Civil Services Examination (CSE)
Preliminary Examination: Stage 1
- The Preliminary examination consists of two papers: General Studies Papers I & II.
- This examination is meant to serve as a screening test Only, the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination will not be counted for determining their final order of merit.
- It is always advisable to revisit the chapters once in a while. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERTS) gives you a sound base that you can rely on.
Mains Examination: Stage 2
- Only descriptive-type questions will be asked in KAS main exam.
- The Mains exam consists of 9 papers.
- There will be no negative marking.
- The minimum qualifying mark in Kannada and English papers is 35%.
- The maximum number of marks that can be obtained is 1750.
- The Main Examination is intended to assess the overall intellectual traits and depth of understanding of candidates rather than merely the range of their information and memory.
- The nature and standard of questions in the General Studies papers (Papers II to Paper V) will be such that a well-educated person will be able to answer them without any specialized study.
- The questions are likely to test the candidate’s basic understanding of all relevant issues, and ability to analyze, and take a view on conflicting socio-economic goals, objectives, and demands
Interview (Personality): Stage 3
The interview will carry 275 marks (with no minimum qualifying marks). Marks thus obtained by the candidates in the Main Examination (written part as well as interview) would determine their final ranking. (Ranking is based on score out of 2025 Marks). Candidates will be allotted to the various services keeping in view their ranks in the Examination and the preferences expressed by them for the various services and posts.
The number of candidates to be summoned for interview will be about twice the number of vacancies to be filled.
The candidate will be interviewed by a Board who will have before them a record of his career. He will be asked questions on matters of general interest.
The object of the interview is to assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in public service by a Board of competent and unbiased observers. The test is intended to judge the mental caliber of a candidate. In broad terms this is really an assessment of not only his intellectual qualities but also social traits and his interest in current affairs.
Some of the qualities to be judged are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgment, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, intellectual and moral integrity.