KEA is looking for KPSC model powers for various government recruitments

A view of the Karnataka Examination Authority in Bengaluru. | Photo credit: File photo

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has written to the government for permission to conduct one examination simultaneously for posts of different departments of the same cadre, conduct document verification based on the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) model and prepare a selection list.

The objective of KEA is to prevent candidates from applying multiple times for posts of the same cadre (mostly Second Department Assistant (SDA), First Department Assistant (FDA) and parallel posts) in different departments, participating in document verification and the same candidates being selected in all departments.

After KPSC, KEA is the main recruitment authority for various government recruitments in the state and conducts recruitment examinations. KEA also conducts recruitment examinations on the request of various departments and forwards the merit list to the concerned department. These departments prepare merit lists in the ratio of 1:5 and conduct document verification of applicants and publish selection lists.

As per the Karnataka Civil Services (Direct Recruitment) (General) Rules 2021, KEA issues separate notifications for different posts in different departments with same qualification and same syllabus and conducts different examinations and issues merit lists by respective departments.

As a result, almost the same candidates are at the top of the selection lists of all the departments that verify the documents and publish the selection lists at different times. The same candidates are selected for all departments in the final list. Candidates choose seats in any department and give up others. Due to this, the department has to revise and re-announce selection lists, resulting in wastage of time and resources.

On the other hand, KPSC conducts one exam simultaneously for the posts of different departments with same cadre, same educational qualification and same syllabus. It further verifies the documents and announces the final selection of candidates. However, KEA does not have such powers.

In a statewide recruitment review meeting held on 6 June 2026 under the leadership of the Chief Secretary to the Government, KEA was instructed to conduct one examination process simultaneously instead of conducting separate examinations for the recruitment of different departments of the same cadre.

In this regard, H. Prasanna, Managing Director, KEA, has written a letter to the Secretary, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), requesting that KEA be authorized to simultaneously conduct a single examination, verify documents and announce the shortlist of candidates based on the KPSC model.

The letter said that various departments should submit their proposals to KEA as per the rules once they get permission from the finance department. KEA, which mainly conducts CET and seat allotment process for professional courses, would then prepare a provisional schedule for conducting recruitment tests twice a year. “The authority will consolidate the direct recruitment proposals received from various departments between October and May every year and issue a notification in June. The examination will be conducted in October. The proposals received from June to September will be consolidated and notified in October and the examination will be conducted in January/February,” the letter said.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Prasanna said that the current system with many duplicative procedures was causing problems for the candidates and the KEA. “That is why we have written to the government to give us the authority of the KPSC model in the recruitment process,” he said.

Published – 11 Jul 2026 21:37 IST