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Quick answer: The Workshop Instructor Kerala PSC post (Mechanical Engineering) is a Technical Education Department job with a pay scale of ₹41,300–87,000. It needs a 3-year diploma, allows ages 18–36, and is filled through a 100-mark OMR exam plus interview. The last notification was Category No. 676/2022; its ranked list came into force on 23.07.2024 and had made 128 advices by 21.07.2026.
| Detail | Workshop Instructor (Mechanical) |
|---|---|
| Conducting body | Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) |
| Department | Technical Education |
| Full post name | Workshop Instructor / Instructor Gr.II / Demonstrator / Draftsman Gr.II in Mechanical Engineering |
| Category No. (last) | 676/2022 |
| Vacancies notified | 54 |
| Pay scale | ₹41,300 – ₹87,000 |
| Qualification | Diploma in Mechanical Engineering (3-year regular course) or equivalent |
| Age limit | 18–36 (relaxation for OBC, SC/ST) |
| Selection | OMR written test + interview |
| Exam marks | 100 (10 modules × 10 marks) |
| Ranked list in force from | 23.07.2024 |
| Total advice (as of 21.07.2026) | 128 |
If you hold a mechanical diploma and want a permanent teaching-side job in a government polytechnic, the Workshop Instructor post is one of the best-paid diploma-level openings Kerala PSC offers. This guide covers the notification, the full Workshop Instructor Kerala PSC syllabus, total advice, cut-off, previous year question patterns and a study plan.
A Workshop Instructor is a technical staff member who runs practical sessions in the workshops and labs of government polytechnic colleges and engineering colleges under Kerala’s Technical Education Department. The same Kerala PSC recruitment fills four posts with one ranked list: Workshop Instructor, Instructor Gr.II, Demonstrator and Draftsman Gr.II.
Typical duties of a Workshop Instructor Mechanical include:
Teaching fitting, welding, carpentry, sheet metal, foundry, smithy and machine shop practice
Demonstrating lathe, shaper, milling and drilling operations to diploma and B.Tech students
Maintaining machines, tools and lab safety records
Supporting drawing and design classes (for the Draftsman Gr.II role)
Because the syllabus mirrors a mechanical diploma, the exam rewards candidates who revise their diploma subjects thoroughly rather than general knowledge.
The most recent Workshop Instructor notification for Mechanical Engineering is Category No. 676/2022, published in the Kerala PSC gazette dated 31.12.2022 with 54 vacancies. Applications closed on 01.02.2023 and were accepted only online through One Time Registration on keralapsc.gov.in.
| Notification detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Gazette date | 31.12.2022 |
| Last date to apply | 01.02.2023 (Wednesday, till midnight) |
| Vacancies | 54 |
| Method of appointment | Direct recruitment |
| Application fee | None |
| Differently abled reservation | 3% — Workshop Instructor/Demonstrator: locomotor disability/cerebral palsy, hearing impairment, low vision; Instructor Gr.II/Draftsman Gr.II: low vision only |
| Ranked list validity | Minimum 1 year; continues until a new list is published, up to a maximum of 3 years |
As of 30 September 2026, Kerala PSC has not issued a fresh Workshop Instructor Mechanical notification. The 676/2022 ranked list is still in force, and under the 3-year rule it can run until July 2027 at the latest.
On 30.06.2026 Kerala PSC did notify the sister post in Electrical Engineering (Category No. 048/2026). Mechanical aspirants should watch the gazette notifications on the 15th and last working day of each month, since a new Mechanical notification is likely once the current list nears expiry.
How to apply when the next notification comes:
Register or log in through One Time Registration at keralapsc.gov.in.
Check your profile details, photo (with name and date printed) and Aadhaar ID proof.
Open the notification link and click Apply Now against the Workshop Instructor post.
Submit and download a copy from My Applications.
Submit the exam confirmation within the window, or the application is rejected.
To apply for Workshop Instructor Kerala PSC, you need a 3-year diploma in the relevant engineering branch and must be 18–36 years old.
Educational qualification: Diploma in the appropriate branch of Engineering/Technology (Mechanical for this post), awarded by a University or Government after a regular course of at least three years, or an equivalent qualification (GO(P) No. 503/2012/H.Edn dated 12.10.2012). Higher qualifications that presuppose the diploma are also accepted under the notification’s equivalence rules.
Age limit: 18–36 years. For 676/2022, candidates born between 02.01.1986 and 01.01.2004 (both included) were eligible. OBC and SC/ST candidates get the usual relaxation. Technical Education Department staff get up to 10 extra years, capped at age 50.
Salary: ₹41,300 – ₹87,000 per month (basic pay scale), plus Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance and other Kerala Government benefits. The in-hand figure is higher than the starting basic once DA and HRA are added.
Physical eligibility note: Blind candidates are not eligible for this post.
Workshop Instructor selection has three stages: an OMR/online test, a shortlist with document verification, and an interview that decides the final ranked list.
Written test (OMR or online): 100 objective questions, 100 marks, drawn from the 10-module mechanical syllabus.
Shortlist and certificate verification: candidates above the cut-off are shortlisted and must produce original certificates.
Interview: interview marks are added to the test score to prepare the final ranked list.
| Exam feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Total marks | 100 |
| Question type | Multiple choice (4 options) |
| Modules | 10 (10 marks each) |
| Medium | English |
| Negative marking | 1/3 mark per wrong answer (standard Kerala PSC rule) |
| Duration | Check your admission ticket (Kerala PSC technical tests usually run 1 hr 30 min) |
Kerala PSC also notes that questions may come from any topic in the qualifying diploma, not only those listed, so treat the syllabus as the core rather than the limit.
The Workshop Instructor Kerala PSC syllabus for Mechanical has 10 modules of 10 marks each, totalling 100 marks. The same detailed syllabus is shared by related Draftsman Gr.II (Mechanical) categories: 272/2020, 411/2020, 412/2020, 514/2021, 254/2022, 314/2022, 404/2022 and 676/2022.
| Module | Subject | Marks | Key topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fluid Mechanics | 10 | Fluid properties, Pascal’s law, pressure measurement, buoyancy, metacentric height, continuity, Euler and Bernoulli equations, venturi/orifice meter, pitot tube, notches and weirs, Reynolds experiment, Darcy–Weisbach, Chezy’s formula, water hammer |
| 2 | Hydraulic Machines | 10 | Impact of jet, Pelton, Francis and Kaplan turbines, efficiencies, draft tube, specific speed, unit quantities, governing, centrifugal and reciprocating pumps, cavitation, slip, indicator diagram |
| 3 | Thermodynamics | 10 | Systems and properties, reversible/quasi-static processes, zeroth, first and second laws, enthalpy, entropy, gas laws, Carnot, Otto and Diesel cycles, efficiencies |
| 4 | Thermal & Power Plant Engineering | 10 | Fuels, calorific values, bomb and gas calorimeter, air for combustion, steam properties, Rankine and Brayton cycles, steam and gas turbines, nozzles, compounding, impulse vs reaction turbines |
| 5 | Mechanics & Strength of Materials | 10 | Centroid, moment of inertia, beams and loads, stress–strain, Hooke’s law, elastic constants, Poisson’s ratio, thermal stress, composite bars, Mohr’s circle, SFD/BMD, torsion, thin and thick cylinders, columns |
| 6 | Engineering Materials | 10 | Metals, non-metals, alloys, critical temperatures, heat treatment, surface hardening, steels, plastics, new materials |
| 7 | Manufacturing & Production Engineering | 10 | Carpentry, foundry, sheet metal, welding, smithy, fitting tools; lathe, shaper, planer, milling, drilling, slotting; tool materials, speed, feed, depth of cut, tool nomenclature, tool life |
| 8 | Engineering Drawing & Machine Design | 10 | First-angle projection, points and lines, conics, development of surfaces, sections, isometric and oblique projection; joints, fasteners, keys, cotters, couplings, belt/rope/gear/chain drives, belt length, welded and riveted joints |
| 9 | IC Engines & Steam Boilers | 10 | SI and CI engines, knocking, fuel injection, air-fuel and compression ratio, octane and cetane numbers; Cochran, Babcock & Wilcox, La Mont and Benson boilers, mountings and accessories |
| 10 | Heat Transfer & Refrigeration | 10 | Conduction, convection, radiation; Fourier, Newton and Stefan–Boltzmann laws; refrigerator, heat pump, COP, ton of refrigeration, refrigerants, psychrometry |
Where to focus: Modules 7 and 8 are closest to a Workshop Instructor’s daily work and are usually the most scoring. Modules 3, 4 and 10 carry most of the numericals, so practise formulas there.
Workshop Instructor total advice from the 676/2022 Mechanical ranked list stands at 128, with the latest advice dated 21.07.2026. The list came into force on 23.07.2024, so 128 advices against 54 notified vacancies shows how many extra vacancies get reported during a list’s life.
Rank up to which advised (as on 21.07.2026, per the Kerala PSC advice page):
| Category | Rank advised |
|---|---|
| Open Competition (OC) | 90 |
| Ezhava/Thiyya/Billava | 94 |
| Muslim | 109 |
| SIUC Nadar | 110 |
| Hindu Nadar | 116 |
| EWS | 155 |
| SC Converts to Christianity (SCCC) | 196 |
| OBC | 84 (within OC) |
| Viswakarma | 68 (within OC) |
| SC | Supplementary list 8 |
| ST | Supplementary list 5 |
| Latin Catholic/Anglo-Indian | Supplementary list 4 |
| Dheevara | Supplementary list 2 |
| Differently abled – Low Vision | Supplementary list 4 |
| Differently abled – Hearing Impaired | Supplementary list 2 |
| Differently abled – Locomotor/Cerebral Palsy | Supplementary list 1 |
Advice figures change every time Kerala PSC advises more candidates, so check the official advice page before quoting them.
Cut-off: Coaching site Earnest Academy reports a cut-off of 66.67 marks for the 676/2022 test, with a top score of 82.33. Treat about 65–70 marks out of 100 as the safe zone for the next Workshop Instructor Kerala PSC exam.
Ranked list validity: the list stays in force until a new list is published after one year, or for three years at most — so no later than July 2027.
The 676/2022 Workshop Instructor Mechanical exam was held in June 2023 as a combined test with Overseer, Draftsman, Foreman and related mechanical posts; PSC Winners lists about 14,577 candidates for this category. You can download the question paper and final answer key from the Question Papers and Answer Keys sections of keralapsc.gov.in.
Previous year question patterns show three trends:
Direct, one-line concept questions dominate (definitions, laws, machine parts).
About 15–20 questions need a short calculation (efficiency, COP, stress, belt length).
Workshop technology and drawing questions repeat ideas across years, so old papers are the best revision source.
Practice questions in the previous-year style
These are model questions written on the syllabus topics, not reproductions of the actual paper.
In first angle projection, the object is placed in the — first quadrant.
Bernoulli’s equation is based on the conservation of — energy.
A Pelton wheel is an — impulse turbine suited to high heads.
In the Otto cycle, heat is added at constant — volume.
Poisson’s ratio for mild steel is about — 0.3.
One ton of refrigeration is approximately — 3.5 kW (211 kJ/min).
La Mont boiler is a — forced-circulation water-tube boiler.
Octane number measures a fuel’s resistance to knocking in — SI (petrol) engines.
Negative slip in a reciprocating pump occurs when actual discharge is — more than theoretical discharge.
A cutting tool’s ability to stay hard at high temperature is called — red hardness (hot hardness).
A 90-day plan built around the 10 modules is enough for most diploma holders to reach the 65–70 mark safe zone.
| Phase | Duration | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | Days 1–45 | Cover one module every 4–5 days using your diploma textbooks; make a one-page formula sheet per module |
| Practice | Days 46–75 | Solve Workshop Instructor previous year question papers and related Draftsman/Overseer papers; take one timed 100-question mock each week |
| Revision | Days 76–90 | Revise formula sheets daily, redo wrong answers, take two full mocks a week |
Tips that move the score
Start with Manufacturing and Engineering Drawing — high overlap with the job and easy marks.
Memorise units and standard values (ton of refrigeration, Poisson’s ratio, calorific values).
Skip guesses when unsure: each wrong answer costs 1/3 mark.
Keep a list of machine and boiler names with one-line features; these repeat often.
Prepare for the interview early: practical workshop knowledge and safety practice are common interview topics.
Q: What is the salary of a Workshop Instructor in Kerala PSC?
A: The Workshop Instructor pay scale is ₹41,300–₹87,000 per month, plus DA, HRA and other Kerala Government allowances.
Q: What is the qualification for Workshop Instructor Mechanical?
A: A diploma in Mechanical Engineering from a 3-year regular course awarded by a University or Government, or an equivalent qualification.
Q: What is the age limit for Workshop Instructor Kerala PSC?
A: 18 to 36 years, with the usual relaxation for OBC and SC/ST candidates and extra relaxation for Technical Education Department staff.
Q: How many marks is the Workshop Instructor exam?
A: 100 marks, split into 10 modules of 10 marks each, with 1/3 negative marking per wrong answer.
Q: What is the Workshop Instructor total advice?
A: The 676/2022 Mechanical ranked list had 128 total advices as on 21.07.2026, with OC advised up to rank 90.
Q: Is there a Workshop Instructor notification in 2026?
A: A 2026 notification was issued for Electrical Engineering (Category No. 048/2026) on 30.06.2026. As of 30 September 2026 there is no new Mechanical notification; the 676/2022 list remains in force.
Q: Where can I get Workshop Instructor previous year question papers?
A: On keralapsc.gov.in under Question Papers, along with the final answer keys. The 676/2022 exam was held in June 2023.
Q: Is Workshop Instructor a teaching post?
A: It is a technical instructional post: Workshop Instructors teach practical workshop and lab sessions in government polytechnics and engineering colleges.
The Workshop Instructor Kerala PSC post offers a ₹41,300–87,000 pay scale, a stable Technical Education career and a ranked list that has already advised 128 candidates against 54 notified vacancies. With the 676/2022 list due to expire by July 2027 at the latest, the next Workshop Instructor Mechanical notification is the one to target.
Master the 10-module syllabus, solve every Workshop Instructor previous year question paper you can find, and aim for 70+ in mocks. Bookmark this page — we update it when Kerala PSC releases the next notification, exam date or advice.
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