Certificates and document upload for Kerala PSC
Kerala PSC does not collect certificates at the moment you apply. Its own guidance states that documents to prove qualification, experience, community and age have to be produced as and when called for — which means at verification, not at application. The Commission publishes prescribed formats for the certificates that carry a claim, and a certificate in the wrong format is a real reason to lose one.
Steps
Nothing is uploaded when you apply
The Commission’s guidance on submitting applications states that documents to prove qualification, experience, community, age and so on have to be produced as and when called for. Candidates are admitted to the process provisionally on the strength of what their profile declares.
Your qualifications live in the profile, entered by you
Educational qualifications are entered into the profile, from the lowest upward, and newly acquired qualifications are among the items the Commission’s correction form tells candidates to add themselves. Get them in before you apply — the application takes what the profile holds at that moment.
Community and reservation claims have prescribed formats
The Commission publishes the formats it expects: a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe community certificate in Form No. III under the Kerala (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Regulation of Issue of Community Certificate Rules, 2002; an Other Backward Communities certificate for age relaxation; a Non-Creamy Layer certificate for reservation in appointment; and separate forms for serving government employees and for armed forces personnel due for release. Use the published format, not a generic one.
A community certificate and a non-creamy-layer certificate are different documents
The Commission publishes them separately and for different purposes — the OBC community certificate for age relaxation, the Non-Creamy Layer certificate for reservation in appointment. Producing one where the other is required is a common and avoidable failure.
Verification is where originals matter
Certificates are checked against originals at verification. The Commission’s One Time Verification process exists so that this happens once rather than at every selection.
What we do not state here
Kerala PSC does not publish, on the pages we cite, a validity period for a Non-Creamy Layer certificate, a file-size specification for scanned certificate uploads, or a per-field checklist of supporting documents. All three circulate widely with confident numbers attached. We leave them out rather than repeat a figure we cannot trace.
Frequently asked questions
Do I upload certificates when applying for a Kerala PSC post?#
No. The Commission states documents proving qualification, experience, community and age are produced as and when called for. You are admitted to the process provisionally.
Which certificate format does Kerala PSC accept?#
The Commission publishes its own prescribed formats — Form No. III for SC/ST community certificates, a separate OBC certificate for age relaxation, a Non-Creamy Layer certificate for reservation in appointment, and forms for serving employees and armed forces personnel.
How long is a Non-Creamy Layer certificate valid?#
Kerala PSC does not publish a validity period on the pages we cite, so we do not state one. Widely-quoted figures vary between sources. Ask the issuing authority, and get a fresh certificate ahead of a verification date if there is any doubt.
What size must a scanned certificate be?#
We could not trace a file-size specification for certificate scans to an official Kerala PSC document. The photo and signature specs for the profile are published; certificate scan specs, as far as we can verify, are not.
Is an IGNOU or state open university degree accepted?#
The governing Government Order recognises degrees awarded by statutory universities established by an Act of the Central or State Legislature, and by institutions recognised as universities by the University Grants Commission. IGNOU is a Parliament-Act university and appears in the Commission’s own list of approved universities.
Who gives me proof that my qualification is equivalent?#
The Commission requires sufficient proof obtained from a University or other competent authority that your qualification is recognised as equivalent to the one prescribed. It does not issue that proof itself, and it can only accept an equivalence that has been declared by executive order.
My equivalency was accepted in an earlier selection. Does it carry over?#
Not automatically. The Commission’s own per-category equivalency listing states that admissibility for the present selection is examined afresh, in the light of the relevant Government Order or court order.
Do I submit an equivalency certificate with my application?#
No — notifications require it at certificate verification. But the Government Order or certificate has to already exist by then; you cannot begin seeking equivalency after being shortlisted and have it apply retrospectively.
What happens if I claim a qualification I do not hold?#
Notifications provide for disciplinary action — disqualification, debarment for a period or permanently, invalidation of the answer script, and removal from service if the appointment has already happened.
How do I convert my CGPA to a percentage for a post that asks for a minimum percentage?#
Kerala PSC does not publish a conversion formula — we could find no circular on it. Use the conversion your own university notifies, evidenced by a certificate from its Controller of Examinations, rather than an online calculator or a coaching site’s multiplier.
Official sources
- Kerala PSC — Mode of submitting applications — https://www.keralapsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/inline-files/mode_of_submitting_application_revised_0.pdf
- Kerala PSC — certificate formats (community, non-creamy-layer, ex-servicemen) — https://www.keralapsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/inline-files/KAS-CERTIFICATE-FORMATS.pdf
- Kerala PSC — Non-Creamy Layer certificate — https://www.keralapsc.gov.in/non-creamy-layer-certificate
- Kerala PSC — One Time Verification — https://www.keralapsc.gov.in/one-time-verification
- Kerala PSC — profile correction form (PDF) — https://www.keralapsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/2019-05/form_for_profile_correction.pdf
Steps last verified against official Kerala PSC sources on 25 August 2026.
Where the Commission has not published a rule, this guide says so rather than guessing. Anything marked “not officially published” is exactly that.
This is an independent guide for aspirants, written from the Commission’s own published instructions. Portal screens and rules change — always confirm on keralapsc.gov.in and in your own Thulasi profile before acting. PSC Mastery is not affiliated with the Kerala Public Service Commission.