The Kerala Public Service Commission (Kerala PSC) conducts exams to recruit Secretariat Assistants for various government departments in Kerala. Understanding the exam pattern and syllabus is crucial for effective preparation.
Kerala PSC Secretariat Assistant Exam Pattern
| KPSC Secretariat Assistant Exam Pattern Details | |
| Subjects | Marks |
| General Knowledge | 59 |
| Simple Arithmetic, Mental Ability and Reasoning | 15 |
| General English | 13 |
| Regional Language (Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil) | 13 |
The exam consists of:
- Objective Type Questions: Multiple-choice questions.
- Sections: General Knowledge, English, Current Affairs, and Mental Ability.
- Total Marks: 100 marks, with 75 minutes to complete.
Kerala PSC Secretariat Assistant Syllabus
The syllabus includes:
- General Knowledge: Indian history, geography, culture, and economics.
- English: Grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension.
- Current Affairs: National and international events.
- Mental Ability: Logical reasoning, puzzles, and arithmetic.
| Kerala PSC Secretariat Assistant Mains Paper-1 Exam Pattern | ||
| Subjects | Marks | Duration |
| General Knowledge | 59 | 1Hour 30Minutes |
| Simple Arithmetic, Mental Ability and Reasoning | 15 | |
| General English | 13 | |
| Regional Language (Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil) | 13 | |
The Kerala PSC Secretariat Mains Paper-2 Exam Pattern
| Kerala PSC Secretariat Assistant Mains Paper-2 Exam Pattern 2025 | |||
| Modules | Topics | Marks | Duration |
| 1 | Principles of Administration | 10 | 1Hour 30Minutes |
| 2 | Principle of Management | 10 | |
| 3 | Constitutional Structure | 12 | |
| 4 | Centre-State Relations under the Constitution | 8 | |
| 5 | Kerala’s Economy | 15 | |
| 6 | Kerala Model of Development | 15 | |
| 7 | Environment/ Climate | 10 | |
| 8 | Disaster Management | 10 | |
| 9 | E-Governance | 10 | |
| Kerala PSC Secretariat Assistant Syllabus (Subject-Wise) | |
| Subjects | Topics |
| History | Kerala: Arrival of Europeans, Contributions of Europeans, Travancore history, Reform movements, National Movement, United Kerala Movement, Post-1956 history. |
| India: British Rule, INC Formation, Swadeshi Movement, Reform Movements, Newspapers, Literature during Freedom Struggle, Independence, Post-independence period. | |
| World: Great Revolutions (England, American War of Independence, French, Russian, Chinese), Political History post-WWII, UNO, International Organizations. | |
| Geography | Basics: Earth Structure, Atmosphere, Rocks, Landforms, Pressure Belts, Winds, Pollution, Maps, Remote Sensing, GIS, Oceans. |
| India: Physiography, Northern Mountains, Rivers, Plains, Plateaus, Climate, Vegetation, Agriculture, Minerals, Industries, Transport Systems (Road, Rail, Air). | |
| Kerala: Physiography, Districts, Rivers, Climate, Vegetation, Wildlife, Agriculture, Research Centers, Minerals, Energy Sources, Transport Systems. | |
| Economy | India: Economy, Five-Year Plans, NITI Aayog, Financial Institutions, Major Crops, Green Revolution, GST structure, rationale, and benefits. |
| Life Science and Public Health | Human Body basics, Vitamins & Minerals (Deficiency Diseases), Communicable Diseases, Public Health Policies, Hygiene Practices. |
| Physics | Branches of Physics, Motion, Light, Sound, Force, Gravitation, Heat, Work-energy-power. |
| Chemistry | Atom, Elements, Matals-Non-metals. |
| Arts | Important Audio-Visual Art Forms of Kerala |
| Literature | Malayalam, Important Literary Movements, Icons and their first works, Main works of literature related to each movement and their authors, writers, Famous works and characters, Famous quotes, beginning of journalism, Malayalam writers who won Jnanpith award and related facts, Malayalam cinema- origin, development, milestones, national awards |
| Culture | Kerala-Important celebrations, Places associated with such celebrations, important festivals, Cultural centres, worship places, cultural leaders and their contributions. |
| Sports | Famous sports personalities of Kerala, India and world, Important awards, Famous trophies, Number of players in Important Sports Items, Olympics |
| Basics of Computer | History, Software, Computer networks, Internet |
| Simple Arithmetic | Numbers and Basic Operations, Fraction and Decimal Numbers Percentage, Profit and Loss, Simple and Compound Interest Ratio and Proportion, Time and Distance, Time and Work, Average, Laws of Exponents, Mensuration, Progressions |
| Mental Ability and Reasoning | Series, Problems on Mathematical Signs, Verifying Positions, Analogy- Word Analogy, Alphabet Analogy, Number Analogy, Odd man out, Numerical Ability, Coding and Decoding, Family Relations, Sense of Direction, Time and Angles, Time in a clock and its reflection, Date and Calendar, Clerical Ability |
| English | Different Parts of Speech., Agreement of Subject and Verb, Articles – Definite and Indefinite Articles., Uses of Primary and Modal Auxiliary Verbs, Question Tags, Infinitive and Gerunds, Tenses, Tenses in Conditional Sentences, Prepositions, The Use of Correlatives, Direct and Indirect Speech, Active and Passive voice, Correction of Sentences, Degrees of Comparison, Vocabular |
| Malayalam | പദശുദ്ധി, വാക്യശുദ്ധി, പരിഭാഷ, ഒറ്റപ്പദം, പര്യായം, വിപരീത പദം, ശൈലികൾ പഴഞ്ചൊല്ലുകൾ, സമാനപദം, ചേർത്തെഴുതുക, സ്ത്രീലിംഗം പുല്ലിംഗം, വചനം, പിരിച്ചെഴുതൽ, ഘടക പദം (വാക്യം ചേർത്തെഴുതുക |
| Kannada | Word Purity / Correct Word, Correct Sentence, Translation, One Word / Single Word / One Word Substitution, Synonyms, Antonyms, Idioms and Proverbs, Equivalent Word, Join the Word, Feminine Gender, Masculine Gender, Number, Sort and Write |
| Tamil | Correct Word, Correct Structure of Sentence, Translation, Single Word, Synonyms, Antonyms / Opposite, Phrases and Proverbs, Equal Word, Join the Word, Gender Classification – Feminine, Masculine, Singular, Plural, Separate, Adding Phrases |
| Kerala PSC Secretariat Assistant Syllabus Mains Paper-2 | |
| Subjects | Topics |
| Module 1: Principles of Administration | Administration: Definition and scope, Types of organizations: Public, private, and non-profit, Principles of administration, Theories of administration: Classical, behavioural, and contingency theories, Modern approaches to administration, Organizational structure and functions, Organizational culture and change management, Ethical principles in administration, Leadership and leadership styles, Traits of leadership, Communication in administration, Accountability and transparency, Role of technology in administration |
| Module 2: Principles of Management | – Management: Definition and importance, Evaluation of management thought, Management vs. Administration, Management roles and skills, Management functions: Planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling, Principles of management, Contemporary approaches to management: System approach, contingency approach, TQM, lean management, agile management, technology, and innovation, Organizational environment and culture, Ethical decision-making in management, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Globalization and challenges for managers |
| Module 3: Constitutional Structure (12 Marks) | Salient features of the Indian Constitution – Preamble of the Constitution. Fundamental rights, meaning and limitations – Directive principles of state policy and Fundamental duties -their enforcement- Union Executive- President, Vice-president- Elections, Powers, and Functions Prime Minister, Council of Ministers. Union Legislatures – Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha Composition, Powers, and Functions- Parliamentary privileges- Union Judiciary-Supreme Court of India – composition and powers and functions- Judicial Review- public interest litigation State Executive- Governor, Chief Minister, Council of Ministers. State Legislature-State Legislative Assembly and State Legislative Council. State Judiciary-High Court and Subordinate Judiciary |
| Module 4: Centre-State Relations under the Constitution (8 Marks) | Relation between Union and States: Legislative Relations – Administrative Relations Coordination between Centre and States- Financial Relations- Services under the Union and States: Doctrine of Pleasure- Local Government-Panchayat raj system with special reference to 73rd and Urban Local Self Govt. with special reference to 74th Amendment- Election Commission of India-composition, powers and functions and electoral process. Types of emergency grounds, procedure, duration, and effects. Amendment of the Constitution- meaning, procedure, limitations. |
| Module .5 – Kerala’s Economy (15 Marks) | Kerala’s Economy since the formation of the state – State Gross Domestic Product – Economic Growth – Per Capita Income – Resource mobilisation – Tax and nontax revenue – Public Expenditure – Decentralised Planning – Policies – Development Programmes Agriculture Crops -Land Use Pattern – Land Reforms – Food Security – Industry – MSMEs Energy sectors – Infrastructure -Service sector – Health – Care economy – Migration – Tourism Education – ICT |
| Module .6 – Kerala Model of Development (15 Marks) | Kerala model of Development – Evolution – Significance -Features: adult literacy, life expectancy, infant mortality, birth rate – Reasons – Challenges -Unemployment – Poverty Inequality – Gender Gap – Ageing – Women Empowerment Programmes- Knowledge Economy-Startups-Brain Gain |
| Module 7 – 10 Marks | Basic concepts of Eco System and Bio Diversity – Forests, desert, aquatic ecosystems; Rivers of Kerala, Environmental Pollution- water, air and soil; Contaminants – pesticides, metals, gaseous pollutants; Environmental Movements; International and National organisations for environmental protection; Wildlife sanctuaries, National Parks and Biosphere reserves in Kerala; Global environmental issues -global warming, Ozone depletion; Climate change; Environmental Impact Assessment and developmental projects, Environmental auditing, Green auditing; Environmental Laws in India |
| Module 8 – 10 Marks | Disasters – natural and anthropogenic; Disaster Management, The disaster management cycle Mitigation (structural and non structural), mitigation goals, Preparedness (planning, training and exercises, Public awareness and education), Response (emergency operations centres, search and rescue operations, incident command system , medical care and shelter management) , Recovery (damage assessment , reconstruction and rehabilitation). National Policy on Disaster Management. International disaster management system, International disaster response laws, Disaster management act, NDMA( National Disaster Management Act), NIDM( National Institute of Disaster Management) NDRF(National Disaster Response Force), SDMA(State Disaster Management Authority) and DDMA( District Disaster Management Authority). |
| Module 9 – E-GOVERNANCE – 10 Marks | Basic objectives of e-Governance – Challenges of e – Governance- Various e- Governance initiatives by the Central and the State Government- Incentivising e- Governance and its impact on corruption- Management Information System- Decision Support System- Expert Systems Data Privacy- Information Security- IT Act 2000 |
