KEA Nursing and Pharmacy Officer Recruitment 2026Revised Schedule

• Pharmacy Officer, RPC and ESIS Kalyana-Karnataka: Diploma in Pharmacy from an institution recognised by the Government of Karnataka, with Karnataka Pharmacy Council registration.
• Nursing Officer, RPC and ESIS Kalyana-Karnataka: Diploma in General Nursing from an authority authorised by the Government of Karnataka, with Karnataka Nursing Council registration.
• KREIS Nursing Officer: B.Sc Nursing from a recognised university or an institution recognised by the Indian/Karnataka State Nursing Council, or PUC/equivalent with GNM from a recognised institution.
• KREIS Nursing Officer candidates must also have studied Kannada as a language in SSLC, PUC, a bachelor's degree or a postgraduate degree, or possess a Diploma in Kannada or a Kava/Jana/Rathna certificate.
• Candidates awaiting their results on the application deadline were not eligible. All marks cards and certificates had to be obtained by that deadline.

• The application period ended on 30 August 2026; the fee payment deadline was 31 August 2026.
• For the current examination update, visit the official KEA website and check the Nursing Officer and Pharmacy Officer schedule.
• Match your post, cadre, paper, examination date and shift with the details printed on your hall ticket.
• Pharmacy Officer RPC candidates should note the revised Paper 2 date of 31 October 2026.
• Continue checking KEA's official website for further examination updates.

Revised examination schedule

Karnataka Examinations Authority, Bengaluru, has announced the examination schedule for Nursing Officer and Pharmacy Officer recruitment under notifications ED/KEA/34/Recruitment/2026(RPC) and ED/KEA/35/Recruitment/2026(KK). The recruitment covers 233 Group-C posts, divided between 188 General/RPC vacancies and 45 Kalyana-Karnataka vacancies. The key revision concerns Pharmacy Officer Paper 2 for the Residual Parent Cadre, which will now take place on 31 October 2026.

Paper-wise dates and shifts

On 27 October 2026, ESI Pharmacy Officer and Nursing Officer candidates in the RPC/KK cadres have Paper 1, General Knowledge, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. ESI Nursing Officer RPC/KK candidates have Paper 2, Specific Subject, that afternoon from 02:30 PM to 04:30 PM. The rescheduled ESI Pharmacy Officer RPC Paper 2 will run from 02:30 PM to 04:30 PM on 31 October 2026.

What candidates should do now

• Open the official KEA website and check the examination updates for this recruitment.
• Identify the schedule applicable to your post, cadre and paper.
• Compare the examination date and shift with those printed on your hall ticket rather than relying only on the general schedule.
• Pharmacy Officer RPC candidates should specifically note the revised Paper 2 date and monitor KEA's website for further updates.

Examination and selection

Each competitive examination paper contains 100 questions for 100 marks, with a duration of two hours. The examination mode is CBT or offline OMR. Selection includes the mandatory Kannada Language Test where applicable, the competitive examination and document verification. Kannada-test exemptions cover the specified Kannada educational backgrounds and candidates who have already passed the mandatory examination conducted by KEA or KPSC.

Eligibility and application position

Pharmacy Officer eligibility requires the specified pharmacy diploma and Karnataka Pharmacy Council registration. RPC and ESIS Nursing Officer posts require the specified general nursing diploma and Karnataka Nursing Council registration. KREIS Nursing Officer posts have separate nursing qualification routes and an additional Kannada-language requirement. Candidates awaiting results at the application deadline were not eligible.

The application process is already closed. Applications were accepted from 07 August to 30 August 2026, and fee payment ended on 31 August 2026. This update concerns the examination schedule, not a fresh application window.