PSC Mastery

Kerala PSC exam day rules, carrying and banned items

Kerala PSC allows exactly three things into the examination hall: the admission ticket, identity proof in original, and a ballpoint pen with blue or black ink. Everything else — phones, any watch including a plain wrist watch, calculators, eatables, water bottles, bags and keys — is on the Commission’s banned list, and it states that any candidate found carrying such items inside the hall will be debarred from appearing for PSC examinations.

Steps

  1. Arrive before the reporting time on your ticket

    The General Instructions state candidates must reach the centre well before the reporting time mentioned on the admission ticket, and that candidates arriving after the reporting time will not be allowed entry under any circumstances. Candidates are permitted to occupy their allotted seat 15 minutes before the time on the ticket, and are asked to follow the bell timings printed on it.

  2. Carry only three things in

    Admission ticket, identity proof in original, and a ballpoint pen with blue or black ink. That is the Commission’s own list.

  3. Leave everything else in the cloak room

    Bags, watches, purses and mobile phones are to be kept in the cloak room provided at the centre. The Commission states that any candidate found to carry such items inside the examination hall will be debarred from appearing for PSC examinations.

  4. The banned list, as printed

    Stationery: text material printed or written, bits of paper, geometry or pencil box, plastic pouch, calculator, ink or gel pen, scale, writing pad, pen drive, eraser, log table, electronic pen or scanner. Communication devices: mobile phone, bluetooth, earphones, microphone, pager, health band, and any metallic item that could hide a camera or bluetooth device. Watches: watch or wrist watch, camera watch, smart watch. Eatables: any eatable item opened or packed, and water bottles both transparent and non-transparent. Other: handbag, purse, pouch and vehicle key.

  5. Check your paper before you start, and sign the address list

    On receiving the OMR sheet and question paper, check for misprints, damage, tears or stains and that the paper is complete and in order, and tell the invigilator immediately — nothing is replaced later except for a printing or manufacturing defect. You will also write your name and sign in the address list, and sign across the photo without signing over the face.

  6. If you use a hearing aid

    The current instructions state that differently abled candidates (DA-HI or multiple disability) shall not use hearing aid instruments during the examination. The aid may be used before the examination begins to receive the invigilator’s instructions and is then handed to the invigilator; during the examination all instructions on procedure and time are given to the candidate in writing.

  7. Malpractice ends the script

    The Commission states that candidates who misbehave with officials on examination duty, commit malpractice, or resort to unfair means will have their answer scripts invalidated and legal action taken against them. Nobody may enter after the exam begins or leave before it ends.

Frequently asked questions

Can I wear a normal wrist watch to a Kerala PSC exam?#

No. The banned list names "Watch/Wrist watch, camera watch, smart watch" — an ordinary wrist watch is banned along with smart watches.

Can I carry a water bottle?#

No. The banned list explicitly names water bottles, transparent and non-transparent, along with any eatable item opened or packed.

What happens if I am caught with a phone?#

The General Instructions state that any candidate found to carry such items inside the examination hall will be debarred from appearing for PSC examinations. That clause states no fixed duration for recruitment examinations.

What if I arrive late?#

Candidates arriving after the reporting time on the admission ticket will not be allowed entry under any circumstances, and no one may enter after the examination has commenced.

I carried a smart watch in by mistake and handed it over. Am I still at risk?#

The rule has no carve-out for accident or voluntary surrender. Smart watches are on the banned list, and the Commission states that any candidate found to carry such items inside the examination hall will be debarred from appearing for its examinations.

Official sources

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.