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Almost every Kerala PSC recruitment exam has a cut off that changes with the number of candidates, the difficulty level and the number of vacancies. The Departmental Test works differently. It is not a ranking exam. You are not competing for a fixed number of seats. You either reach the minimum pass mark or you do not. That means the “cut off” for the Departmental Test is its qualifying (pass) mark. This guide explains the Kerala PSC Departmental Test Cut Off 2026, pass marks, what previous and the expected cut off for your next test, and how to turn the pass mark into a practical target on the exam day.
Kerala PSC Departmental Test Cut Off 2026: Quick Overview
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Type of cut off | Fixed qualifying (pass) mark, not rank-based |
| General pass mark | 40% in each paper (40 out of 100) |
| Marking | 1 mark for each correct answer, 1/3 mark deducted for each wrong answer |
| Competition | No fixed number of seats. Everyone who reaches the pass mark is declared passed |
| Part passing | All tests can be passed in parts, and you may apply for individual papers |
| Result | Kerala PSC publishes passed candidates, with marks, on www.keralapsc.gov.in |
| Expected cut off for the next test | 40% per paper for the general tests, unless your notification states a different pass mark |
Is There a Rank-based Cut Off in the Departmental Test?
1: Which Year First Assembly Election was held in Kerala?
No. In a recruitment exam the cut off depends on how well everyone else performs. In the Departmental Test, the Commission fixes the minimum mark in advance. If you score at or above that mark in a paper, you pass that paper, regardless of how others perform.
Two things follow from this:
- Your target is fixed. You know exactly how many net marks you need.
- The result depends on you alone. There is no need to out-score other candidates, only to reach the pass mark in every paper you write.
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Join Now!Previous Pass Mark from Kerala PSC Result Notifications – Departmental Test 2026
Kerala PSC publishes Departmental Test results as notifications listing the passed candidates, and these notifications state the minimum pass mark for each test.
| Test | What the result notifications show |
|---|---|
| General Departmental Tests (objective papers) | Minimum 40% in each paper, as stated in the notification and Time Table and Syllabus |
| Divisional Accountant (Special Test) | Written papers need 40%; the viva-voce is 150 marks with a pass mark of 40% of 150, which is 60 marks (as shown in the September 2017 result and addendum notification) |
| Junior Members of IAS/IPS/IFS departmental examination | Several result notifications (for example the ones issued for 2019, 2022 and 2023) show a paper carrying 120 marks with a minimum pass mark of 60, which is 50%. These tests are for a specific cadre and can differ from the general 40% rule |
| Earlier IAS/IPS/IFS result (September 2018) | The notification shows a different minimum (32.5 for a 120-mark paper), which shows that pass marks are test-specific and can change over time |
What this tells you: The general rule is 40%, but a few cadres and special tests have their own pass marks. Always read the pass mark in the notification and the Time Table and Syllabus PDF of your own test.
Previous Year Kerala PSC Departmental Test Cut Off: Year-wise Details
Kerala PSC result notifications list the register numbers of passed candidates. They do not publish a rank-based cut off. If you maintain a year-wise record for your test, you can track it like this.
| Year / Session | Test | Maximum marks | Minimum pass mark | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Slot: Session] | [Slot: Test name] | 100 | 40 | |
| [Slot: Session] | [Slot: Test name] | 100 | 40 | |
| [Slot: Session] | Divisional Accountant viva-voce | 150 | 60 |
We have not listed pass percentages here, because the result notifications mainly list the passed candidates rather than a pass percentage. Add figures only from the official result PDF of the session you are quoting.
Expected Cut Off for the Kerala PSC Departmental Test 2026
| Test type | Expected qualifying mark |
|---|---|
| Most objective papers (online or OMR, 100 marks) | 40 out of 100 per paper |
| Divisional Accountant written papers | 40% in each paper |
| Divisional Accountant viva-voce | 60 out of 150 (40%) |
| Language tests and descriptive papers | As stated in the notification. For the Second Class Language Test in Malayalam, the aggregate pass mark is 70 out of 200 |
| IAS/IPS/IFS junior members’ tests | As stated in the notification; recent results have shown 60 out of 120 for the papers listed |
The notification for your session is the final authority. If it states a different pass mark, follow that.
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Join Now!Safe Score Target: How Much Should You Aim For Departmental Test?
The pass mark is 40, but you should not aim for exactly 40. A small slip in negative marking can pull you below the line. A sensible approach is:
- Pass target: 40 net marks
- Safe target in mock tests: 55 to 60 net marks in each paper, which gives you a cushion for the harder questions and OMR mistakes on exam day
Kerala PSC Departmental Test 2026 Negative Marking Details
With 1 mark for each correct answer and 1/3 mark deducted for each wrong answer, your net marks are:
Net marks = Correct answers − (Wrong answers ÷ 3)
To reach 40 net marks in a 100-mark paper, the number of correct answers you need depends on how many questions you attempt.
| Questions attempted | Correct answers needed for 40 net marks | Wrong answers allowed | Net marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 43 | 9 | 40.0 |
| 60 | 45 | 15 | 40.0 |
| 70 | 48 | 22 | 40.7 |
| 80 | 50 | 30 | 40.0 |
| 100 | 55 | 45 | 40.0 |
If you attempt only the questions you are sure about, you need a high accuracy rate. If you attempt all 100, you can afford more wrong answers, but you still need 55 correct. Accuracy matters more than volume.
With-Books and Without-Books Papers: Effect on Your Score
| Paper type | Effect on the cut off target |
|---|---|
| With books | Accuracy should be high because the answers can be found in the permitted books. Aim for more correct answers with fewer guesses |
| Without books | Expect fewer sure answers. Use the three-round approach and guess only after eliminating options |
Only government publications and Acts and Rules published by the Government are allowed in with-books papers. Private commentaries, notes and guides are not allowed unless the notification specifically permits them. In judicial tests, only bare Acts are allowed.
Factors That Can Affect Results Even with a Fixed Pass Mark
- Difficulty of the paper: A harder paper makes it harder to reach 40 net marks, even though the pass mark does not move.
- Answer key revisions: Kerala PSC publishes a provisional answer key and a final answer key. A revised key can change marks. For example, the Divisional Accountant (September 2017) addendum notification declared a candidate passed after the final answer key was revised.
- Negative marking: Wrong answers cost 1/3 mark each, so the net mark can be lower than the raw count of correct answers.
- Mistakes in the OMR sheet: A wrongly marked OMR sheet can cost marks.
- Pass in each paper: For tests with several papers, you need the minimum in each paper you write, unless the notification says the papers are combined.
How to Check the Departmental Test Result
- Visit www.keralapsc.gov.in.
- Open the Departmental Test section and find the result notification for your session.
- Open the result PDF for your test and look for your register number in the list of passed candidates.
- Check the mark list, where given, and the remarks.
- Download and save the PDF.
If you do not find your number in the passed list, check the notification for any paper-wise remarks and the answer key objection process.
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