KEA Karnataka Village Administrative Officer Application 2026: The Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) has released two official recruitment notifications on behalf of the Revenue Department, Government of Karnataka, for direct recruitment to the post of Village Administrative Officer (VAO) through a competitive written examination.
The recruitment drive features vacancies divided into two distinct streams: Residual Parent Cadre (RPC) with 505 posts and Kalyana Karnataka Local Cadre (KK) with 67 posts. Eligible candidates can submit their applications online through the official KEA portal.
KEA Karnataka Village Administrative Officer Recruitment 2026 Overview
| Job Attribute | Details |
| Organization Name | Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) & Revenue Department, Government of Karnataka |
| Notification Number | RPC Stream: ED/KEA/26/Rect/2026(RPC) KK Local Cadre: ED/KEA/27/Rect/2026(KK) |
| Post Name | Village Administrative Officer (VAO) (Group-C) |
| Total Vacancies | 572 Posts (RPC: 505 | KK Local Cadre: 67) |
| Short Education | PUC (12th Pass) or equivalent qualification |
| Application Mode | Online Only |
| Official Website | cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea |
Important Dates for KEA Karnataka Village Administrative Officer Recruitment
- Notification Date: 10 July 2026
- Online Application Start Date: 11 July 2026
- Last Date to Apply Online: 30 July 2026
- Last Date for Payment of Fee: 31 July 2026
- Competitive Written Exam Dates (CBT):
- Paper-1 (General Knowledge): 04 October 2026 (10:30 AM to 12:30 PM) OR 25 October 2026 (10:30 AM to 12:30 PM)
- Paper-2 (Language & Computers): 04 October 2026 (02:30 PM to 04:30 PM) OR 25 October 2026 (02:30 PM to 04:30 PM)
- Compulsory Kannada Language Test Date: To be announced separately
KEA Karnataka Village Administrative Officer Application Fee Details
- General Merit (GM), 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B Categories: ₹750/- total (₹500 application fee + ₹250 processing fee).
- SC, ST, Category-1, Ex-Servicemen, and Transgender Categories: ₹500/- total (₹250 application fee + ₹250 processing fee).
- Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Categories: ₹250/- total (Processing fee only).
- Payment Mode: Online mode only. Remitted fees are completely non-refundable.
KEA Karnataka Village Administrative Officer Age Limit and Relaxations
The Age will be calculated as of 30 July 2026
- Minimum Age Limit: 18 Years
- Special Age Relaxation: A general one-time relaxation of 5 Years has been officially added to the maximum age caps by the state government.
Maximum Age Caps After Relaxation:
- General Merit (GM) Candidates: Maximum 40 Years.
- Backward Classes (2A, 2B, 3A, 3B) Candidates: Maximum 43 Years.
- SC, ST, and Category-1 Candidates: Maximum 45 Years.
- Age Calculator
- Extended Upper Age Limits: Relaxable up to an additional 10 years for Widows, PWD candidates, and Bonded Labourers; and by the actual years of service rendered (max 10 years) for existing state government or corporation employees. Ex-Servicemen receive a relaxation equal to their years of military service plus an additional 3 years.
KEA Karnataka Village Administrative Officer Vacancy Breakup
The 572 total vacancies are allocated across various districts under the individual cadre allocations:
1. Residual Parent Cadre (RPC Stream) District-Wise Vacancies
| S.No | Name of the District | Number of Vacancies |
| 1 | Tumakuru | 50 |
| 2 | Mandya | 50 |
| 3 | Belagavi | 48 |
| 4 | Mysore | 45 |
| 5 | Hassan | 35 |
| 6 | Bengaluru South | 30 |
| 7 | Bengaluru Rural | 29 |
| 8 | Kolar | 22 |
| 9 | Chikkaballapura | 21 |
| 10 | Bengaluru City | 20 |
| 11 | Dakshina Kannada | 20 |
| 12 | Shimoga | 18 |
| 13 | Bagalkot | 16 |
| 14 | Chitradurga | 15 |
| 15 | Haveri | 15 |
| 16 | Gadag | 14 |
| 17 | Udupi | 10 |
| 18 | Chikkamagaluru | 10 |
| 19 | Bidar | 04 |
| 20 | Raichur | 02 |
| 21 | Chamarajanagara | 31 |
| TOTAL RPC VACANCIES | 505 Posts |
2. Kalyana Karnataka (KK Local Cadre Stream) District-Wise Vacancies
| S.No | Name of the District | Number of Vacancies |
| 1 | Kalaburagi | 40 |
| 2 | Bidar | 17 |
| 3 | Raichur | 10 |
| TOTAL KK LOCAL VACANCIES | 67 Posts |
KEA Karnataka Village Administrative Officer Educational Qualification Criteria
Candidates must have all final mark sheets or certificates on the closing date for applications.
- Essential Qualification: Must have passed PUC (Pre-University Course / 12th Class) or an equivalent qualification recognized by the Department of Pre-University Education, Karnataka.
- Recognized Equivalent Qualifications:
- Class 12 exams are conducted by CBSE or ICSE boards.
- Class 12 exams are conducted by other state government boards.
- Higher Secondary Course (HSC) via National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
- A 2-Year ITI course, provided the candidate passes one language course and one academic subject through distance mode from NIOS or the Pre-University Board.
- Karnataka State Vocational Education Courses (JOC).
- A 3-Year Diploma program from the Department of Technical Education.
- Note: Candidates awaiting their final results are strictly ineligible to apply. Visually Impaired (Blindness and Low Vision) categories are not eligible to apply for this specific selection drive.
Compulsory Kannada Language Test Clause:
- Candidates who have studied Kannada as a first or second language in SSLC or higher exams, or completed their schooling in the Kannada medium, are exempted from the language eligibility test.
- Other candidates must write and pass a Compulsory Kannada Language Test. It is an objective multiple-choice paper carrying 150 maximum marks where scoring a minimum of 50 marks is mandatory to qualify. Marks from this paper are not counted toward the final rank selection list.
KEA Karnataka Village Administrative Officer Pay Scale and Salary Structure
- Pay Scale Range Matrix: ₹34,100 – 800 – 35,700 – 900 – 39,300 – 1000 – 43,300 – 1125 – 47800 – 1250 – 52,800 – 1375 – 58,300 – 1500 – 64,300 – 1650 – 67,600.
- Probation Period: Appointed candidates will serve on probation for a fixed term of Two Years.
- Pension Scheme: Covered under the state framework of the National Pension System (NPS). Placements possess district-level seniority variables.
KEA Karnataka Village Administrative Officer Selection Process Details
- District Restriction: A candidate can apply for only one district. Multiple district entries are strictly prohibited.
- Written Exam Base: Selection will be finalized based purely on the scores secured in the Offline OMR-type competitive written examination. There are no additional interview phases.
- Minimum Qualifying Criteria: Candidates must secure at least 35% marks in the competitive written examination to remain eligible for selection.
- Negative Valuation Marks Deduction: For every incorrect objective answer marked, 0.25 marks will be deducted as a penalty.
- OMR Shading Rule: OMR sheets contain a 5th option circle for unattempted questions. Candidates get an extra 5 minutes after the final bell to shade this 5th option for blank questions. Leaving a question completely unshaded across all 5 options will attract a 0.25 marks penalty deduction.
- Tie-Breaking Metric: If total scores match, older candidates rank higher. If age is also identical, the percentage of marks obtained in the qualifying technical/educational exam determines seniority. If a tie persists, higher marks in Matriculation (10th) establish the rank.
KEA Karnataka Village Administrative Officer Exam Pattern and Written Test Syllabus
The written test consists of two separate papers conducted on a single day, with each paper featuring 100 objective-type questions for a maximum of 100 marks.
Paper-1: General Knowledge (Duration: 2 Hours | Max: 100 Marks)
- General Knowledge related to Current Affairs
- Matters of Daily Perception
- Broad Overview of the Indian Constitution
- Indian History with a special focus on Karnataka history
- Geography of India with relevance to Karnataka geography
- State and Regional Administration matters
- Economic development of Karnataka, including rural development initiatives, Panchayat Raj institutions, and rural cooperative organizations
- Environmental challenges and developmental issues concerning Karnataka
Paper-2: Communication & Languages (Duration: 2 Hours | Max: 100 Marks)
- General Kannada
- General English
- Computer Knowledge
How to Apply Online for KEA Karnataka Village Administrative Officer
- Eligible candidates must access the official KEA online portal link at https://cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/.
- Carefully review the eligibility parameters and notice rules before starting data entry.
- Fill out the application profile with correct personal data, educational metrics, and select exactly one district of choice.
- Upload your recent scanned passport-size color photograph (50 KB to 200 KB in JPEG format) and a clear signature image (50 KB to 70 KB in JPEG format).
- Ensure your reservation data corresponds exactly with valid certificates (Form-D for SC/ST, Form-E for Cat-1, or Form-F for 2A/2B/3A/3B streams) issued by the competent Tehsildar before processing the application.
- Pay your application and processing fees securely online.
- Submit the form final copy and take a printout of the generated confirmation application summary page and bank fee receipt for downstream document check stages.
Important Links
| Links Details | Link Action |
| Apply Online | Click Here |
| Official Notification (RPC Cadre) | Click Here |
| Official Notification (KK Local Cadre) | Click Here |
| Official Website | Click Here |
| WhatsApp Channel | Join Now |
| Telegram Channel | Join Now |
| Arattai Channel | Join Now |
| Home Page | Click Here |
Source: Information is taken from the official notification released by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA).
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