PSC Mastery

The eight groups inside the Other Backward Classes quota

The share reserved for Other Backward Classes is not a single pool. The service rules divide it among eight named groups, each with its own fixed number of turns and its own position in a second rotation that runs inside the main one. This is why two candidates both described as OBC can face very different effective competition.

Steps

  1. The eight groups

    Ezhava, Thiyya and Billava; Muslims; Latin Catholics and Anglo-Indians; Viswakarmas; Nadars; converts to Christianity from Scheduled Castes; Dheevaras; and all other Other Backward Classes taken together.

  2. The shares, for posts other than last-grade service

    Out of forty: fourteen for Ezhava, Thiyya and Billava; twelve for Muslims; four for Latin Catholics and Anglo-Indians; three for Viswakarmas; two for Nadars; one for converts to Christianity from Scheduled Castes; one for Dheevaras; and three for all other Other Backward Classes together.

  3. The shares differ for last-grade posts

    Out of forty: eleven; ten; four; six for all other Other Backward Classes; two for Viswakarmas; two for one Nadar group; two for Dheevaras; one for the other Nadar group; and two for converts to Christianity from Scheduled Castes. The totals match but the distribution does not.

  4. A second rotation runs inside the first

    The main cycle marks certain turns generically as Other Backward Classes. A separate forty-position sequence published in the rules then decides which of the eight groups each of those generic turns actually belongs to.

  5. Passing over works the same way inside it

    Where a group named for a sub-rotation turn has no available candidate, the same passing-over and restoration mechanics that govern the main rotation apply within the Other Backward Classes groups.

  6. The introduction of EWS did not change these shares

    Comparing the Commission’s own percentage tables before and after the economically weaker sections quota was added, every individual group’s share is identical. Only the open competition share changed.

Frequently asked questions

Why do two OBC candidates face different competition?#

Because they are not in one pool. Each of the eight named groups has its own fixed number of turns and its own position in the sub-rotation, so the effective competition differs sharply between them.

Did the EWS quota reduce the OBC shares?#

No. Comparing the Commission’s published tables before and after, each group’s share is unchanged. The open competition share is what moved.

Where is the sub-rotation published?#

On the Commission’s rules of reservation page, alongside the group list and the percentage tables.

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.