Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has directed district administrations and police authorities to enforce stricter security and monitoring measures for the Karnataka Public Service Commission’s Gazetted Probationers preliminary examination, scheduled for November 15 across 15 districts.
The examination is being conducted for 319 posts—117 Group A and 202 Group B positions—with 1,47,067 candidates registered. The two papers will be held from 10 am to noon and from 2 pm to 4 pm. Each paper will contain 100 questions and carry 200 marks.
During a video conference with deputy commissioners and superintendents of police at the government’s Krishna office, Shivakumar instructed district authorities to train all examination personnel in the manner used for election duty and submit compliance reports. He said examination centres must be operated without allowing malpractice and warned that licences of private aided colleges could be cancelled if irregularities were found at their centres.
The Chief Minister also directed officials to follow KPSC’s examination guidelines strictly, maintain continuous CCTV surveillance inside examination centres and arrange security on the lines used for police recruitment examinations. Unauthorised persons will not be permitted inside centre premises, while staff deployment is to be based on an assessment of the sensitivity of individual centres.
Candidates will not be allowed to enter examination centres with mobile phones. Shivakumar said senior officials would be held responsible for violations and announced that, for the first time, two invigilators would be assigned to each examination room.
The new measures include Aadhaar-based identity verification through the e-Governance Department to prevent impersonation. CCTV cameras and signal jammers are also being introduced at examination rooms, according to the information released about the preparations. KPSC Examination Controller H. Prasanna briefed officials on the reforms being implemented to prevent malpractice.
The examination will be held at 345 sub-centres in Kalaburagi, Raichur, Ballari, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Dharwad, Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Davanagere, Tumakuru, Mysuru and Bengaluru Urban districts. The first paper will cover general studies and humanities, while the second will cover state-related general studies, science and technology, and mental ability.
The commission will use triplicate optical mark recognition sheets, and scanned OMR sheets are scheduled to be uploaded on its website on the day of the examination. The two papers together will require the scanning of 2,94,134 OMR sheets. Officials are also expected to monitor social media for the circulation of false information related to the examination.
Candidates who do not know an answer will be required to mark the fifth option, according to the listed examination reforms. Shivakumar further directed deputy commissioners to prioritise the issuance of validity certificates, saying delays in issuing them had slowed recruitment processes even after examination results were announced.
The immediate administrative focus is on completing personnel training, securing the centres and ensuring the scheduled conduct of both papers on November 15. The government has also proposed establishing OMR scanning centres in all district headquarters in cooperation with the Technical Education Department for future examinations and faster publication of results.
