Karnataka Police PC CAR/DAR Previous Year Question Papers 2017–2024: PDF, Exam Pattern & Previous Cut-Off
The CAR/DAR (City Armed Reserve / District Armed Reserve) examination has a different recruitment history from Civil Police Constable, KSRP and PSI examinations. Therefore, candidates should preferably practice CAR/DAR-specific PYQs first instead of depending only on general Karnataka Police Constable papers.
This article provides a consolidated list of available Karnataka PC CAR/DAR previous year question papers, important exam information, previous-year cut-off information, paper analysis and a strategy for using PYQs effectively.
Karnataka PC CAR/DAR Previous Year Question Papers
The 2026 Karnataka Armed Police Constable (CAR/DAR) recruitment is for 1,600 posts: 1,421 NKK/Residual Cadre + 179 Kalyana Karnataka, and the written examination is scheduled for 6 September 2026.
Updated Karnataka PC CAR/DAR PYQ Table
| Year | Exam Date | Examination | Vacancies / Posts | Question Paper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 Sept 2026 | Armed Police Constable (CAR/DAR) | 1,600 | ⏳ Will be added after exam |
| 2024 | 28 Jan 2024 | PC – CAR/DAR | 3,064 | Download PDF |
| 2023 | 10 Sept 2023 | PC – CAR/DAR | 420 | Download PDF |
| 2020 | 18 Oct 2020 | CAR/DAR Armed PC | — | Download PDF |
| 2019 | 1 Dec 2019 | DAR/CAR PC | — | Download Previous Papers |
| 2018 | 14 Jun 2018 | CR/DR PC GK | — | Download Previous Papers |
| 2017 | 2017 | CR/DR / CAR-DAR PC GK | — | Download Previous Papers |
Karnataka CAR/DAR PC Question Paper 2024
Exam date: 28 January 2024
The 2024 examination was conducted for 3,064 Armed Police Constable CAR/DAR posts. The written examination consisted of 100 questions, with a duration of 90 minutes.
Subject-wise distribution
The 2024 paper gives a very useful picture of the type of questions candidates can expect.
| Subject | Questions |
|---|---|
| Science & Technology | 33 |
| Geography | 23 |
| Indian Constitution & Polity | 15 |
| History | 7 |
| GK / Others | 7 |
| Current Affairs | 6 |
| Mental Ability | 5 |
| Economics | 4 |
| Total | 100 |
This distribution shows that Science & Technology and Geography together accounted for 56 questions, making them extremely important areas for CAR/DAR preparation.
The 2024 paper and answer-key listings are available through several Karnataka Police PYQ repositories.
Previous Year CAR/DAR Cut-Off Marks
One important point candidates should understand is that CAR/DAR cut-off is not a single statewide number.
The cut-off can vary according to:
District/unit
Category
Number of vacancies
Number of candidates
Difficulty of the paper
Merit position
Recruitment region
Number of candidates called for the physical stage
For the 2024 CAR/DAR recruitment, the recruitment was for 3,064 posts, and district-wise provisional selection lists were subsequently released.
Reported 2024 CAR/DAR cut-off range
A published CAR/DAR result source reported the following category-wise indicative cut-off range:
| Category | Reported Cut-off Range |
|---|---|
| General | 54–58 |
| OBC | 50–55 |
| SC | 44–52 |
| ST | 42–45 |
Important: These figures should not be treated as an official uniform Karnataka-wide cut-off. The source itself reports these as cut-off marks associated with the recruitment, while other sources note that official CAR/DAR cut-offs can be district/category specific.
Another recruitment source explicitly cautioned that official CAR/DAR cut-offs were not available as one consolidated category-wise list and suggested that actual merit could extend considerably higher depending on the district and competition.
Therefore, what score should you target?
Rather than preparing merely to cross the previous cut-off, candidates should aim considerably higher.
A practical target for the written paper:
| Score | Preparation Level |
|---|---|
| Below 50 | Needs significant improvement |
| 50–60 | Borderline / competitive depending on category and unit |
| 60–70 | Good |
| 70–80 | Strong |
| 80+ | Excellent target |
These are preparation targets, not official cut-offs.
Why You Should Not Prepare Only for the Cut-Off
A common mistake among candidates is:
"Previous cut-off was around 55, so I only need 60."
This is risky.
The cut-off changes every recruitment cycle. For example, the 2023 CAR/DAR recruitment had only 420 posts, while the 2024 CAR/DAR recruitment had 3,064 posts.
Therefore, the number of vacancies can have a major impact on competition and merit.
Your objective should be:
Don't prepare to qualify. Prepare to rank.
For a 100-mark paper, a candidate should ideally work towards 70+, and a 75–80+ target gives a much stronger safety margin.
Karnataka PC CAR/DAR Exam Pattern
The recent CAR/DAR papers show a 100-question, 100-mark written examination with 90 minutes available.
Basic pattern
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Examination | Armed Police Constable |
| Cadre | CAR / DAR |
| Questions | 100 |
| Marks | 100 |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Question type | Objective / MCQ |
| Medium | Kannada / English |
Always verify the latest notification before relying on the exact pattern for a new recruitment.
Most Important Subjects for CAR/DAR PC
The 2024 paper gives an excellent indication of where candidates should concentrate.
1. Science & Technology ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was the largest section in the 2024 paper, with 33 questions.
Focus on:
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Human body
Diseases
Nutrition
Environment
Space technology
Nuclear technology
Biotechnology
Computer basics
Recent scientific developments
Do not treat Science as a minor subject.
2. Geography ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The 2024 paper contained 23 Geography questions.
Give special attention to:
Karnataka Geography
Indian Geography
Rivers
Dams
Mountains
Soils
Climate
Agriculture
Minerals
Industries
National parks
Wildlife sanctuaries
Karnataka districts
Important geographical locations
3. Indian Polity ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The paper had 15 questions from Indian Constitution/Polity.
Important areas:
Preamble
Fundamental Rights
DPSP
Fundamental Duties
President
Vice-President
Prime Minister
Parliament
Supreme Court
High Courts
Governor
Chief Minister
State Legislature
Constitutional bodies
Election Commission
CAG
UPSC
Emergency provisions
Local government
Important Articles and Schedules
4. History ⭐⭐⭐
History accounted for around 7 questions in the 2024 analysis.
Prepare:
Ancient India
Medieval India
Modern India
Karnataka history
Freedom movement
Important dynasties
Important personalities
Important movements
Karnataka's contribution to the freedom struggle
5. Current Affairs ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Although only 6 questions were classified under current affairs in the 2024 analysis, current affairs can overlap with Science, Geography, Economy and Polity.
Prepare at least:
Last 6–12 months
Karnataka current affairs
Government schemes
Awards
Sports
Appointments
Important national events
Science & technology
Defence
Economy
Environment
International affairs
Quick Revision Table
| Item | Key Information |
|---|---|
| Latest major CAR/DAR paper | 28 Jan 2024 |
| 2024 vacancies | 3,064 |
| 2023 CAR/DAR exam | 10 Sept 2023 |
| 2023 vacancies | 420 |
| Recent paper pattern | 100 questions / 90 minutes |
| Most important 2024 subject | Science & Technology |
| Second major area | Geography |
| Third major area | Polity |
| Practical target | 70–80+ |
| Best PYQ order | 2024 → 2023 → 2020 → 2019 → older papers |
