General clerical and administrative work in a government office or the state Secretariat, the standard first rung of a Kerala PSC career.
How to become a Secretariat Assistant / LDC in Kerala
A bachelor’s degree in any subject, Kerala PSC’s One-Time Registration on the Thulasi portal, the Degree Level Preliminary Examination, and a post-specific Main Examination.
How long it takes
A degree plus an unpredictable preparation-to-appointment cycle, commonly 18 months to 4 years from application to joining, even after clearing the exam.
What it costs
Modest direct cost; coaching, where used, adds ₹10,000–50,000 a year, and the real cost is the years spent preparing.
Where the jobs are
Government offices and the Secretariat across every district of Kerala.
What it pays
Roughly ₹27,800–59,400 basic pay on the current scale, plus dearness and other allowances (2026 estimate; verify against the latest pay-revision notification).
Who thrives in it
Patient, procedure-comfortable people willing to treat preparation as a multi-year, time-boxed project rather than an open-ended wait.
Who struggles in it
Anyone who cannot set an exit trigger; applicant pools for popular notifications run into the lakhs against a few thousand vacancies.
How far it can go
Promotion through departmental tests over a full career, potentially toward Upper Division Clerk, Section Officer and beyond.
Will AI affect this career?
3/5 — routine drafting and record-keeping are increasingly software-assisted, but file-level judgement and procedure stay human for now.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I become a Secretariat Assistant / LDC in Kerala?
A bachelor’s degree in any subject, Kerala PSC’s One-Time Registration on the Thulasi portal, the Degree Level Preliminary Examination, and a post-specific Main Examination.
What does it cost to become a Secretariat Assistant / LDC in Kerala?
Modest direct cost; coaching, where used, adds ₹10,000–50,000 a year, and the real cost is the years spent preparing.
Is Secretariat Assistant / LDC a good career in Kerala?
Roughly ₹27,800–59,400 basic pay on the current scale, plus dearness and other allowances (2026 estimate; verify against the latest pay-revision notification). Promotion through departmental tests over a full career, potentially toward Upper Division Clerk, Section Officer and beyond.