SBCID Special Branch Assistant

Analytical desk role inside state intelligence, no physical test

Job profile

What this role actually involves

A Special Branch Assistant does not wear a uniform or execute field-level criminal enforcement. Instead, they work as the analytical backbone behind state security, processing and handling critical information.

Department: Kerala Police Service, Intelligence Wing (SBCID), operating under the Home Department. Location: primarily District Special Branch offices, SBCID Headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, or regional intelligence data zones statewide.

Core tasks are clerical intelligence and threat analysis: receiving, encrypting, cataloging, and decoding high-priority intelligence and surveillance data; maintaining databases on regional political shifts, labor strikes, and persons under watch; and running administrative background checks for passport verification, government job allocations, and character validation.

Scale of pay: ₹31,100 to ₹66,800, per recent notification updates (verified against Category No. 017/2025). Gross entry emoluments, with DA and municipal HRA, are roughly ₹44,000 to ₹47,000 per month.

Career ladder

Where this exam actually takes you

No competitor shows aspirants the real promotion path after selection. This is it, straight from entry post to ceiling post.

Special Branch Assistant (SBA)
Senior Grade Assistant / Intelligence Desk Analyst
Junior Intelligence Officer (JIO)
Intelligence Officer (IO)
Gazetted
Gazetted status begins here
Assistant Commander / Deputy Superintendent of Police (Intelligence, internal quota)
Gazetted

Exam structure

Stage by stage

Stage 1

Stage 1: Common Degree Prelims

Format: OMR-based objective type
Marks: 100 (screening only)
Negative marking: 0.33 marks deducted per incorrect answer

Screening threshold.

Stage 2

Stage 2: SBA Specialized Mains

Marks: 100 (single paper merit)
Negative marking: 0.33 marks deducted per incorrect answer

Final ranking; no interview and, despite being a police department post, no physical efficiency test since this is a non-uniformed clerical role.

Syllabus split

Mark-wise topic distribution

Paper I: General Knowledge, Reasoning and Language

History10 Marks
Kerala Social Reformers, 7 key Indian National Movement milestones, World Wars.
Geography5 Marks
Physical concepts, Indian topography and rivers, Kerala district mapping.
Economics5 Marks
National Income, Five-Year Plans, NITI Aayog, GST, Banking/RBI.
Civics5 Marks
Bureaucracy structures, E-Governance, RTI Act, Lokpal/Lokayukta, Human Rights.
Indian Constitution5 Marks
Constituent Assembly, Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Parts, Amendments.
Arts, Sports, Literature, Culture10 Marks
Major awards, sporting events, cultural heritage of Kerala.
Computer Science and IT5 Marks
Hardware and software basics, networking, cyber crimes, the IT Act.
Science and Technology5 Marks
Everyday physics and chemistry, life sciences, public health, space and defense.
Arithmetic and Reasoning20 Marks
Percentages, ratios, time and distance, coding-decoding, number series.
General English20 Marks
Grammar, sentence correction, prepositions, tenses, vocabulary, idioms.
Regional Language10 Marks
Malayalam, Tamil, or Kannada grammar, vocabulary, and translation.

Eligibility

Who can apply

Stream	Who can apply	Age limit
General	Graduation in any discipline from a recognized university. Proficiency in Malayalam is mandatory, validated via secondary education records.	18 to 40 years
OBC	Same educational qualification as General.	Relaxation up to 39 years
SC/ST	Same educational qualification as General.	Relaxation up to 41 years

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