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KEA VAO Cut Off 2026: The KEA VAO exam 2026 is over today, October 4, 2026 and candidates are now eager to know the expected cutoff marks. The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) conducted the Village Administrative Officer (VAO) exam to fill vacant posts in the Revenue Department of Karnataka. The cutoff is the minimum score a candidate needs to qualify for the next stage of selection. It depends on the number of vacancies, exam difficulty level, number of candidates appeared, and reservation category. In this article, we have shared the KEA VAO expected cutoff 2026 category-wise, so you can check your chances of selection by matching your score with the cutoff.
KEA VAO Cut Off 2026 Overview
Before looking at the expected cutoff, it helps to recall the basic details of the exam. The cutoff depends directly on the number of vacancies, the paper pattern and the marking scheme. Check the table given below to know more about KEA VAO Cut Off 2026:
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Particulars
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Details
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Conducting Authority
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Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA)
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Post Name
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Village Administrative Officer (VAO)
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Department
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Karnataka Revenue Department
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Total Vacancies
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572 vacancies (RPC Cadre: 505 | Kalyana-Karnataka Cadre: 67)
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Exam Dates
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• RPC / General Cadre (Notification A): 4 October 2026
• Kalyana-Karnataka Cadre (Notification B): 25 October 2026
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Exam Mode
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Offline (OMR-based)
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Compulsory Paper
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Kannada Language Test(150 marks; Qualifying only — min. 50 marks required, not added to merit list)
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Paper 1 (Merit)
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General Knowledge(100 marks)
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Paper 2 (Merit)
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General Kannada, General English & Computer Knowledge(100 marks)
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Total Merit Marks
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200 marks(Paper 1 + Paper 2)
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Negative Marking
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0.25 mark (1/4th penalty) deducted per incorrect answer
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Official Website
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KEA VAO Cut Off 2026
The KEA VAO cutoff 2026 is the minimum score a candidate must secure in the 200-mark written exam to be shortlisted for the next stage. KEA releases the official cutoff along with the result and merit list. It is prepared separately for each category, such as General, OBC, SC and ST, and for the RPC and Kalyana-Karnataka cadres. As there is negative marking of 0.25 for every wrong answer, the cutoff depends on net marks. Check the expected marks below.
Also Check: KEA VAO Exam Analysis 2026
KEA VAO Expected Cut Off 2026
The exam has just concluded, so the official cutoff will come only with the result. Until then, the marks below are tentative estimates out of 200, assuming a moderate difficulty level and the 0.25 negative marking. They are not official figures, and the actual cutoff may go up or down depending on the exam analysis and the number of candidates who appeared. This year there are only 572 vacancies, fewer than the 1000 candidates in the last merit list, so the cutoff may go a little higher than before.
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Category
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Expected Cutoff (out of 200)
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General Merit (GM)
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98 – 108
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Category 2A
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96 – 106
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Category 2B
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95 – 105
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Category 3A
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95 – 105
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Category 3B
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95 – 105
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SC
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95 – 105
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ST
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93 – 103
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Women candidates usually get a slightly lower cutoff than the Others group. The Kalyana-Karnataka (KK) cadre cutoff may also be a bit lower than the RPC cadre.
VAO Last Year Cut Off
Last time, KEA did not release one single cutoff list for the whole state. The score lists and cutoff marks were released district-wise, so candidates had to open the list of the district where they applied. This also means the marks needed to qualify could differ a little from one district to another, depending on how many candidates appeared there and how they performed.
KEA VAO Cut Off 2024 PDF: District-wise
Candidates can now download the district-specific cut-off marks for Paper 1 and Paper 2 from the direct links given below:
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Name of District
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Cutoff PDF Download Link
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Gadag
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Dharwad
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Chhikmangaluru
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Chitradurga
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Chikkamanguluru
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Chikkabalaaapura
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Chammarajanagar
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Bidar
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Bengaluru Urban
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Eengaluru Rural
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Belagavi
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Bellari
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Bagalkot
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Hassan
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PDF Download Link
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Haveri
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Kalaburgi
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PDF Download Link
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Kodagu (Madikeri)
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Kolar
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Koppal
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Mangalore
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Mandya
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Mysuru
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Raichur
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Ramanagara
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Shivamogga
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Tumakuru
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Udupi
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Uttara Kannada
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Vijayanagara
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Vijayapura
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Yadgir
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Factors Affecting KEA VAO Cut Off 2026
The cutoff is not fixed before the exam. KEA decides it after checking how the exam went and how candidates performed. Here are the main factors that decide the cutoff this year.
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Number of vacancies: There are 572 posts, 505 in the RPC cadre and 67 in the Kalyana-Karnataka cadre. Fewer posts usually push the cutoff higher.
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Difficulty level: If the papers were tough, average scores come down and so does the cutoff. An easy exam raises it.
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Number of candidates appeared: More candidates means tougher competition, and the cutoff may rise.
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Negative marking: Since 0.25 mark is cut for every wrong answer, net marks are lower than the number of correct answers.
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Reservation category: The cutoff is prepared separately for General, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, SC, ST and other groups, and also for women, rural and other special categories.
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Cadre: RPC and Kalyana-Karnataka cutoffs are prepared separately, so they can differ.
- District: Cut-offs vary based on district-specific factors.
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Earlier trends: Last exam's cutoff and the merit list size give a rough idea of the competition level.