Official source: KPSC Notification No. KPSCKA/EXA2/PRSL/11/2026-EXAM2/252 dated 27-08-2026, issued by the Karnataka Public Service Commission, "Udyoga Soudha", Bengaluru-560001, for Group 'B' Audit Officer posts under the Hyderabad-Karnataka cadre. This article is translated and adapted from the original Kannada notification.
Cadre restriction: These posts are reserved exclusively for candidates who qualify as local candidates of the Hyderabad-Karnataka (Kalyana Karnataka) region under Article 371(J) of the Constitution and the Karnataka Public Employment (Reservation to Hyderabad-Karnataka Region) (Recruitment) Rules, 2013. A local-candidate eligibility certificate (per the notification's Annexure format) is mandatory.
KPSC Audit Officer Recruitment 2026 Overview
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Organization | Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), "Udyoga Soudha", Bengaluru-560001 |
| Recruiting Department | Karnataka State Accounts Inspection and Accounts Department |
| Notification No. | KPSCKA/EXA2/PRSL/11/2026-EXAM2/252 |
| Notification Date | 27 August 2026 |
| Post Name | Audit Officer, Group 'B' (Hyderabad-Karnataka Cadre) |
| Total Posts | 15 (13 regular + 2 backlog) |
| Recruitment Mode | Direct recruitment through Preliminary + Main competitive written examination |
| Governing Rules | Karnataka State Accounts Services (Recruitment) Rules 2011; Karnataka State Audit and Accounts Services (Recruitment) (Amendment) Rules 2015 & 2023; Karnataka Gazetted Probationers (Recruitment through Competitive Examinations) Rules 1997 (Rules 5 & 7) |
| Application Mode | Online only, via kpsconline.karnataka.gov.in |
KPSC Audit Officer Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Online Application Start | 28 August 2026 |
| Online Application Last Date | 26 September 2026 |
| Preliminary Examination (Tentative) | 29 November 2026 |
Note: A tentative list of dates for examinations and results connected with these posts is published for candidates' information on the Commission's website. Candidates facing technical difficulties while applying should contact the helpline: 080-30574957 / 30574901 / 22356487 / 22200090. Requests for extension of the last date for application submission or fee payment due to technical error/delay will not be entertained.
KPSC Audit Officer Vacancy 2026 (Category-wise)
13 Regular Posts
02 Backlog Posts
15 Total Posts
Audit Officer – Regular, 13 Posts
| Category | Others | Women | Rural | PH | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| Category-1 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| Category-2A | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| Category-2B | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| Category-3B | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| General Merit (GM) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1* | 6 |
| Total | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
Note: *B, LV – Blind, Low Vision.
Audit Officer – Backlog, 2 Posts
| Category | Physically Handicapped | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 1# | 1 |
| Category-2A | 1# | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 2 |
Note: #Hearing impairment/locomotor disability or old-age arthritis. The disability categories identified for these posts (per Government of Karnataka Notification No. WCD 118 PHP 2020) are: (a) Blindness & Low Vision, (b) Deaf & Hard of Hearing, (c) Locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy, (d) Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness, (e) Multiple disabilities from among (a) to (d), including deaf-blindness. Category abbreviations: GM – General Merit, SC – Scheduled Caste, ST – Scheduled Tribe, Cat-1/2A/2B/3A/3B – reservation categories, Ex-MP – Ex-Military Person, Rural – Rural Candidate, KMS – Kannada Medium Student, PH – Physically Handicapped, RPC – Residual Parent Cadre, TG – Transgender, HK – Hyderabad Karnataka (Kalyana Karnataka).
KPSC Audit Officer Eligibility 2026
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Educational Qualification | Master's degree in Commerce (M.Com) OR MBA (Finance) OR MBA (Financial Management) OR MBA/M.Com (Financial Analysis) OR any other Master's degree notified by the University Grants Commission with 'Finance' as one of the subjects, from a University established by law in India; OR a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India; OR an Associate member of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India |
| Cadre Eligibility | Must qualify as a local candidate of the Hyderabad-Karnataka (Kalyana Karnataka) region under Article 371(J), supported by the prescribed eligibility certificate |
| Citizenship | Must be an Indian citizen |
Candidates who have appeared for an examination whose passing would render them educationally qualified for the Preliminary Examination, but whose results have not yet been declared, are also eligible for admission to the Preliminary Examination. However, all candidates declared qualified for the Main Examination must produce proof of passing the requisite qualifying examination along with their Main Examination application, failing which they will not be admitted to the Main Examination.
KPSC Audit Officer Age Limit
Standard Age Limit (as per Karnataka Gazetted Probationers Rules 1997)
| Category | Age Limit |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 21 years |
| General category – maximum age | 35 years |
| Category 2A/2B/3A/3B – maximum age | 38 years |
| SC/ST/Category-1 – maximum age | 40 years |
One-Time Age Relaxation (Applied to This Notification)
Per Government of Karnataka Order No. ಸಿಆಸು 262 ಸೇನನಿ 2025 dated 29-01-2026, a one-time 5-year upper-age relaxation has been sanctioned and applied to the vacancies in this notification:
| Category | Age Limit (as applicable to this notification) |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 21 years |
| General category – maximum age | 40 years |
| Category 2A/2B/3A/3B – maximum age | 43 years |
| SC/ST/Category-1 – maximum age | 43 years |
Note: Candidates must not exceed the maximum age limit applicable to their category as on the prescribed closing date of application. Additional relaxation beyond the above applies for: Ex-servicemen (military service years plus 3 years, up to a maximum of 3 years' service credited), Physically Handicapped candidates (10 years), and Widows (10 years, subject to producing a certificate of widowhood and non-remarriage from the competent authority).
Application Fee
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| General category candidates | ₹600 |
| Candidates in Category 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B | ₹300 |
| Ex-Servicemen candidates | ₹50 |
| SC, ST, Category-1 & Physically Handicapped candidates | Fee exempted |
- Fee can be paid via net banking, debit card, credit card, or UPI.
- Once paid, the fee is not refundable under any circumstances, nor can it be adjusted toward any other examination or recruitment conducted by the Commission.
- Applications without fee payment will be rejected.
- Fee payment is not possible after the prescribed closing date/time; Demand Drafts, Postal Orders, and Money Orders are not accepted.
KPSC Audit Officer Exam Pattern & Selection Procedure
Selection follows the two-stage process prescribed under Section-1 of Schedule-2 of the Karnataka State Public Services (Recruitment) Rules, 2011: a Preliminary Examination (objective, used to screen candidates for the Main Examination) followed by a Main Examination (written, descriptive), conducted for Group 'B' posts of the Karnataka State Accounts Inspection and Accounts Department.
Section A – Preliminary Examination (Objective Type)
| Paper | Subject | Max. Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | General Studies | 150 | 2 hours |
| Paper 2 | Commerce & Management | 300 | 2 hours |
| Total | 450 | - | |
Question papers are set in both Kannada and English. Preliminary exam marks are used only for ranking/shortlisting for the Main Examination and are not added to the final merit. Candidates are admitted to the Main Examination based on the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination, in the ratio of 1:20 against the number of vacancies notified for each post.
Section B – Main Examination (Written/Descriptive)
| Paper | Subject | Max. Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Kannada | 150 | 3 hours |
| Paper 2 | English | 150 | 3 hours |
| Paper 3 | General Studies | 300 | 3 hours |
| Paper 4 | General Studies | 300 | 3 hours |
| Paper 5 | Financial Accounting, Management and Analysis | 300 | 3 hours |
| Paper 6 | Principles of Management, Organizational Behaviour, Training and Development | 300 | 3 hours |
| Paper 7 | Corporate Finance, Business Economics and Taxation | 300 | 3 hours |
| Paper 8 | Principles and Practice of Auditing, Computer Concepts and E-commerce | 300 | 3 hours |
| Total | 2100 | - | |
- Preliminary Exam question papers are set in both Kannada and English; a candidate must secure minimum qualifying marks (30% and 35% respectively, category-dependent) in each of the two papers to qualify.
- Main Examination Paper 1 (Kannada) and Paper 2 (English) are set at the SSLC/equivalent standard; the remaining papers are set at degree level.
- Main Examination question papers are printed in both Kannada and English, and candidates must answer entirely in Kannada or entirely in English (except for the language papers themselves).
- Competitive examinations for these posts are conducted per Rules 5 and 7 of the Karnataka Gazetted Probationers (Recruitment through Competitive Examinations) Rules, 1997, which cover age relaxation and educational qualification for candidates.
How to Apply for KPSC Audit Officer Recruitment 2026
One-Time Registration (OTR) – First-time Applicants
- Visit the KPSC website: kpsconline.karnataka.gov.in and click the "New Registration" link.
- Ensure you have a valid, active personal e-mail ID and mobile number for registration and login.
- After registration and login, complete your candidate profile under "Applicant Details Registration".
- Fill in the required details step by step, reading each instruction carefully before proceeding.
- OTR needs to be completed only once; it will be reused for all future KPSC notifications, so fill it in with utmost care.
Applying for This Post via KPSC Udyoga Software
- Log in with your credentials and go to the "Apply to Post" tab.
- Click the "Apply Post" link against this notification; the system will check your eligibility per the criteria in the notification.
- Only candidates found eligible are permitted to proceed with the application; ineligible candidates will see an alert message.
- Read the notification fully, satisfy yourself of your eligibility, and then proceed to submit the application.
- Upload a recent passport-size photograph (under 200 KB) and signature (under 70 KB), both in JPEG/JPG format only.
- Pay the applicable fee via net banking, debit card, credit card, or UPI, and confirm the payment.
- On successful submission, you can download the application from the "Applied Post" section; the acknowledgement will show a QR code confirming Application Submitted, Payment Done, and Application Accepted – the application is complete only when all three are confirmed.
Important: Fill in every field carefully before final submission of the application – details in the applied application for a specific post cannot be changed after submission (only the applied post can be deleted and a fresh application submitted using the OTR profile; the fee already paid for the deleted post is not refunded or adjusted under any circumstances). Candidates for whom fee payment fails against a notified post will have their application rejected. Only candidates who complete OTR are permitted to submit an application; it should not be assumed that completing OTR alone submits an application for a specific post – you must separately click "Apply to Post" and complete the application.
Documents Required
- Category/reservation certificate (as applicable) – per the prescribed Annexure formats (SC/ST/Category-1: Annexure-D; Category-2A: Annexure-E; Categories 2B/3A/3B: Annexure-F)
- Rural candidate certificate, where reservation is claimed (Annexure-1 or Annexure-2, as applicable)
- Kannada Medium of Instruction certificate, where reservation is claimed
- Hyderabad-Karnataka (Article 371-J) local-candidate eligibility certificate
- Physically Handicapped reservation certificate, where applicable (Certificate for the Persons with Disabilities format)
- Ex-Servicemen reservation certificate, where applicable
- Certificate of physical disability restricted to writing ability, along with a scribe undertaking, where a scribe is sought (Annexure-3 & Annexure-4)
- Transgender candidate reservation certificate, where applicable
- Photo ID proof (Voter ID/Aadhaar card/Driving Licence/Passport/Government service ID) to be produced in original at the examination centre
Note: Reservation certificates claimed at the time of application must be valid as on the closing date of application, failing which the claimed reservation will be rejected. Original documents will be required for verification when called; suppression of information or submission of a false reservation certificate/community claim will render the candidature liable to rejection, restricted to General Merit eligibility at best.
Important Conditions
- This recruitment is restricted to candidates eligible under the Karnataka Public Employment (Reservation to Hyderabad-Karnataka Region) (Recruitment) Rules, 2013 – enacted under Article 371(J) of the Constitution.
- Candidates must possess mental and physical fitness adequate to efficiently discharge the duties of the post, and must be free of any physical defect likely to interfere with such discharge.
- A married man with a living spouse who has married again, and a woman who has married a man with a living spouse, without obtaining prior Government exemption, are not eligible for appointment.
- Persons dismissed from Central, Karnataka, or another State's service, or debarred by any Public Service Commission's examination or recruitment, are not eligible.
- The examination centre for the competitive examination will be at a centre location decided by the Commission; question papers for the competitive examination will be set only in Kannada and English.
- Candidates should carefully read the eligibility conditions and syllabus published along with the notification before filling the application form.
- The Commission does not correspond with candidates on any matter; address changes must be communicated in writing, and the Commission bears no responsibility for delay in such communication.
- Candidates involved in impersonation, submission of forged/fabricated documents, misrepresentation of facts, or any unfair means or malpractice at any stage - including at the examination centre or during the recruitment process - are liable to have their candidature rejected, besides being subject to criminal and legal action.