Site icon UPSC Civil Services – Exam, Syllabus, Current Affairs | CivilServices.com

Kerala Administrative Services (KAS) Exam : Eligibility Criteria, Age Limit, Educational Qualification, Application Process, Exam Pattern, Syllabus & Preparation

CivilServices.com Team
Kerala Administrative Services Exam Eligibility Criteria

Kerala Administrative Services Exam Eligibility Criteria

Kerala Administrative Service (KAS) examination is usually conducted by the Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC). The Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruits for the post various KAS Officers (Junior Time Scale) Trainees, such as STREAM-1, STREAM-2, STREAM-3 via the Kerala Administrative Service (KAS Exam).

To get into the Kerala Administrative Service (KAS), the KPSC GPE is the first and entry-level stage. Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) has released its final syllabus for Kerala Administrative Services 2020 and its notification for the post of KAS Officer (Junior Time Scale) Trainee STREAM-1, STREAM-2, STREAM-3.

Kerala Administrative Services Exam Eligibility Criteria

Streams/Sections

The Kerala Administrative Service recruitment is for candidates from three-sections/ streams.

Age Limit

Education Eligibility

Note: For more special rules regarding KPSC KAS Exam, click on this link.

A few more details

Total Attempts

Qualifications

Kerala Administrative Services Exam Application Process

The Head Office of the Kerala Public Service Commission is situated at Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram, the State Capital.

Kerala PSC Functions

The duties and the functions of the Commission have been laid down in the Art. 320 of the constitution and they are as follows:

  1. To examine the appointments to the services of the states.
  2. To advise the Government:
    • On all matters related to the recruitment methods to the civil services and for the civil services posts.
    • On the principles to be followed in making appointments to the civil services and posts and making promotions and transfers from one service to another and on the suitability of candidates for such elections, promotions, or assignments.
    • On all the disciplinary matters affecting a person serving under the Government in a civil capacity, including memorials or petitions relating to such issues.
    • On any claim by or in respect to the person who is serving or has served under the Government of India in a civil services capacity that any cost incurred by him/her in defending the legal proceedings instituted against him/her in respect or regard of the acts done to be done in the execution of his/her duty should be paid out of the Consolidated Funds of the State.
    • On any claim for the award of pensions in respect to the injuries sustained by an individual while serving under the Government of India in a civil servant capacity, and any question as to the amount of any such award, and it shall be the duty of the Commission to advise on any matter – so referred to them and on any other issue which the Governor of the State may refer to them; provided that the Governor of the state is empowered to make Regulations specifying the point in which either generally, or in any particular class of case or any specific circumstances, it shall not be necessary for the Public Service Commission to be consulted.

Kerala PSC Rules

Preliminary Rules

These kinds of rules shall be called the Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) Rules of Procedures, and they came into the force from 16th August 1976.

  1. The advisory list means a list of all candidates drawn from the ranked list and arranged based on the standards of recruitment relating to the post regarding the vacancies reported from time to time.
  2. Commission means the Kerala Public Service Commission;
  3. The examination includes written examinations, Practical Examinations, Physical Efficiency Test, Oral Test (Interview) and any other test or exams which the Commission may deem fit to the hold;
  4. Gazette means the Kerala Government Gazette (KGG);
  5. Government means the Government of Kerala (GoK);
  6. Member means a Member of the Commission (MoC), and it includes the Chairman thereof;
  7. The ranked list means the list of candidates arranged in the order of merit either based on the interviews or the exams or maybe by both;
  8. Services include the State Services and the Subordinate Services referred to in the Kerala Civil Services (Classification, Control, and Appeal) Rules, 1960, or any other service. It may be covered by appropriate legislation providing additional functions by the Commission.

Relations of the Commission with the Government and with the Subordinate Authorities

  1. The Commissions may conduct all or any one of the following exams to assess all the merits of candidates considered for the recruitment to a particular service or a post;
    • Written Exam.
    • Practical Test and Exams.
    • Physical Efficiency Test (PET)
    • Oral Exam/Test (Interviews)
    • Any other test or exam, which the Commissions may deem fit to hold.
  2. Where the Commission conducts a written examination and a practical test for recruitment to a service or post, the Commission shall:
    • Announce:
      • the qualifications required of the candidates for the examination
      • the conditions of admission to the exam including the fees
      • the subjects, Scheme or syllabus of the exam, and
      • the number of vacancies to be filled from among the candidates for the examination.
      • Provided that the exact number of vacancies to be filled is not ascertainable, the Commission may either announce the approximate number of jobs to be filed or state that the number of vacancies has not been estimated.
    • invite applications and consider all the applications so received,
    • make all arrangements for the conduct of the examination for the candidates whose applications are found to be in order, and
    • prepare a list in the order of merit of a such number of candidates as the Commission may determine from time to time.

It is provided that the Commission may also prepare separate ranked lists in the order of merit of candidates coming under different groups following the qualifications or other conditions as stipulated in the notification.

Provided further that to satisfy the rules of reservation of appointment to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes also the Commission may prepare such supplementary lists as found necessary from time to time in the order of merit of the candidates belonging to such classes.

Kerala Administrative Services Exam Overview

The Kerala PSC KAS exam is conducted in three stages:

Preliminary Examination

PAPER – 1

(A) History (India and Kerala)

  1. Ancient and Medieval Period:
    • Salient features and significant landmarks of an ancient and medieval India
    • Art, culture, literature, and Architecture
    • Major Dynasties, their administrative system, social, religious and Economic conditions prominent movements
  2. Modern Period:
    • Recent Indian History (from the 18th century up to the present) significant events, personalities, and issues
    • India – Struggle for independence
    • Social and religious reform movements in the 19th and 20th century
    • India after Independence, Post independent consolidation and reorganization
    • Independent India
  3. Kerala History (from 18th century):
    • Pre-Independence socio-political movements.
    • Formation of Kerala State, Political parties, actions, Governments, Landmark legislation, and policies.

(B) History of the World (from the mid-18th century)

  1. Industrial revolution
  2. World wars
  3. Redraw of National boundaries
  4. Colonialization and decolonization,
  5. Globalization
  6. Communism, Capitalism, Socialism – their forms and effects in society.

(C) Cultural Heritage of Kerala

  1. Cultural Heritage of Kerala Art Forms, literature, sculpture, architecture, salient features of society
  2. Kerala Tribal culture, Pilgrimage, Tourist places, Folk Culture, Cinema, Theatre
  3. History and revolution of Malayalam language and literature.

(D) Indian Constitution, Public Administration, Political System, Governance, Social Justice and International Relations

  1. Indian constitution and its salient features
  2. Functions and Responsibilities of the Union and the States, Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, function, power, and privileges.
  3. Issues and challenges about Federal Structure – Devolution of Power and Finances up to local levels and challenges therein
  4. Constitutional Authorities – Powers, Functions, and Responsibilities
  5. Panchayati Raj, Public Policy and Governance, Impact of LPG on Governance
  6. Statutory, Regulatory and Quasi-judicial bodies
  7. Rights Issues (Human rights, Women rights, SC/ST rights, Child rights, etc.), Important Acts
  8. India’s Foreign Policy, International Organisations, International Treaties, and Forums, their structure and mandate
  9. Judiciary in India – Structure and functions, essential provisions relating to Emergency and Constitutional amendments, Judicial review, Public Interest Litigation, Land Revenue Laws
  10. Fundamental rights, fundamental duties, and Directive Principles
  11. Principles of Administrative Law.

(E) Reasoning, Mental Ability & Simple Arithmetic

  1. Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability, Number series, Coding-Decoding, problems related to Relations, Shapes and their subsections, Venn Diagram, problems based on Clock, Calendar, and Age, Simple Arithmetic.

(F) Geography

  1. General Geography: Solar system, Motion of Earth, Concept of time, Seasons, Internal structure of the Earth, Major Landforms, and their features.
  2. Atmosphere: Structure and Composition, elements and factors of Climate, Air Masses and Fronts, atmospheric disturbances. Oceans: Physical, Chemical, and Biological characteristics, Hydrological Disasters, Marine and Continental Resources
  3. Physical, Social, Economic Geography of World, India, and Kerala
  4. Geophysical phenomena like Earthquake, Tsunami, Volcanoes, Cyclone, Flood, Landslides.

PAPER – II

(A) Economy and Planning

  1. Indian economy on the eve of independence. Indian economy in the post-reform period – new economic reforms, NITI Aayog, National Income and Per Capita Income, Sectoral Composition (Output and Employment) – Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. Development under different policy regimes (including Five Year Plans) – Goals, Constraints, Institutions, and Policy framework.
  2. Agriculture Sector, Land Reforms in India, Technological change in Agriculture – Major Crops and Cropping patterns in various parts of the Country, Irrigation, Pricing of agriculture inputs and outputs, Agricultural Finance Policy and Marketing, Issues in Food Security and Public Distribution System, Green Revolution, Policies for sustainable agriculture and organic farming.
  3. Industrial Policy, Public Sector Enterprises, and their performance, Growth and pattern of industrialization, Small-scale sector, Productivity in the industrial area, SEZ and manufacturing, foreign investment and competition policy, e-Commerce, Effects of liberalization on the economy.
  4. Infrastructure in Indian Economy, Meaning and importance of support – Water Supply and Sanitation- Energy and Power – Science and Technology – Rural and Urban Infrastructure, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, Telecommunication, Dams, Inland Waterways. Social Impact Assessment.
  5. Trends and Patterns in the population’s structure over time – Growth rate, Gender Rural-Urban Migration, Literacy, Regional Structure and trends of Poverty and Inequality, Unemployment – trends, Structure, and National Rural Employment policies. Indicators of development – Physical Quality of Life Index, Human Development Index, Human Poverty Index, Gender Development Index, National Happiness Index.
  6. Indian Public Finance, Government Budgeting, Indian Tax System, Public Expenditure, Public Debt, Deficit, and Subsidies in the Indian Economy. Center-state financial relation. Recent fiscal and monetary policy issues and their impact, the structure of Indian Banking and Non-Banking Financial Institutions and reforms, GST: Concept and Implications. Stock exchange and share market.
  7. Trend, Composition, Structure, and direction of India’s Foreign Trade. India’s Balance of payments situation in the post reforms period.
  8. The economy of Kerala State-an overview, Population, Major agriculture, Industry, Service sector issues. Infrastructure and resources, Major Developmental Projects, Programmes, and Schemes. Co-operative Sector. History and relevant policies in traditional industries, IT Sector, Pravasi, and Foreign remittance.
  9. Kerala model development – (Land reforms, Social security, devolution of Power, Decentralised Planning, Housing, Tourism, Women Empowerment, Social Welfare Schemes, Disaster Management. Role and Function of Kerala Planning Board, Achievements of Kerala in Health and Education Sector: Policies, Programmes, Initiatives, and Impacts.

Note: For more in-depth syllabus details, click on this link.

Main Examination

SNSUBJECTPAPERDURATIONMARKS
1GENERAL STUDIESPAPER-I2 HOURS100
2GENERAL STUDIESPAPER-II2 HOURS100
3GENERAL STUDIESPAPER-III2 HOURS100

Kerala Administrative Service Important Dates

Kerala PSC KAS 2020Kerala PSC KAS 2021
Release of Notification – April 2021 [Tentative]Release of Notification – November 2021
Prelims Date – Yet to be announcedPrelims Date – Yet to be announced

Kerala Administrative Services Exam Pattern

Like any other PSC Exams, Kerala Administrative Services Exam is conducted in three primary phases, as mentioned below. There are two written exams and one final stage interview, such as:

  1. First Stage – Preliminary Examination: Objective type (MCQs) – Total of 200 Marks
  2. Second Qualifying Stage – Mains Exam: Essay/Descriptive type – 300 Marks
  3. Final step- Interview/Personality Test – 50 Marks

Note: The candidates applying for the Kerala Administrative Services Exam, have to clear every stage of examination to be eligible to be appointed as a KAS Officer.

Kerala Administrative Services Prelims Exam Pattern

No. Details of PapersMaximum MarksExam DurationNumber of Questions
1Paper I General Studies10090 minutes100
2Paper-II: Part I General Studies5090 minutes50
3Paper-II: Part II Language Proficiency in Malayalam/ Tamil/ Kannada30 30
4Paper-II: Part II Language Proficiency in English20 20

Kerala Administrative Services Mains Exam Pattern

No.Details of PapersMaximum MarksExam DurationMedium
1Paper I Descriptive100120 minutesEnglish/ Malayalam
2Paper-II Descriptive100120 minutesEnglish/ Malayalam
3Paper III Descriptive100120 minutesEnglish/ Malayalam

Kerala Administrative Services Interview

This is the last stage for testing the personality and attitude of all the shortlisted candidates. This stage consists of a total of 50 marks. All the candidates who qualify the mains stage will be eligible to appear for the final interview/Personality Test.

This will determine the mental ability of all the candidates and select the ideal candidate through this interview procedure.

Kerala Administrative Services Exam Prelims Syllabus

The KPSC KAS Prelims Exam is conducted to filter all the candidates for the Mains examination. As per the Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC), the KAS Prelims exam consists of two papers: Paper I and Paper-II.

KAS Prelims Syllabus: General Studies-I

The KAS syllabus for Prelims General Studies-I is given below:

KAS Prelims Paper-II Syllabus: General Studies-II

The KAS syllabus for Prelims Paper-II General Studies-II is given below:

List of Services in the Kerala Administrative Service (KAS)

According to the Government’s draft rules, the Kerala Civil Service Executive Special Rules, Kerala Administrative Service(KAS) officers will be posted across 29 departments in Kerala State Government services, including Kerala Secretariat public administration & finance. Recommended departments are:

Common Categories

KAS Category Number

Kerala PSC KAS Exam Preparation

Many people are attending regular PSC coaching classes, while many are preparing themselves from their homes. Even though you’re going to this extra tuition, you should be applying some extra memory tricks and study methods.

Aspirants should first know that the Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) conducts exams for various posts, including the position of Deputy Collector. Etc. Exam for Kerala Administrative Services (KAS) is divided into three primary stages:

Preparation for Kerala PSC – Current Affairs

Other than newspapers, a few essential current affairs preparations sources are as follows:

Preparation for Kerala PSC – History

History is a subject syllabus of which overlaps with the curriculum of History in UPSC. The History asked in Kerala PSC KAS exam is divided into five sections:

For Kerala History, all the aspirants should refer to the school textbooks, which can be very useful.

Preparation for Kerala PSC – Indian Polity

School textbooks for Polity are equally crucial for the exam. Candidates can help M. Lakshmikanth’s Indian Polity book understand the core areas of the constitution.

Candidates should also do the same for the rest of the topics and stages, including Geography and Economics.

Understanding the Kerala PSC KAS Exam Pattern

Matriculation/+2 Level Exam

Firstly, the matriculation exam; for this, there is no clear syllabus or pattern is given by the KPSC. So candidates have to study whatever they get to explore and what you know. Rather than considering new facts, it is recommended to study previous year question paper books published by brilliance academy, talent academy, etc.

Most of the questions asked in these kinds of level exams are repetitive. Though a clear understanding of regions in which subjects are regularly asked is enough. When saying about English and Maths, questions will be simple, less standard than matriculation.

Degree/PG Level Exam

When it comes to degree level exam, it is a type of exam in which PSC test your quality. There will be ten subjects with ten questions (10*10=100qns). The topics are English, Malayalam, mental ability, quantitative aptitude, information technology, facts about India, facts about Kerala, science, current affairs, constitution. The study, according to the syllabus and no need to study other things than these subjects. Previous year papers are also compulsory.

Recommended Study Materials

The sections in the syllabus of Kerala PSC overlap with that of UPSC; hence, the following books can also be referred:

PSC Bulletin (Optional)

Now, as for the preparation, candidates will need to study a minimum of 3 hrs daily because the level of competition is increased now a day. Please cover the syllabus before the examinations.

Note – practice at least 50 mock tests and 40 previous year papers before attending the final exams.

Best PSC Exam Preparation Tips

Summary

The Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) is an authorized body created by the Indian Constitution. KPSC conducts written test and practical tests, a physical efficiency test, and interview, and prepares the ranked list based on the candidates’ performance and advise candidates for appointment strictly based on their merit and observing the rules of reservation as and when vacancies are reported. This article discussed the eligibility criteria to be fulfilled for the Kerala Administrative Services Exam.

Areas covered in this article

Related Links

Exit mobile version