PSC Mastery

KAS interview, and how your rank is fixed

The KAS interview carries a maximum of 50 marks, and the notification states that marks of the main examination and the interview will be considered for ranking. Your position on the ranked list is therefore your main examination mark out of 300 plus your interview mark out of 50, a total of 350. The preliminary examination plays no part once you have cleared it.

Steps

  1. The rule, as stated

    The maximum marks for interview is fixed as 50 marks, and marks of the main examination and interview will be considered for ranking. Nothing else enters the calculation.

  2. Who is called

    A shortlist is drawn from candidates who secured top marks in the descriptive examination, extended where needed to include reserved-category candidates from lower mark ranges so that reservation rules are satisfied.

  3. A real cutoff, as a dated example

    In the Category 001/2025 Stream 1 statewide selection, the last candidate on the unreserved main shortlist scored 141.5 out of 300. That is one cycle’s figure, published in that cycle’s shortlist notice — not a benchmark to plan against. Cutoffs move with vacancies and the applicant pool.

  4. Rechecking is not available for this selection

    The Category 001/2025 shortlist notice states that under the existing procedure, revaluation and rechecking of answer scripts is not allowed. That differs from the Commission’s general rechecking route — see the rechecking guide for why both are true at different scopes.

  5. One list per stream, valid one year

    A separate ranked list is published for each stream, and the notification states the list remains in force for one year.

  6. What is not published

    No scoring rubric for the interview is published, and no tie-breaking rule specific to KAS was found. We do not describe either.

Frequently asked questions

How many marks is the KAS interview?#

Fifty. The final rank is the main examination mark out of 300 plus the interview out of 50.

Do prelims marks break a tie at the final stage?#

No mechanism for that is published, and prelims marks are excluded from ranking altogether.

What is the usual KAS cutoff?#

There is no usual figure. The Category 001/2025 Stream 1 shortlist closed at 141.5 out of 300 for the unreserved main list — one cycle, one stream, one district scope. Read the shortlist for your own selection.

Can I get my KAS answer script rechecked?#

The Category 001/2025 shortlist notice states revaluation and rechecking of answer scripts is not allowed for that selection. Read the notice for your own cycle — a selection’s own notice governs.

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.