Karnataka PSC Labour Inspector Syllabus, Exam Pattern

Two papers, 200 marks

KPSC's cut-off lists print marks next to percentage (134.50 marks against 67.25%), which confirms the 200 total.

Paper II, in three parts

Kannada Language Test

A separate Kannada language exam runs alongside. Its schedule is published on the Commission's website with that of the main papers.

Mode and language

The exam may be offline on OMR sheets or a Computer Based Recruitment Test (CBRT), as the Commission decides. If it's CBRT, instructions and a mock test go up on the website first.

Papers are set in Kannada and English. If the Kannada version of a question is unclear, the English version is final.

Objections are made in the hall

Any objection to the question paper must be given in writing before you leave the centre, through the supervisor, with an acknowledgement. Nothing sent after you leave is entertained.

Paper I: General Knowledge (100 marks, 1½ hours)

Fifteen areas, six of them about Karnataka:

• Current events
• General science
• Geography
• Social science
• History of Indian society and its development
• History of India and of Karnataka
• The Constitution of India and public administration
• Scientific knowledge and mental ability, at SSLC level
• Social and cultural history of Karnataka
• Land reforms and social change in Karnataka after independence
• The economy of Karnataka: strengths, weaknesses and current position
• Rural development, panchayat raj institutions and rural co-operative societies
• Science and technology in effective administration in Karnataka
• Environmental problems and development in Karnataka
• Mental ability

Paper II (100 marks, 2 hours)

• General Kannada: 35 marks
• General English: 35 marks
• Computer Knowledge: 30 marks

No labour law

Neither paper tests the Industrial Disputes Act, the Factories Act, the labour codes or anything else specific to the job. It's a general Karnataka state services paper.

The detailed syllabus for both the Kannada test and the competitive exam is on the KPSC syllabus page.

Qualification

A degree from a university established by law, in any discipline, with no minimum percentage and no experience. A higher qualification does not substitute for the prescribed one.

Age, on the closing date

The upper limit goes up further, as set out in the Karnataka Civil Services (General Recruitment) Rules, 1977, for people serving the Karnataka government, a local authority, or a state-owned corporation set up by state or central statute.

KPSC's category codes

The first group is vertical reservation. Rural, KMS, Ex-MP, PH, PDP and TG are horizontal and cut across it, which is why cut-offs read GM/RL, 2A/W, SC/PH and so on.

Certificates

Everything is verified from what you upload with the application. Age, qualification and reservation certificates must be in the formats in the notification's annexures, valid on the closing date, and uploaded then. A certificate produced later is not considered.

1. Online application: profile, application, then fee.
2. Kannada language test and the competitive exam (Paper I and Paper II, 200 marks).
3. Provisional select list, with category-wise cut-offs.
4. Additional list where needed, again with cut-offs.
5. Final list.

An application is rejected if the fee is unpaid, or if the photo, signature or certificates are missing or unclear. Upload limits:

• Photograph and signature: JPG, maximum 50 KB.
• Age, reservation and other certificates: JPG, maximum 200 KB.

There's no correction window. Requests to amend a submitted application are rejected.

Group B, pay scale Rs 33,450 to Rs 62,600, as printed in the 2022 notification for both RPC and HK posts. Karnataka revises its scales periodically, so check the notification for your cycle.

Allowances are as admissible under Karnataka Government rules.

Fee

Pay by net banking, debit or credit card, or in cash at a Common Service Centre, where you can also fill in the form.

Three stages

1. Profile: create a login and complete your profile. It carries into the form.
2. Application: "Click here to Apply" against the notification, fill the rest, upload, submit.
3. Fee: in "My Application", where each form shows paid or unpaid with a Pay Now link.

Fields marked * are compulsory. If Save or Add doesn't respond, refresh with Ctrl+F5. Technical helpline: 1800 572 8707.

The Kannada language test and the competitive exam are held at centres fixed by the Commission. You don't get to pick one beyond what the notification allows, so watch the admit card for the venue.

KPSC notifies Labour Inspector posts when the Labour Department asks for them, not on a fixed calendar. The last pair:

The two open and close a day apart, so watch for both. New notifications appear on the KPSC notifications page.

KPSC examined this post together with Assistant Statistical Officer and Statistical Inspector and published their marks together.

Download the admit card from the KPSC website. Its release is announced by press notification and on the site.

Bring an original photo ID: voter ID, Aadhaar, driving licence, PAN card, passport or a government employee ID. Downloaded copies and colour photocopies are refused, and so is entry without an original.

KPSC publishes an eligibility list, a provisional select list, an additional list if needed, a final list and a rejected list, all on the KPSC results page. Each list comes with its own category-wise cut-offs.

For this cycle it also published every valid candidate's marks for Assistant Statistical Officer, Statistical Inspector and Labour Inspector together. Key answers are under the Commission's Key Answers section.

KPSC publishes cut-offs category by category, to four decimal places, with the date of birth of the last candidate selected. They're on the KPSC cut-off page.

Provisional select list, Labour Inspector (RPC)

Additional list, Labour Inspector (HK)

GM to SC/PH spans 34.5 marks, or 17 percentage points. GM/KMS and GM/RL closed above open GM: small quotas with a strong field close high. These are one cycle's figures and will move.

1. Decide RPC or HK first. Separate notifications, separate posts, closing a day apart, separate cut-offs.
2. Know your exact category code. GM/RL, GM/KMS, GM/W and GM/XMP each have their own bar. One cycle ran from 100.00 to 139.50 out of 200 across codes.
3. Skip the labour law books. Neither paper tests it.
4. Karnataka is the paper. Six of the fifteen Paper I areas are about the state: its history, social and cultural history, land reforms, economy, environment, and science and technology in its administration. National GK alone won't carry you.
5. Language is 70 of 200 marks. General Kannada 35 and General English 35 in Paper II, with 30 for computers.
6. Have your certificates ready before you apply. Prescribed formats, valid on the closing date, scanned legibly within 50 KB and 200 KB. No corrections later.
7. Object in the hall. If a question is wrong, write it up through the supervisor before you leave.
8. If the exam goes CBRT, take KPSC's mock test.

Karnataka Public Service Commission: kpsc.kar.nic.in

Notifications: kpsc.kar.nic.in/notification.html

Labour Inspector notification, Residual Parent Cadre (PDF): RPC, 29 September 2022

Labour Inspector notification, Hyderabad-Karnataka (PDF): HK, 30 September 2022

Cut-off marks: kpsc.kar.nic.in/cutoff.html

Syllabus: kpsc.kar.nic.in/syllabus.html

Results and lists: kpsc.kar.nic.in/results.html

Notifications are in Kannada; the annexures and certificate formats are in English.

Why are there two notifications?

KPSC splits every post between the Residual Parent Cadre (RPC) and Hyderabad-Karnataka (HK). You apply to one.

How many posts were there?

20 in RPC and 6 in HK, both notified in late September 2022.

What qualification do I need?

A degree in any discipline from a university established by law.

Is labour law tested?

No.

Is the exam online or on OMR?

Either; the Commission decides. If it's online, a mock test is published first.

What is the age limit?

18 to 35 for General Merit, 38 for 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B, and 40 for SC, ST and Category-1.

What is the fee?

Rs 600 for General Merit, Rs 300 for 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B, Rs 50 for ex-military persons.

What do GM/RL and SC/PH mean in a cut-off list?

A vertical category paired with a horizontal one: RL rural, W women, KMS Kannada Medium Student, XMP ex-military, PH physically handicapped, PDP project displaced, TG transgender. Each pair has its own cut-off.

Is a horizontal category always easier?

No. GM/KMS closed at 139.50 and GM/RL at 135.00, both above open GM at 134.50.

Can I correct my application?

No. There's no correction window.

What if a question is wrong?

Object in writing through the supervisor before leaving the centre. Later objections are ignored.