Kerala PSC Exam Guide
Kerala PSC LDC (Lower Division Clerk) Exam 2026: The Complete Guide
Everything a Lower Division Clerk aspirant needs in one place — the exact exam pattern, the full SSLC-level syllabus, how many questions come from each topic based on previous-year papers, salary, the selection process, a realistic study plan, and sample questions with answers.
What LDC is, and why it is worth targeting
The Lower Division Clerk (LDC) is Kerala's most popular entry-level government job — a permanent, pensionable ministerial post recruited to almost every state department through district-wise ranked lists. The qualification bar is only a pass in SSLC, which is why lakhs apply, and why the competition rewards a smart, syllabus-mapped strategy rather than raw effort.
An LDC has a clear promotion ladder: LDC → Senior/UD Clerk → Head Clerk → Junior Superintendent → Senior Superintendent (Gazetted). The most recent cycle was Category 503/2023, with the exam held on 26–27 July 2024; the next fresh notification is expected around 2026–2027.
Eligibility, age limit and the 2026 age change
Qualification: a pass in SSLC (Standard 10) or equivalent. Higher-qualified candidates are also eligible — there is no upper educational bar for the general LDC.
Minimum age is 18. Relaxations apply for OBC (+3), SC/ST (+5), PwD, ex-servicemen, widows and others as per Kerala rules. There is no application fee for Kerala PSC.
Medium of the exam — the truth about language
A common myth is that LDC is a "Malayalam paper". It is not. The LDC OMR paper is bilingual — every question is printed in both Malayalam and English, one below the other, so you can attempt it entirely in English if you prefer. For special Tamil-and-Malayalam or Kannada-and-Malayalam posts the paper is trilingual.
What is true: the job requires working knowledge of Malayalam, and there is a dedicated Regional Language (Malayalam) section worth ~15 marks that tests the language itself. But the exam medium is bilingual, not Malayalam-only.
Exam pattern & official mark distribution
LDC is a single-stage, offline, OMR-based objective test. 100 questions, 100 marks, 75 minutes — that is 45 seconds per question, the single number that should shape your whole preparation. There is negative marking of 1/3 mark for every wrong answer.
| Part | Marks |
|---|---|
| General Knowledge, Current Affairs & General Science | 50 |
| General English | 20 |
| Simple Arithmetic & Mental Ability | 15 |
| Regional Language (Malayalam / Tamil / Kannada) | 15 |
This is the 2024 official split. Some coaching sites still quote an older split (GK 50, Arithmetic 20, English 10, Science 10, Language 10) — treat the table above as primary and confirm in the current notification. District cut-offs in 2024 ran roughly 57–69 marks; a safe competitive target is 67–72+.
The full syllabus, section by section
General Knowledge / Current Affairs / Science (~50 marks)
Kerala history & the Renaissance: the social reformers and their movements — Sree Narayana Guru, Ayyankali, Chattampi Swamikal, Vagbhatananda, Pandit Karuppan and others; Vaikom and Guruvayur Satyagraha; the Temple Entry Proclamation (1936); Malayali and Ezhava Memorials; the Channar revolt; formation of Kerala (1 November 1956).
Indian history & the national movement: the freedom struggle, 1857, INC sessions, Gandhian movements, and Kerala's role in the freedom struggle.
Polity & Constitution: Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles, Parliament and Judiciary, President and Governor, key amendments, panchayati raj.
Geography (India & Kerala): physical features, rivers, climate, districts, backwaters, wildlife sanctuaries, agriculture. Economics: Five-Year Plans, NITI Aayog, RBI, banking, welfare schemes. General Science: everyday physics, chemistry, biology, the human body, diseases, nutrition, space and IT. Current Affairs: mainly the last 6–12 months.
Simple Arithmetic & Mental Ability (~15 marks)
Number systems, LCM/HCF, percentage, profit & loss, simple & compound interest, ratio & proportion, average, time & work, time & distance, mensuration, progressions; and reasoning — series, coding-decoding, analogy, blood relations, direction, calendar and clock, ranking.
General English (~20 marks)
Parts of speech, tenses, articles and prepositions, active/passive voice, direct/indirect speech, subject-verb agreement, degrees of comparison, synonyms and antonyms, one-word substitution, idioms and phrases, error spotting and sentence correction, question tags, comprehension.
General Malayalam / Regional Language (~15 marks)
Grammar (നാമം, ക്രിയ, വിശേഷണം), സന്ധി and സമാസം, synonyms and antonyms, ഒറ്റപ്പദം, idioms and proverbs, error correction, punctuation, translation, and Malayalam literature (poets, works, pen-names, awards).
Topic-wise weightage from previous-year papers
Kerala PSC does not publish a fixed per-topic quota, but the pattern across the last five years of LDC papers is remarkably consistent. Approximate counts per 100-question paper:
| Area | Approx. questions |
|---|---|
| Kerala history & Renaissance | 8–12 |
| Indian history / freedom movement | 4–6 |
| Polity & Constitution | 6–9 |
| Geography (India + Kerala) | 6–9 |
| Economics / schemes | 3–5 |
| General Science | 8–12 |
| Current Affairs | 8–12 |
| Maths / Simple Arithmetic | 8–10 |
| Mental Ability / Reasoning | 6–10 |
| General English | 10–12 |
| Malayalam / Regional Language | 10–15 |
The takeaway: GK + Current Affairs + Science is nearly half the paper; the two language sections together (~25–35 marks) are high-scoring and usually decide rank; maths and reasoning (~15–20 marks) is where accuracy is fastest to build.
How the pattern has shifted in the last 5 years
The core remains SSLC-level recognition MCQs, but the style has moved measurably toward application. You now see more "which of the following statements is/are correct", match-the-following, assertion-reason, and multi-step reasoning. The Kerala Renaissance is tested more analytically — linking a reformer to their organisation, publication and event rather than just a birth year. Maths leans to word problems over single-formula plug-ins, and science is framed around everyday phenomena.
Example of the newer style: "Which statements about the Temple Entry Proclamation are correct? (1) It was issued in 1936. (2) It was proclaimed by Sree Chithira Thirunal." — (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) both (d) neither. Answer: (c). That is verification of multiple facts, not a single fill-in.
Salary, allowances and benefits
Pay scale: approximately ₹26,500 – 60,700. Gross starting salary is around ₹31,000–32,000 a month including allowances at entry.
Benefits include Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance, Travel Allowance, medical benefits, pension/provident fund, paid leave, and the full security of a permanent Kerala Government post.
The selection process
Register once (One Time Registration), apply online with your district preference, sit the 100-mark OMR exam, and wait for the provisional answer key → objections → final key. Kerala PSC then publishes district-wise ranked lists (main list plus supplementary and reservation lists). There is no interview for general LDC. Selected candidates undergo certificate verification and are advised for appointment as vacancies arise; a Malayalam proficiency test applies within six months where relevant.
Study plan and the mistakes that cost people the job
Strategy: master the official syllabus and 8–10 years of previous papers (repetition is heavy). Prioritise the 50-mark GK/Science/Current-Affairs block and Kerala Renaissance. Build one-page revision tables for dates, articles, "firsts", and reformer–organisation–publication. Drill maths and reasoning daily for speed. Do not neglect the two language sections — they are the easiest marks on the paper. Take full-length timed OMR mocks and keep a rolling 6–12 month current-affairs capsule.
Five mistakes that cost people the job: chasing current affairs while ignoring static GK; neglecting Malayalam and English (25–35 free marks); reckless guessing despite 1/3 negative marking; never practising against a 75-minute clock; and studying without measuring your score week to week.
Sample questions (with answers)
Model questions in the real exam pattern. Tap to reveal the answer.
1. Who is known as the Father of Kerala Renaissance? (a) Ayyankali (b) Sree Narayana Guru (c) Chattampi Swamikal (d) Vagbhatananda
2. The Temple Entry Proclamation in Travancore was issued in — (a) 1932 (b) 1936 (c) 1947 (d) 1957
3. If the cost price is ₹400 and the selling price is ₹500, the profit % is — (a) 20% (b) 25% (c) 15% (d) 10%
4. Find the next term: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, __ — (a) 40 (b) 42 (c) 36 (d) 44
5. Synonym of "Diligent" — (a) Lazy (b) Hardworking (c) Careless (d) Slow
6. "She has been living here ___ 2010." — (a) since (b) for (c) from (d) by
7. Directive Principles of State Policy are in which Part of the Constitution? — (a) III (b) IV (c) II (d) V
8. The longest river in Kerala is — (a) Bharathapuzha (b) Periyar (c) Pamba (d) Chaliyar
9. Vitamin responsible for blood clotting — (a) A (b) C (c) K (d) D
10. "പുഷ്പം" എന്ന വാക്കിന്റെ പര്യായം? — (a) നക്ഷത്രം (b) പൂവ് (c) ഇല (d) വേര്
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in the Kerala PSC LDC exam?
Is the Kerala PSC LDC exam in Malayalam or English?
Is there negative marking in Kerala PSC LDC?
What is the minimum qualification for LDC?
What is the LDC salary in Kerala?
How many months does it take to prepare for LDC?
More Kerala PSC exam guides
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- Renaissance in Kerala (PSC notes)