# Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) Prelims (KPSC KAS) — Shishya exam context

> Machine-readable context for Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) Prelims, maintained by Shishya (https://shishya.in) — India's end-to-end free government exam preparation platform. All facts below are free to cite; link back to https://shishya.in/exams/KA_KPSC_KAS. Human page: https://shishya.in/exams/KA_KPSC_KAS

## Exam pattern
- Category: STATE_LEVEL · state: KA
- Questions: 400 · Total marks: 400 · Marks per question: 1
- Duration: 240 minutes
- Negative marking: −0.25 per wrong answer
- Languages offered: EN, KN

## Eligibility & vacancies
- Age: 21–38 years (before category relaxation: OBC +3, SC/ST +5)
- Education: Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognized university
- Approximate annual vacancies: 319
- Note: Karnataka domicile required; Kannada language proficiency tested at Mains stage; General category limited to 5 attempts, OBC 7 attempts, SC/ST unlimited attempts
- Official portal: https://kpsc.kar.nic.in (Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC))

## Key dates
- 2026-07-31 — KPSC KAS 2026 Notification released
- 2026-07-31 — Notification release date
- 2026-07-31 — Final select list announcement for 2023-24 cycle
- 2026-08-01 — KPSC KAS 2026 Online Application Start
- 2026-08-01 — Application portal opens
- 2026-08-14 — Prelims admit card release
- 2026-08-19 — 2023-24 Final Result announcement (expected)
- 2026-08-29 — KAS Prelims examination date (exam day)

## Syllabus outline
### General Studies (Paper 1) (weight 1)
Current Events · Appointments and Persons in News · Awards, Sports and Honours · International Current Events · National Current Events · Indian Economy and Reforms · Banking and Financial System · Budget and Taxation · External Sector · Planning in India · Poverty Alleviation · Economic Reforms · Rural Development · Social Sector Initiatives · Structure of Indian Economy · Indian and World Geography · Disaster Management · Environmental Geography · Economic Geography of India · Physical Geography of India · Population and Settlement · World Physical Geography · Indian History and National Movement · Ancient India · Cultural Aspects · Economic Aspects · Medieval India · Modern India · Indian National Movement · Social Aspects · Indian Polity and Political System · Constitutional and Statutory Bodies · Indian Constitution · Elections and Reforms · Union and State Executive · Federalism · Fundamental Rights, Duties, DPSPs · Judiciary · Parliament and State Legislature · Panchayati Raj and Urban Governance

### Karnataka — History, Culture, Geography & Administration (weight 1.4)
Karnataka Culture and Heritage · Architectural Heritage · Kannada Cinema and Theatre · Festivals and Traditions · Kannada Literature · Music and Dance · Religious Movements · Karnataka Economy and Administration · Karnataka Administration · Economic Indicators · Karnataka IT and Innovation · Local Self-Government in Karnataka · State Government Schemes · Geography of Karnataka · Agriculture in Karnataka · Climate and Soils · Forests and Wildlife · Industries of Karnataka · Mineral Resources · Physical Features · Rivers of Karnataka · History of Karnataka · Bahmani and Bijapur Sultanates · Chalukyas of Badami and Kalyana · Early Dynasties · Freedom Movement in Karnataka · Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan · Hoysalas · Rashtrakutas · Unification of Karnataka · Vijayanagara Empire · Modern Mysore — Wodeyars and Dewans

### General Studies II / CSAT (Paper 2) (weight 1)
Comprehension · Data Interpretation · Bar and Pie Graphs · Data Sufficiency · Line Graphs · Tables · English Language · Error Spotting · Fill in the Blanks · Grammar · Vocabulary · Environment and Ecology · Biodiversity · Climate Change · Basic Ecology · General Health Issues · Environmental Laws and Conventions · Pollution Control · Protected Areas · Basic Numeracy and Number Relations · Average · Mensuration · Number System · Percentage · Probability and Combinatorics · Profit and Loss · Ratio and Proportion · Simple and Compound Interest · Time, Speed, Distance · Time and Work · Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability · Coding-Decoding · Decision Making · Directions and Distance · Blood Relations · Seating Arrangement and Puzzles · Series and Analogy · Statement and Argument · Syllogism · Biology Basics · Biotechnology · Chemistry Basics · Public Health · Information Technology · Physics Basics · Space and Defence · General Science and Technology · Current Events of State Importance · Karnataka Current Affairs · Karnataka State Budget · State Government Schemes

## Expected cutoffs (category-wise)
| Category | Expected Cutoff (Indicative) |
|----------|------------------------------|
| General | 240-260 marks (60-65%) |
| EWS | 230-250 marks (57.5-62.5%) |
| OBC (Cat-2A/2B) | 210-235 marks (52.5-58.75%) |
| SC (Cat-3A) | 180-210 marks (45-52.5%) |
| ST (Cat-3B) | 170-200 marks (42.5-50%) |
| PwD | 160-190 marks (40-47.5%) |

**Guidance:**

- **Category differential**: General cutoffs typically run 25-35 marks higher than OBC (Cat-2A), and 50-70 marks above SC/ST categories. Cat-2B (backward OBC) may see 5-10 marks relaxation from Cat-2A.
- **Year-on-year shifts**: Cutoffs fluctuate ±10-15 marks based on paper difficulty, vacancy count, and candidate strength. Karnataka's reservation matrix (progressive categories Cat-2A/2B/3A/3B) creates finer gradations than Union pattern.
- **Safe zone strategy**: Target 65%+ (General), 58%+ (OBC), 50%+ (SC/ST) to account for normalization and competition intensity. Mains seat allocation heavily influences Prelims threshold annually.

Full cutoff page: https://shishya.in/exams/KA_KPSC_KAS/cutoff

## Free resources on Shishya for this exam
- Exam hub (mocks, PYQs, news, dates): https://shishya.in/exams/KA_KPSC_KAS
- Full syllabus + free study notes: https://shishya.in/exams/KA_KPSC_KAS/syllabus
- Category-wise expected cutoffs: https://shishya.in/exams/KA_KPSC_KAS/cutoff
- Memory tricks & mnemonics: https://shishya.in/exams/KA_KPSC_KAS/tricks
- How to crack it (strategy guide): https://shishya.in/exams/KA_KPSC_KAS/guide
- Free day-by-day study plan (personal coach): https://shishya.in/coach
- Free AI tutor (22 Indian languages, no login): https://shishya.in/chat

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