time Scale) Trainee, Streams 1-3, Category Nos. 01-03/2025 · 31 vacancies |
Last checked . Sources
About Kerala KAS
The Kerala Administrative Service is the state's own administrative cadre, recruited by Kerala PSC in three streams. Stream 1 is open to any graduate, Stream 2 is for regular government employees below first gazetted rank, and Stream 3 is for first gazetted officers in the listed departments. The 2025 notification (Category Nos. 01-03/2025) had 31 vacancies, split 11, 10 and 10, on a pay scale of ₹77,200–1,40,500.
Eligibility
Age limit
General category: 21–32 years, counted on 1 January 2025.
Age relaxation
- OBC: 3 years
- SC: 5 years
- ST: 5 years
- Stream 2 is 21 to 40. Stream 3 candidates must not have completed 50 on 1 January 2025.
- Widows get up to 5 years. Differently abled candidates get up to 10 or 15 years depending on the disability.
- No combination of concessions can take the upper limit past 50.
Qualification
A bachelor's degree in any subject, including professional degrees, from a recognised university or a national institute set up by the Government of India.
Other conditions
- Stream 2 and Stream 3 candidates must meet the service conditions in the notification and produce the service certificate in its format.
Selection process
- Preliminary exam: two objective papers, screening only
- Main exam: three descriptive papers
- Interview (45 marks)
Exam pattern
Preliminary exam
Mode: Objective, multiple choice · Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes per paper
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Paper I: General Studies I | 100 |
| Paper II, Part 1: General Studies II | 50 |
| Paper II, Part 2: Malayalam, Tamil or Kannada | 30 |
| Paper II, Part 3: English | 20 |
Main exam
Mode: Descriptive, question-cum-answer booklet · Duration: 2 hours per paper
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Paper I: General Studies | 100 |
| Paper II: General Studies | 100 |
| Paper III: General Studies | 100 |
Interview
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Interview | 45 |
Kerala KAS syllabus
Prelims Paper I: General Studies I
- History of India and Kerala
- World history from the mid-18th century
- Cultural heritage of Kerala
- Indian Constitution, public administration, political system, governance, social justice and international relations
- Reasoning, mental ability and simple arithmetic
- Geography
Prelims Paper II: General Studies II and languages
- Economy and planning
- Science and technology
- Current events
- English language proficiency
- Malayalam, Kannada or Tamil language proficiency
Main exam
- Paper I: history of India and Kerala, world history, cultural heritage of Kerala
- Paper II: Constitution, public administration, political system, governance, social justice and international relations; science and technology; current issues
- Paper III: economy and planning; geography; current issues in both
What they ask
Prelims is a screening test: its marks do not count in the final rank, which comes from the three 100-mark mains papers and the 45-mark interview. Paper II of prelims mixes general studies with 30 marks of Malayalam, Tamil or Kannada and 20 marks of English. Mains papers are descriptive and can be answered in English, Malayalam, Tamil or Kannada. Kerala history and Kerala's cultural heritage appear in both stages.
How to prepare
- Prepare Kerala history and cultural heritage in depth. They are separate units in prelims Paper I and mains Paper I.
- Do not neglect the language parts of prelims Paper II; 50 of its 100 marks are Malayalam (or Tamil or Kannada) and English.
- Start writing timed answers early, because mains gives 2 hours for each 100-mark paper.
- Download the full syllabus from the notification itself, since Kerala PSC prints it there in detail for every paper.
Practise Kerala KAS syllabus topics a few minutes a day with short quizzes in the Improvam app.
How to apply
- Create a One Time Registration profile on keralapsc.gov.in, or log in to the one you already have.
- Open the notification and click 'Apply Now' against the category number. Kerala PSC charges no application fee.
- When the exam programme comes out, submit your confirmation to write the test from your profile within the window given. Applications without a confirmation are rejected.
- Download the admission ticket from your profile. It opens in the last 15 days before the test.
Photo and signature
- Photo: JPG, 200 pixels high and 150 pixels wide, up to 30 KB, face and shoulders clearly visible on a white or light background. A new One Time Registration profile needs a photo taken within the last six months, with your name and the date printed at the bottom.
- Signature: JPG, 150 pixels wide and 100 pixels high, up to 30 KB. A blank, unclear or incomplete signature image gets the application rejected.
Source: official instructions ↗
Resize your photo and signature for Kerala KAS
Previous papers and answer keys
Kerala KAS FAQs
21 to 32 in the 2025 notification, meaning born between 2 January 1993 and 1 January 2004. SC/ST candidates get 5 extra years and OBC candidates 3.
Sources
- Kerala PSC notification, KAS Officer (Junior Time Scale) Trainee, Category Nos. 01-03/2025 ↗ (official, checked )
- Kerala PSC General Conditions (Part II of every gazette notification) ↗ (official, checked )
Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.
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