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Karnataka · Government Exams
The commission’s Group B posts are filled two ways. Most — assistant engineers, assistant directors, taluk welfare officers, geologists — are notified together under the Karnataka Civil Services direct recruitment rules of 2021 and examined on two objective papers of 300 marks after a compulsory Kannada language test, with selection on the percentage secured and no interview. Services with their own recruitment rules are notified on their own: the state audit and accounts service’s audit officers, for instance, under a preliminary-and-mains scheme of eight descriptive papers.
The audit service is the one that is open. Two notifications of 27 August 2026 offer 53 audit officer posts and 15 assistant controller posts in the residual cadre and 15 audit officer posts in the Kalyana Karnataka cadre, with applications to 26 September 2026 and preliminaries in late November and early December. The last various-posts round, of March 2024 with 277 and 50 posts, has been examined and its select lists and cut-offs are being published post by post; no newer one has been notified.
KPSC Group B · 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
Karnataka Public Service Commission
Audit Officer and Assistant Controller, state audit and accounts — 83 posts; applications 28 August to 26 September 2026
Kannada test 150 with 50 to pass; Paper 1 general 300 in 90 minutes; Paper 2 specific 300 in two hours; 0.25 off per wrong answer; 35 per cent
Prelims 450 at one to twenty; mains eight papers, 2,100 marks; personality test dispensed with
Notification
Checked 11 September 2026. The audit and accounts service notifications of 27 August 2026 are open: 53 audit officer and 15 assistant controller posts in the residual cadre, and 15 audit officer posts — 13 plus 2 backlog — in the Kalyana Karnataka cadre, with applications from 28 August to 26 September 2026 and preliminaries tentatively on 6 December for the residual cadre and 29 November for Kalyana Karnataka. The 2024 various-posts round has been examined in full — Kannada test and general paper on 14 and 15 September 2024, specific papers on 25 and 31 January 2025 for the residual cadre and in February for Kalyana Karnataka — and its provisional and final select lists and cut-offs have been appearing on the commission’s pages since 2025. No new various-posts Group B notification has been issued since March 2024.
| Round | Posts | Applications | Examination | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audit Officer and Assistant Controller — residual | 68 — 53 audit officer, 15 assistant controller | 28 August to 26 September 2026 | Prelims 6 December 2026, tentative | Open |
| Audit Officer — Kalyana Karnataka | 15 | 28 August to 26 September 2026 | Prelims 29 November 2026, tentative | Open |
| Various posts — residual, 13 March 2024 | 277 | 15 April to 14 May 2024; reopened to 5 October | Kannada and Paper 1, 14 and 15 September 2024; Paper 2, 25 and 31 January 2025 | Select lists and cut-offs publishing |
| Various posts — Kalyana Karnataka, 13 March 2024 | 50 | As above | Paper 2, 2, 16 and 18 February 2025 | As above |
| Post | Residual | Kalyana Karnataka |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant Engineer, civil — BBMP | 92 | 8 |
| Assistant Engineer, civil — water resources | 90 | — |
| Assistant Engineer, mechanical — water resources | 10 | — |
| Assistant Director of Land Records | 24 | 3 |
| Taluk Backward Classes Welfare Officer | 21 | 19 |
| Assistant Director, industries and commerce | 20 | 3 |
| Geologist | 10 | 15 |
| Assistant Director of Factories | 7 | 2 |
| Assistant Director of Boilers | 3 | — |
| All posts | 277 | 50 |
Overview
The various-posts round of 13 March 2024 is the model for the general scheme. Its 277 residual-cadre posts were 92 assistant engineers for Bengaluru’s civic body and 90 civil and 10 mechanical for the water resources department, 24 assistant directors of land records, 21 taluk backward-classes welfare officers, 20 assistant directors of industries and commerce, 10 geologists, and 7 and 3 assistant directors of factories and boilers; the 50 Kalyana Karnataka posts were 19 welfare officers, 15 geologists, 8 assistant engineers and smaller numbers of the rest. Applications ran from April to May 2024 and were reopened to October; the Kannada test and general paper were held in September 2024, the specific papers in January and February 2025, and the lists have followed post by post through 2025 and 2026.
The audit service round is a different examination in the same Group. Under the Karnataka State Audit and Accounts Service recruitment rules of 2011, the audit officer — pay ₹69,250 to ₹1,34,200 — is recruited through a preliminary of general studies and commerce and management, 450 marks, admitting twenty candidates per post, and a main examination of eight papers: Kannada and English qualifying, two general studies papers, and four papers on financial accounting, management, corporate finance and taxation, and auditing and e-commerce, 2,100 marks in all. The personality test was dispensed with in October 2023; selection is on the mains.
The assistant engineer posts of the 2024 Group B round are covered on the Karnataka technical posts page alongside KEA’s board and corporation recruitments; the scheme is the same as the one described here. The first and second division assistant posts, which are Group C, have their own page.
Eligibility
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Qualification | M.Com; or an MBA in finance or financial management, or an MBA or M.Com in financial analysis; or any master’s degree notified by the UGC with finance; or associate membership of the Institute of Chartered Accountants or of Cost and Management Accountants. |
| Age | 21 minimum; 35, 38 and 40 under the rules, raised to 40, 43 and 45 by the order of 29 January 2026. |
| Relaxation | Ex-servicemen, service plus three years; PwD, ten years; widows, ten years. |
| Reservation — residual cadre audit officer, 53 | SC 7, ST 2, Category I 3, 2A 8, 2B 2, 3A 2, 3B 3, general 26. |
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Qualification | Post by post — an AICTE-recognised civil engineering degree for assistant engineer; any bachelor’s degree for taluk welfare officer; a postgraduate degree in geology or applied geology for geologist. |
| Age | 18 minimum; 35 for the general category, 38 for 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B, 40 for SC, ST and Category I. |
| Kannada | The compulsory test, or exemption on the 2025 rule. |
| Round | General | 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B | Ex-servicemen | SC, ST, Category I, PwD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audit Officer 2026 | ₹600 | ₹300 | ₹50 | Exempt |
| Various posts 2024 | ₹300 | ₹150 | ₹50 | Exempt |
The 2024 notifications exempted only candidates who had passed the commission’s Kannada test held on or after 29 November 2022. A government notification of 18 March 2025 amended rule 7 of the 2021 rules: candidates who studied Kannada as a first or second language at SSLC or any higher examination, or studied in Kannada medium, or passed a Kannada test of the commission or any selection authority, are exempt. The commission’s press note of 7 May 2025 applies it to the pending rounds.
Selection process
Each stage in order, and what it actually tests.
| Stage | Format | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Kannada language test | Various posts — 150 marks, 50 to pass, not counted | At SSLC first-language standard, for candidates who did not study Kannada as a first or second language at SSLC or in Kannada medium and have not passed a Kannada test of the commission or another selection authority. Held before the general paper. |
| Paper 1 and Paper 2 | Various posts — 300 and 300, objective | Paper 1, the general paper, in an hour and a half; Paper 2, the post’s specific subject, in two hours. Kannada and English, offline OMR or computer-based at the commission’s discretion, one-fourth of the question’s marks off per wrong answer, 35 per cent of the total to qualify. |
| Audit Officer — preliminary and mains | 450 at one to twenty; then 2,100 over eight papers | Prelims: general studies 150 and commerce and management 300, two hours each, objective, bilingual. Mains: Kannada and English of 150 qualifying at 30 and 35 per cent; general studies 3 and 4 of 300; and four subject papers of 300 — three hours each, descriptive. |
| Verification and select list | Percentage of marks; no interview | Document verification for those in the zone, then the provisional and final select lists with the cut-offs published post by post. |
Exam pattern
| Paper | Marks | Time | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kannada language test | 150 | — | 50 to pass; SSLC first-language standard; not counted; exempt on the 2025 rule |
| Paper 1 — general | 300 | 1½ hours | Objective, Kannada and English |
| Paper 2 — specific to the post | 300 | 2 hours | Objective, Kannada and English |
| Negative marking | — | — | One-fourth of the marks assigned to the question, per wrong answer |
| Qualifying | — | — | 35 per cent of the total, mandatory |
| Selection | — | — | Percentage of marks in the competitive examination; no interview |
| Stage | Paper | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prelims | Paper 1 — general studies | 150 | 2 hours |
| Prelims | Paper 2 — commerce and management | 300 | 2 hours |
| Mains | Paper 1 — Kannada, qualifying at 30 per cent | 150 | 3 hours |
| Mains | Paper 2 — English, qualifying at 35 per cent | 150 | 3 hours |
| Mains | Paper 3 — general studies | 300 | 3 hours |
| Mains | Paper 4 — general studies | 300 | 3 hours |
| Mains | Paper 5 — financial accounting, management and analysis | 300 | 3 hours |
| Mains | Paper 6 — principles of management, organisational behaviour, training and development | 300 | 3 hours |
| Mains | Paper 7 — corporate finance, business economics and taxation | 300 | 3 hours |
| Mains | Paper 8 — principles and practice of auditing, computer concepts and e-commerce | 300 | 3 hours |
| Mains total | — | 2,100 | — |
The prelims admit twenty candidates per post to the mains, and the notification states that the personality test has been dispensed with by a finance department notification of 19 October 2023, selection resting on the mains marks and the reservation rules. A negative-marking clause for the audit prelims was not found in the pages read; the various-posts round’s quarter-mark rule is explicit.
Sources
Checked 11 September 2026 against the two audit and accounts service notifications of 27 August 2026, the residual and Kalyana Karnataka various-posts notifications of 13 March 2024, the commission’s Paper 1 syllabus for Group A and B posts, its press note of 7 May 2025 on the Kannada exemption, and its online notification table, final-list and cut-off pages. The 2024 notifications are in Kannada with the scheme in English; the vacancy tables were read from the rendered pages. The May and September 2024 corrigenda to the various-posts round were not read.
Audit Officer and Assistant Controller — residual cadre, 27 August 2026 Audit Officer — Kalyana Karnataka, 27 August 2026 Audit and accounts service syllabus Various posts — residual cadre, 13 March 2024 Various posts — Kalyana Karnataka, 13 March 2024 Paper 1 general syllabus for Group A and B posts Post-wise specific syllabi, 2024 round Press note on the Kannada exemption, 7 May 2025 KPSC press notes
Exam resources
Six resource pages, each kept in step with the latest official notification.
Questions
Yes. Two audit and accounts service notifications of 27 August 2026 — 53 audit officer and 15 assistant controller posts in the residual cadre and 15 audit officer posts in the Kalyana Karnataka cadre — are open until 26 September 2026, with preliminaries tentatively on 6 December and 29 November. No various-posts Group B notification has been issued since 13 March 2024.
For the various-posts rounds under the 2021 rules: a compulsory Kannada test of 150 marks with 50 to pass, then Paper 1, the general paper, of 300 marks in 90 minutes and Paper 2, the post’s subject, of 300 marks in two hours — objective, bilingual, one-fourth of the question’s marks off per wrong answer, 35 per cent to qualify, and selection on the percentage secured with no interview. The audit service has its own prelims-and-mains scheme.
A preliminary of general studies, 150 marks, and commerce and management, 300 marks, in two hours each, admitting twenty candidates per post; then a main examination of eight three-hour papers — Kannada and English of 150 qualifying at 30 and 35 per cent, two general studies papers of 300, and four papers of 300 on financial accounting, management, corporate finance and taxation, and auditing and e-commerce, 2,100 in all. The personality test was dispensed with in October 2023.
Holders of an M.Com, an MBA in finance or financial management, an MBA or M.Com in financial analysis, any UGC-notified master’s degree with finance, or associate membership of the chartered accountants’ or cost and management accountants’ institutes. Age 21 to 40, 43 or 45 by category with the 2026 relaxation, on the closing date of 26 September 2026.
For the various-posts rounds, yes — 150 marks at SSLC first-language standard with 50 to pass, not counted in the merit — unless exempt. Since the amendment of 18 March 2025, candidates who studied Kannada as a first or second language at SSLC or above, studied in Kannada medium, or passed a Kannada test of the commission or another selection authority are exempt. The audit service has a qualifying Kannada paper in its mains instead.
In the 2026 audit notifications, ₹600 for the general category, ₹300 for the 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B categories, ₹50 for ex-servicemen, and nothing for SC, ST, Category I and PwD candidates. The 2024 various-posts round charged ₹300 and ₹150.
In the various-posts rounds, one-fourth of the marks assigned to the question is deducted for each wrong answer, in both papers. A negative-marking clause for the audit service preliminary was not found in the notification pages read.
The 277 residual-cadre and 50 Kalyana Karnataka posts notified on 13 March 2024 were examined — the Kannada test and general paper on 14 and 15 September 2024, the specific papers in January and February 2025 — and the commission has been publishing provisional and final select lists and cut-offs post by post since 2025, including the assistant engineer list for Bengaluru’s civic body.
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