KEA FDA SDA Recruitment 2026: 5,431 Group C Posts

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has issued four notifications dated 29 October 2026 for 5,431 Group C posts in Karnataka government departments, boards and corporations: First Division Assistant (FDA) level and Second Division Assistant (SDA) level posts, separately for the Rest of Karnataka (RPC) cadre and the Kalyana-Karnataka (KK) cadre. Selection is through a KEA competitive exam, and posts are allotted by merit and online counselling. Online applications are open from 30 October 2026 to 25 November 2026.

Important Dates

• Notification date: 29 October 2026
• Online application starts: 30 October 2026
• Last date to apply online: 25 November 2026
• Last date to pay the fee: 26 November 2026
• The exam dates below are from the KK FDA notification; check the SDA and RPC notifications for their own exam dates.
• Kannada Language Test: 8 January 2027, 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
• Paper-1: 9 January 2027, 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
• Paper-2: 9 January 2027, 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

Vacancy Details

FDA-level posts include First Division Assistant, Accounts Assistant, Warden, Hostel Superintendent and Gram Panchayat Secretary Grade-1; SDA-level posts include Second Division Assistant and Gram Panchayat Secretary Grade-2.

The totals include a few backlog and retired-staff posts, as the notifications show. The department-wise, district-wise and court-wise lists are in each notification.

Eligibility

• SDA-level posts: second PUC (12th) or equivalent; some accounts posts at SDA level ask for PUC in Commerce with Accountancy. FDA-level posts need a degree, as below.
• Education depends on the post: a degree such as B.Com, BBA or BBM for Accounts Assistant, a degree and B.Ed for Hostel Superintendent, Warden and Hostel Warden posts, a Commerce degree, or a degree with Economics or Mathematics as a subject, for Commercial Tax Inspector, a degree with Economics, Statistics, Mathematics or Computer Science for Statistical Inspector, and a degree for First Division Assistant and other posts.
• Posts like First Division Assistant cum Computer Operator and Superintendent (Accounts) also ask for a computer course certificate or computer knowledge.
• Age limit (for direct recruitment, as per the notice): 40 years for General candidates, 43 years for Category 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B, and 45 years for SC, ST and Category-1. Minimum age is 18 years.
• Candidates who have not studied or passed Kannada as a subject must clear the Kannada Language Test with at least 50 marks out of 150.

Application Fee

• The fee is paid online only and is not refunded.

Selection Process

• The competitive exam is in offline OMR mode. Paper-1 (General Knowledge) and Paper-2 (General Kannada, General English and Computer Knowledge) have 100 questions, 100 marks and 2 hours each.
• There is negative marking: 0.25 mark is cut for every wrong answer.
• A candidate must score at least 35% in the competitive exam to qualify.
• Merit is made from the total marks, and candidates then choose posts through online counselling. One candidate can get only one post.

How to Apply

• Apply online only through the KEA website (cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea).
• Read the full notification and the eligibility conditions of each post first. No change is possible after the application is submitted.
• Keep your marks cards, caste and reservation certificates ready, as the documents are checked after the exam.