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Karnataka · Government Exams
Karnataka recruits its constables and sub-inspectors through the State Police recruitment cell, cadre by cadre — civil police, armed reserve, the State Reserve Police, the industrial security force — with a separate notification for the Kalyana Karnataka local cadre each time. Since 2024 the written examination has been set and marked by the Karnataka Examinations Authority, and in 2026 the applications went through KEA’s portal as well; the recruitment cell keeps the physical tests, the medical examination and the select lists.
Two things set the state apart. For constables the written examination comes first and the physical tests follow, for one candidate in five by merit — and the paper deducts a quarter mark for a wrong answer and a quarter mark for a question left with no bubble shaded. For sub-inspectors the scheme reverses: physical tests first, then a descriptive paper and an objective paper whose marks are added together. No post in either scheme has an interview.
Karnataka Police · checked 19 September 2026
The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.
Checked 19 September 2026
Six notifications, 7,905 posts — civil 3,991, armed 1,600, KSRP, KSISF and IRB 2,314; all windows closed by 10 August 2026
₹750; ₹500 for SC, ST, Category I, ex-servicemen and third-gender candidates
18 to 33 with a one-time five-year relaxation; 35 for reserved categories; 38 for tribal candidates of the forest areas
Karnataka State Police recruitment cell; KEA conducts the written examination
Notification
Checked 11 September 2026. No police window is open. The civil constable applications closed on 3 July 2026, the armed constable applications on 22 July and the reserve and industrial applications on 10 August, with no extension published for any of them. The civil constable paper was held on 2 August and the final marks list handed to the recruitment cell on 20 August, restricted to candidates with thirty marks or more; the one-in-five physical-test lists are published unit by unit on the recruitment portal. The armed constable paper was held on 6 September with a revised key on 10 September. The reserve and industrial papers are ahead, on 20 September 2026 — the residual cadre in the morning and the Kalyana Karnataka cadre rescheduled to three in the afternoon.
| Post | Notification | Posts | Applications | Written examination | Position at 11 September |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil constable — residual cadre | 02/RECT-4/2026-27, 5 June 2026 | 3,395 | 8 June to 3 July 2026 | 2 August 2026 | Marks list issued 20 August; physical-test lists published |
| Civil constable — Kalyana Karnataka | 01/RECT-4/2026-27, 5 June 2026 | 596 | 8 June to 3 July 2026 | 2 August 2026 | As above |
| Armed constable, CAR and DAR, men — residual | 04/RECT-5(A)/2026-27, 19 June 2026 | 1,421 | 22 June to 22 July 2026 | 6 September 2026 | Revised key 10 September |
| Armed constable, CAR and DAR, men — Kalyana Karnataka | 04/RECT-5(B)/2026-27, 19 June 2026 | 179 | 22 June to 22 July 2026 | 6 September 2026 | As above |
| KSRP constable, men and women — residual | 03/RECT-3(B)/RPC/2026-27, 10 July 2026 | 1,455 — 1,382 men, 73 women | 13 July to 10 August 2026 | 20 September 2026, 10.30 to 12.00 | Kannada test held 22 August; paper ahead |
| KSRP, KSISF and IRB — Kalyana Karnataka | 07/RECT-3(B)/KK/2026-27, 10 July 2026 | 859 — KSRP 334, KSISF 364, IRB 161 | 13 July to 10 August 2026 | 20 September 2026, 3.00 to 4.30 | Rescheduled by KEA note of 10 September |
| Notification | Posts | What happened | Final select list |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98/RECT-2/2020-21, 21 January 2021 | 545 | Written examination of 3 October 2021 cancelled by government order of 29 April 2022 on the CID’s findings; High Court order of 10 November 2022 directed a re-examination by an independent agency at no fresh fee; KEA re-held it on 23 January 2024; provisional lists October 2024 and April 2025 | 25 August 2025 |
| 08/RECT-2/2021-22, 3 March 2021 | 402 | Written examination transferred to KEA by order of 22 February 2024; held 3 October 2024; provisional list 26 December 2024 | 9 September 2025 |
The table on ksp-recruitment.in labels the 2026 rows as open, but every closing date it lists has passed. A press report of 18 July 2026 says 600 civil sub-inspector posts have been sanctioned with 253 to be filled by direct recruitment in a first phase; no government order, notification or date for it appears on any official page, and it should be treated as unconfirmed until one does.
Overview
The constable recruitment of 2026 is the largest the state has run in years, and it is structured as six parallel notifications rather than one. Civil police constables were notified on 5 June for 3,395 residual-cadre posts and 596 Kalyana Karnataka posts; armed police constables for the city and district armed reserves on 19 June for 1,421 and 179; and the State Reserve Police, the industrial security force and the India Reserve Battalion on 10 July for 1,455 and 859. Each pair shares one written examination, and a Kalyana Karnataka candidate may apply to the local cadre or the residual cadre — but to only one unit or battalion per notification.
The sub-inspector recruitments are older and have a history. The 545-post notification of January 2021 had its written examination cancelled in April 2022 after a CID investigation found irregularities; the High Court directed a re-examination by an independent agency at no fresh fee, KEA re-held it in January 2024, and the final select list was published in August 2025. The 402-post notification of March 2021 was transferred to KEA in 2024, examined in October 2024, and finalised in September 2025. No new sub-inspector notification has been published since, and a July 2026 press report of 253 posts sanctioned for direct recruitment has no counterpart on any official page.
The recruitment cell’s portal is ksp-recruitment.in, with the 2021 sub-inspector documents at its arc21 archive and score sheets at its score sub-domain; the written-examination pages, keys and marks lists are on KEA’s site. The older application domain ksp-online.in now serves an unrelated commercial site, and the recruitment.ksp.gov.in address serves a blank page. Every notification is in Kannada, and the notification numbers appear in Kannada on the documents and as RECT on the portal — 02/RECT-4/2026-27 and 02/ನೇಮಕಾತಿ-4/2026-27 are the same document.
Eligibility
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Qualification | PUC or its equivalent — class 12 of CBSE, ICSE or another state board, NIOS senior secondary, a two-year ITI with a language and a subject, the JTC, or a three-year diploma, under the government orders the notification lists. |
| Age — direct | 18 to 33 for the general category, 35 for SC, ST, Category I, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B, and 38 for tribal candidates residing in the state’s forest areas — each including a one-time five-year relaxation ordered on 29 January 2026. |
| Age — in-service | 38 for the general category and 40 for reserved categories in the civil constable table. |
| Ex-servicemen | Length of service plus three years. Zero or negative written scores are not considered. |
| Kannada | Candidates who did not study Kannada as a first or second language at SSLC or above must pass a separate 150-mark Kannada test with 50 marks. |
| Kalyana Karnataka | A local person may apply for the local cadre or the residual cadre, to one unit or battalion per notification; a local person who takes a residual post forfeits the Article 371J benefits for the rest of their service. |
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Qualification | A degree from a university recognised by the UGC by the closing date; a diploma is not equivalent; distance degrees only where UGC-approved. |
| Age | 21 to 30 for others and 32 for SC, ST and backward classes; in-service candidates 35 and 40; ex-servicemen service plus three years. |
| In-service | Five years’ service as an assistant sub-inspector, head constable or constable. |
| Pay | ₹37,900 to ₹70,850 on the 2021 scale; constables ₹37,500 to ₹76,100 in 2026. |
| Post | General, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B | SC, ST, Category I |
|---|---|---|
| Constable, 2026 | ₹750 | ₹500 — also for ex-servicemen and third-gender candidates |
| Sub-inspector, 2021 | ₹500 | ₹250 |
| Candidates | Height | Chest or weight |
|---|---|---|
| Men — all cadres, in-service and ex-servicemen | 168 cm | Chest 86 cm fully expanded, with 5 cm expansion. Ex-servicemen below 168 cm are considered only if enough taller candidates are not available. |
| Women and third-gender — civil constable and sub-inspector | 157 cm | 45 kg |
| Women — KSRP | 158 cm | 45 kg |
| Tribal men of the forest areas | 155 cm | Chest 75 cm with 5 cm expansion |
| Tribal women of the forest areas | 150 cm | 45 kg where stated |
| Candidates | Run | Long jump or high jump | Shot put |
|---|---|---|---|
| Constable men — civil, armed, KSRP, and in-service men | 1,600 m in 6 minutes 30 seconds | 3.80 m or 1.20 m | 7.26 kg to 5.60 m |
| Constable women, third-gender and ex-servicemen | 400 m in 2 minutes | 2.50 m or 0.90 m | 4 kg to 3.75 m |
| KSRP women | 400 m in 1 minute 30 seconds | 2.50 m or 0.90 m | 4 kg to 3.75 m |
| Sub-inspector men, 2021 | 1,600 m in 7 minutes | 3.8 m or 1.20 m | 7.26 kg to 5.60 m |
| Sub-inspector women, in-service and ex-servicemen, 2021 | 400 m in 2 minutes | 2.50 m or 0.90 m | 4 kg to 3.75 m |
The notifications define tribal candidates as members of the Siddi, Jenukuruba, Kadukuruba, Yerava, Soliga, Kudiya, Gowdlu, Hasalaru, Malekudiya and Koraga communities residing in the forest areas of Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru. The 2021 sub-inspector medical standards required 6/9 and 6/9 or 6/9 and 6/12 distant vision, disqualified colour blindness, squint, varicose veins and a speech impediment, and included a chest X-ray.
Selection process
Each stage in order, and what it actually tests.
| Stage | Format | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Written examination — constable | OMR, 100 marks, 90 minutes, first stage | General studies and mental ability in one paper of 100 questions, Kannada and English medium. A quarter mark off for a wrong answer and a quarter mark off for a question with no bubble shaded — the sheet has a fifth bubble for unanswered questions and five extra minutes to shade it. Thirty marks to qualify. |
| Physical standard and endurance tests | Qualifying, for one candidate in five by written merit | The recruitment cell calls candidates in the ratio of one to five per category from the written merit — up to one to ten if too few qualify — for height, chest and weight measurement and then the run, jump and shot put. No marks; a fail ends the candidacy. |
| Medical examination and verification | One to two by written marks | Candidates who pass the physical tests are listed one to two on written marks per category, examined medically, and have their certificates verified. The select list is the written score in reservation order. |
| Sub-inspector — physical tests, then two papers | Descriptive 50 and objective 150, marks added | Under the 2021 scheme the endurance and physical standard tests come first and only those who pass sit the papers: Paper 1 of 50 marks in ninety minutes — an essay, a précis and two translations — and Paper 2 of 100 questions at 1.5 marks each with 0.375 off for a wrong answer. The select list is the two totals added. No interview. |
Exam pattern
| Feature | Rule |
|---|---|
| Paper | General studies and mental ability — general knowledge, geography, history, the Constitution, the national movement, current affairs, mental ability and moral education |
| Questions and marks | 100 questions, 100 marks, one mark each, four options |
| Time | 90 minutes, with five extra minutes after the last bell to shade the fifth bubble on unanswered questions |
| Negative marking | 0.25 for a wrong answer, and 0.25 for a question with no bubble shaded — the fifth bubble is the only safe way to leave a question |
| Qualifying | 30 marks, under the 2020 amendment to the recruitment rules; KEA’s marks list of 20 August 2026 was cut at 30 |
| Medium | Kannada and English |
| Kannada | No Kannada component inside the paper; the separate 150-mark test applies to those not exempt |
| Paper | Content | Marks | Time | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 — descriptive | Essay of up to 600 words for 20, précis for 10, translation Kannada to English and English to Kannada for 20 | 50 | 90 minutes, morning | Essay in English or Kannada; written in a question-cum-answer booklet; computerised and second or third evaluation |
| Paper 2 — objective | Current events, general studies, the national movement, the Constitution, history, geography, science, arts and literature, mental ability and moral education | 100 questions at 1.5 marks — 150 | 90 minutes, afternoon | 25 per cent off for a wrong answer — 0.375 marks; OMR |
For constables in 2026 the written examination is the first stage and the physical tests follow for one candidate in five by written merit. For sub-inspectors under the 2021 scheme the endurance and physical standard tests come first and only those who pass are called to the two papers. In both cases the physical tests carry no marks, and neither post has an interview or viva-voce — the constable list is the written score, and the sub-inspector list is Paper 1 and Paper 2 added, as the published select lists show candidate by candidate. No minimum mark per paper for sub-inspectors was found in the notification.
Sources
Checked 11 September 2026 against the six 2026 constable notifications, KEA’s per-recruitment pages and notes, and the recruitment cell’s 2021 archive. Constable eligibility, fees, the paper scheme, the negative-marking clause and the physical standards are transcribed from the 3,395-post civil notification and cross-checked against the armed and reserve notifications, all in Kannada. The sub-inspector scheme is from the 402-post notification of March 2021, read from the Karnataka Gazette of 3 March 2021 as hosted by a third party — no official copy remains online — and from KEA’s bell-timing sheets for the October 2024 examination. The 545-post notification itself was not found; its history is from the recruitment cell’s corrigendum of June 2025.
Civil constable, 3,395 posts — notification, 5 June 2026 Civil constable, Kalyana Karnataka, 596 posts Armed constable, 1,421 posts Armed constable, Kalyana Karnataka, 179 posts KSRP constable, 1,455 posts KSRP, KSISF and IRB, Kalyana Karnataka, 859 posts KEA note on the civil constable marks list, 20 August 2026 KEA note on the Kannada test score list, 2 September 2026 KEA reschedule of the KSRP Kalyana Karnataka paper, 10 September 2026 Sub-inspector 545 — corrigendum with the cancellation and re-examination history Sub-inspector 545 — final select list, 25 August 2025 Sub-inspector 402 — provisional select list with paper-wise marks Sub-inspector 402 — final select list, 9 September 2025 KSP 2021 recruitment archive
Exam resources
Six resource pages, each kept in step with the latest official notification.
Questions
No. The six 2026 constable notifications closed between 3 July and 10 August 2026. The civil and armed constable papers have been held; the KSRP, KSISF and IRB papers are on 20 September 2026. No sub-inspector notification has been published since March 2021 — the press report of 253 posts in July 2026 has no official counterpart yet.
One OMR paper of 100 questions and 100 marks in 90 minutes, on general studies and mental ability, set and marked by KEA. A quarter mark is deducted for a wrong answer and a quarter mark for a question with no bubble shaded — a fifth bubble is provided for unanswered questions. Thirty marks qualify; the physical tests follow for one candidate in five by written merit, and the merit list is the written score alone.
Under the 2021 scheme as KEA conducted it in 2024: the endurance and physical standard tests first, then Paper 1 of 50 marks in 90 minutes — an essay of up to 600 words, a précis and two translations — and Paper 2 of 100 objective questions at 1.5 marks each, 150 in total, with 0.375 deducted per wrong answer. The two totals are added for the select list. There is no interview. A new notification may change the scheme.
Men: 168 cm height and 86 cm chest fully expanded with 5 cm expansion; women 157 cm and 45 kg, or 158 cm for KSRP; tribal candidates of the listed forest areas 155 cm and 75 cm chest for men, 150 cm for women. Endurance: 1,600 metres in 6 minutes 30 seconds for constable men and 7 minutes for sub-inspector men, plus a long or high jump and shot put; 400 metres in 2 minutes for women, or 1 minute 30 for KSRP women. All qualifying only.
Eighteen to 33 for the general category, 35 for SC, ST, Category I and the 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B categories, and 38 for tribal candidates of the forest areas — each including a one-time five-year relaxation ordered on 29 January 2026. In-service candidates 38 and 40; ex-servicemen their service plus three years. For sub-inspectors the 2021 limits were 21 to 30, or 32 for reserved categories.
For the 2026 constable posts, ₹750 for the general category and the 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B categories, and ₹500 for SC, ST, Category I, ex-servicemen and third-gender candidates, non-refundable. The 2021 sub-inspector fee was ₹500 and ₹250; whether it has been revised is not known.
Yes, for candidates who did not study Kannada as a first or second language at SSLC or above — a separate 150-mark test with 50 to pass, held before the written paper and not counted in the merit. Candidates who studied Kannada at school are exempt. The paper itself has no Kannada component.
The written examination of 3 October 2021 was cancelled by government order of 29 April 2022 after a CID investigation found irregularities. The High Court of Karnataka, on 10 November 2022, directed a re-examination by an independent agency at no fresh fee; KEA held it on 23 January 2024, provisional select lists followed in October 2024 and April 2025, and the final select list was published on 25 August 2025.
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