KEA FDA SDA Recruitment 2026: 5,431 Karnataka Government Posts, Apply by 25 November 2026

The Karnataka Examinations Authority has opened applications on 30 October 2026 for the KEA FDA SDA recruitment 2026, a four-notice drive covering 5,431 Group-C posts across Karnataka government departments, boards and organisations. The notices are dated 29 October 2026, online applications close on 25 November 2026, and the fee must be paid by 26 November 2026.

The vacancies are split across four notices, each divided between the Residual Parent Cadre (RPC) and the Kalyana Karnataka (KK) local cadre under Article 371(J). The post-wise and category-wise details are published separately by the departments, are provisional and may be revised, so applicants should work from the notice for their own cadre and level.

Detail	As published
Organisation	Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), Government of Karnataka
Notices	ED/KEA/14 (RPC, FDA-level), 15 (KK, FDA-level), 16 (RPC, SDA-level), 17 (KK, SDA-level)
Total vacancies	5,431
Notification date	29 October 2026
Applications open	30 October 2026
Last date to apply	25 November 2026
Fee payment last date	26 November 2026
Application mode	Online only, through cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea
Examinations	8, 9, 10, 16 and 17 January 2027

KEA FDA SDA recruitment 2026: how the 5,431 posts are divided

At graduate level, Notice 14 covers 2,163 posts in the RPC cadre and Notice 15 covers 563 posts in the KK cadre, giving 2,726 First Division Assistant-level posts. At II PUC level, Notice 16 covers 2,070 posts in the RPC cadre and Notice 17 covers 635 posts in the KK cadre, giving 2,705 Second Division Assistant-level posts. Together they make the headline figure of 5,431.

The largest blocks show where the hiring sits. In the graduate-level RPC notice, Accounts Assistant posts account for 490 vacancies, followed by 294 Warden (Male) posts and 249 First Division Assistant posts in the judiciary. In the II PUC-level RPC notice, Second Division Assistant posts in the judiciary account for 522 vacancies and in the Commercial Taxes Department for 500.

One rule runs through all four notices: a candidate can be selected for only one post across the notices. Candidates who qualify for more than one notice should list only posts for which they truly meet the qualification, because an option entered for a post the candidate is not qualified for leads to rejection at document verification.

Who can apply: qualification and age

The qualification must be held on or before 25 November 2026; final-year students whose results are still pending cannot apply. For most First Division Assistant, Assistant, Sub-Registrar and GP Secretary Grade-1 posts, the requirement is a degree from a university established by law in India. Accounts Assistant posts require a B.Com, BBM or BBA degree, or an equivalent notified by the University Grants Commission. Warden and Hostel Superintendent posts require a degree and a B.Ed.

For Second Division Assistant, Junior Assistant and GP Secretary Grade-2 posts, the requirement is II PUC or an equivalent. Junior Accounts Assistant posts require PUC (Commerce) with Accountancy, and some posts add a computer course or certificate, so the post-wise table in the relevant notice is the final word. The minimum age is 18 years. The maximum ages already include a one-time five-year relaxation: 40 years for General Merit, 43 years for Category 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B, and 45 years for SC, ST and Category-1 candidates, with further relaxation for persons with disabilities, ex-servicemen and Karnataka government employees.

Pay, selection and examination dates

Pay is stated as a time scale with yearly increments, and probation is two years. The National Pension System applies to all listed departments except KIADB and KRIDL posts. The bands run from Rs 34,100 to Rs 67,600 for Second Division Assistant-level posts and from Rs 44,425 to Rs 1,12,900 across the First Division Assistant-level posts, depending on the post.

Selection starts with a Kannada language test, which is qualifying only: 150 marks, with a minimum of 50 to pass, and the marks do not count for merit. Candidates who studied Kannada to SSLC level or higher, studied in Kannada medium, or have already passed the compulsory Kannada test are exempt. The competitive examination has two papers, each of 100 questions and 100 marks over two hours, with a minimum of 35 per cent mandatory. Paper-1 covers general knowledge and Paper-2 covers General Kannada, General English and Computer Knowledge. Negative marking applies at 0.25 marks per wrong answer, including for unanswered questions. Online counselling follows, then selection lists and document verification.

The Kannada language test for all notices is scheduled for 8 January 2027 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Papers 1 and 2 for Notice 15 (KK, FDA-level) fall on 9 January 2027, for Notice 14 (RPC, FDA-level) on 10 January 2027, for Notice 17 (KK, SDA-level) on 16 January 2027, and for Notice 16 (RPC, SDA-level) on 17 January 2027. Admit cards and examination centres have not been announced yet and will appear on the KEA website.

How to apply for KEA FDA SDA recruitment 2026

Applications are online only, through the KEA portal at cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea, and nothing can be corrected after submission. Keep a photograph, signature, SSLC or date-of-birth proof, degree or PUC marks cards and, where applicable, a caste certificate with its RD number ready. Open the notice for your cadre and level, fill in the form claiming only the reservations you need, upload the photograph and signature, pay the fee online by 26 November 2026, and save the application copy and fee challan. The fee is Rs 750 for General Merit and Category 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B, Rs 500 for SC, ST, Category-1, ex-servicemen and transgender candidates, and Rs 250 for persons with disabilities, and it is not refundable.

For comparison, the Railway Recruitment Board NTPC graduate recruitment for 3,548 posts closes on 6 November 2026, and the Odisha Assistant Executive Engineer recruitment for 758 posts shows another state commission's approach. The KEA drive is different in one useful respect: it gives II PUC pass candidates a route into state government service alongside graduates, in the same round. Pick the notice that matches your qualification and cadre, confirm the post-wise qualification in the notice itself, and apply well before 25 November 2026, when portals slow down. For readers outside Karnataka, including readers in Nepal, these are Karnataka state government posts, not a migration or visa route. Anyone asking for payment to secure a post should be treated as a scam.

Sources: Karnataka Examinations Authority portal, cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea, which lists the Karnataka Examinations Authority (FDA & SDA) Recruitment 2026 entry; notice summaries agreeing on the four notices, totals, dates, fees and examination calendar as reported by GovtJobsAlert and FreeJobAlert; notification date and examination dates as reported by PublicNext on 29 October 2026.