Kerala PSC Exam Guide

Kerala PSC Secretariat Assistant & Degree Level Prelims 2026: The Complete Guide

One common Preliminary now screens candidates for dozens of graduate posts — Secretariat Assistant, Auditor, Company Board Assistant and more. Here is exactly how the Prelims and post-specific Mains work, the full syllabus, salary, and the strategy that wins.

LevelAny bachelor's degree

Prelims100 · 100 marks · 75 min

Prelims marking1/3 negative

MainsNo negative marking

MediumBilingual (Malayalam/Tamil/Kannada + English)

Pay scale₹27,800 – 59,400

On this page1. The common Preliminary — and the posts it feeds 2. Eligibility and age 3. Medium — the truth about English vs Malayalam 4. Prelims and Mains pattern 5. The full Prelims syllabus 6. Topic-wise weightage 7. How the pattern has shifted 8. Salary and benefits 9. The selection process 10. Study plan and common mistakes Sample questions FAQ

The common Preliminary — and the posts it feeds

Kerala PSC replaced dozens of separate graduate-level prelims with a single Degree Level Common Preliminary Examination. It is screening only — the marks are not counted in the final list. Clear it, and you sit a post-specific Main examination for whichever posts you applied to.

The Prelims feeds the whole graduate cluster: Assistant / Secretariat Assistant (Government Secretariat, KPSC office, Advocate General's Office, State Audit Department), Auditor, Company/Corporation/Board Assistant, University and Devaswom posts, and many more. The 2025–26 cycle drew over 5.5 lakh candidates, so it is run in normalised stages (I/II/III) on different dates.

Eligibility and age

Qualification: any Bachelor's degree from a recognised university. Individual posts may add requirements at the Main stage. Age: typically 18–36 (General) with standard relaxations; confirm the exact band per notification, as some posts extend the cap.

Medium — the truth about English vs Malayalam

It is not an "English only" exam. The Degree Level Common Preliminary is conducted bilingually and offered in Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada mediums as well as English — official KPSC pages are literally titled "Common Preliminary Examination (Degree Level) – Stage I (Malayalam)". What is true is that the paper feels more English-oriented: it uses more administrative English terminology, carries a 20-mark General English section, and has no 10th-level-style Malayalam grammar block. The difference from 10th-level exams is emphasis and difficulty, not language exclusivity.

Prelims and Mains pattern

Preliminary (screening)

OMR, 100 questions / 100 marks / 75 minutes, 1/3 negative marking. Marks are not carried to the final list. Section split:

Section	Marks
General Knowledge, Current Affairs & GK sub-topics	50
Simple Arithmetic & Mental Ability	20
General English	20
Regional Language (Malayalam / Tamil / Kannada)	10

Within the 50-mark GK block the documented sub-split is: History 10, Arts/Literature/Culture & Sports 10, Geography 5, Economics 5, Civics/Polity 5, Indian Constitution 5, Basics of Computer 5, Science & Technology 5.

Main Examination (ranking, post-specific)

For Secretariat Assistant / Assistant / Auditor the Mains is commonly two structured papers — Paper I (History, Geography, Economics, Life Science & Public Health, Physics/Chemistry, general studies) and Paper II (Principles of Administration & Management, Constitutional structure, Centre-State relations, Kerala's economy and the Kerala Model, Environment and Disaster Management, E-Governance). Mains has no negative marking — attempt everything. An interview follows for cadres that include it. Confirm paper count and marks in the exact post notification.

The full Prelims syllabus

History (10): ancient/medieval/modern India, the freedom struggle, and Kerala history — Europeans in Kerala, Travancore kings (Marthanda Varma onward), reform movements, the national movement in Kerala, state formation (1956) and after.

Arts, Literature, Culture & Sports (10): Indian and Kerala arts, dance and music, literature and major authors, awards (Jnanpith, Nobel), sports and cultural institutions.

Geography (5), Economics (5): physical geography, climate, global issues, maps, India and Kerala geography; national income, planning, NITI Aayog, RBI, budget, banking, consumer rights.

Civics/Polity (5) & Indian Constitution (5): public administration, e-governance, RTI, Lokpal/Lokayukta, the three organs, elections, human rights; making of the Constitution, Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, DPSP, amendments, federal structure, constitutional bodies.

Basics of Computer (5) & Science & Technology (5): hardware/software, MS Office, internet, cyber security and the IT Act, Digital India; everyday physics/chemistry/biology, health, space and defence, recent tech.

Arithmetic & Mental Ability (20), General English (20), Regional Language (10) as in the pattern table.

Topic-wise weightage

Area	Approx. marks
History (India + Kerala)	~10
Arts / Literature / Culture / Sports	~10
Current Affairs (integrated)	~8–12
Geography / Economics / Polity / Constitution	~20 combined
Basics of Computer	~5 (rising)
Science & Technology	~5
Arithmetic + Reasoning	~20
General English	~20
Regional Language	~10

The single most reliable scoring area is the Constitution — finite, precisely defined, and repeated year after year.

How the pattern has shifted

The big structural change is the single Common Preliminary run in normalised stages because of record volumes (5.5+ lakh). Content has moved toward application: current affairs mapped to static concepts, assertion-reason and statement-based formats, chronological sequencing, and multi-column matching. Computer basics and science-and-tech are framed around real usage (cyber security, UPI/e-governance, ISRO missions), and arithmetic/reasoning tilts to 2-step problems.

Salary and benefits

Pay scale (Assistant/Secretariat Assistant): commonly cited as ₹27,800 – 59,400 (some notification-linked sources cite a higher band — verify against the specific notification). Gross starting is roughly ₹40,000–50,000+ a month with DA/HRA. Career progression runs toward Section Officer and Under Secretary in the Secretariat cadre.

The selection process

Online application (OTR) → Degree Level Common Preliminary (Stage I/II/III, screening) → post-specific Main Examination (ranking, no negative marking) → interview where applicable → document verification → ranked list → advice for appointment.

Study plan and common mistakes

Build a strong static base (History, Kerala Renaissance, Polity, Constitution, Geography) because it repeats; layer daily current affairs onto static concepts; do not skip the 10 easy marks in Computer basics and Science; lock in English (20) and regional language (10) for accuracy; and practise timed OMR mocks with negative-marking discipline.

Common mistakes: treating Prelims marks as final (they are only qualifying) and under-preparing for Mains; over-attempting under negative marking; ignoring the easy computer/science marks; last-minute current affairs; and assuming the paper is "English only" and skipping regional-language practice.

Practise this exam properly. Take a full-length mock test in the real pattern — timed, with negative marking and a worked solution for every question. Start a free mock test → · Get the question banks on Kindle →

Sample questions (with answers)

Model questions in the real exam pattern. Tap to reveal the answer.

1. NITI Aayog replaced which body, and in which year?

The Planning Commission, in 2015.

2. Assertion: RTI promotes transparency. Reason: it makes every government file automatically public.

Assertion true, Reason false — RTI is request-based, with exemptions.

3. The Preamble was amended to add "Socialist, Secular, Integrity" by which amendment?

The 42nd Amendment (1976).

4. Marthanda Varma consolidated Travancore after which 1741 battle?

The Battle of Colachel (against the Dutch).

5. Marked price ₹800, discount 12.5%, then a further 10% off — final price?

₹630. 800 → 700 → 630.

6. Directive Principles of State Policy are in which Articles?

Articles 36–51.

7. One-word substitution: "a government by officials" —

Bureaucracy.

8. The GST Council was created by which constitutional amendment?

The 101st Amendment.

9. Which is an output device? (a) Scanner (b) Keyboard (c) Printer (d) Mouse

(c) Printer.

10. The Lokpal was established under which Act?

The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.

Frequently asked questions

Is Kerala PSC Degree Level Prelims the same for all posts?

Yes — it is a common Preliminary, and your score shortlists you for the post-specific Main examinations of the graduate posts you applied to, such as Secretariat Assistant and Auditor.

Is the Secretariat Assistant exam in English only?

No. The Degree Level Common Preliminary is bilingual and offered in Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada mediums as well as English. It simply has a larger English component and more administrative terminology.

Does the Prelims score count in the final rank?

No. The Preliminary is only a screening test — its marks are not added to the final list. Ranking is decided by the post-specific Main examination.

What should I study first for Degree Level Prelims?

The Constitution — it is finite, precisely defined, heavily weighted and repeats every year, giving the highest return on study time.

What is the Secretariat Assistant salary?

The pay scale is commonly cited as Rs 27,800 to 59,400, with gross starting pay around Rs 40,000 to 50,000+ a month including allowances. Verify against the specific notification.

Is there negative marking in the Mains?

No. The Main examination has no negative marking, so you should attempt every question. The Preliminary does have 1/3 negative marking.

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