KEA Group C Recruitment 2026: 563 Posts Apply

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has invited online applications for 563 Group C posts in various departments, boards and corporations of the Karnataka Government, in the Kalyana-Karnataka region cadre, under the Karnataka Civil Services (General Recruitment) Rules (notice dated 29 October 2026). The candidates are chosen through a competitive exam held by KEA, and posts are allotted by merit and online counselling. Online applications open on 30 October 2026 and close on 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
• 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

• The 563 posts are made of 545 regular posts, 7 posts reserved for retired staff and 11 backlog posts.
• Other posts include Agriculture Marketing, Municipal Administration, Statistics, Commercial Taxes, Transport, Labour and Lokayukta departments. The full list is in the official notification.

Eligibility

• 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.