This is the TNPSC section of PSCNET, with free previous question papers, model questions, study notes and mock tests for the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission exams. Everything here is aimed at one thing: getting you through the paper.
Most candidates start with previous question papers, and for good reason. TNPSC sets Group 4, Group 2 and Group 2A from a stable syllabus, and the general studies and Tamil sections return to the same ground year after year, so past papers are the quickest way to see the level a question is actually pitched at.
Once you know the pattern, move to model questions and timed mock tests. A Group 4 paper is 200 questions in three hours with no negative marking, which changes what you should practise: there is nothing to gain by leaving a question blank, so the skill worth building is finishing the paper, not protecting your score.
Use the syllabus to find your gaps rather than to read end to end, and study notes to close them. Tamil is not optional on the way in. Group 4 opens with a Tamil Eligibility-cum-Scoring Test, and the Group 2 and 2A main examinations carry a Tamil eligibility paper of their own, so it is worth treating as a subject rather than as a formality.
For dates and vacancies, the notifications shelf carries every new TNPSC announcement, and the exam calendar shows what is coming. Applying to any of them needs a TNPSC One Time Registration profile, which you complete once and then reuse for every application.
Knowing the pattern tells you how to practise. TNPSC runs recruitment as Combined Civil Services Examinations: one objective paper decides Group 4, while Group 1, Group 2 and Group 2A run a preliminary examination first and a main examination for those who clear it.
| Exam |
Stage |
Questions |
Marks |
Time |
| Group 4 (CCSE-IV) |
Single paper |
200 |
300 |
3 hrs |
| Group 2 & 2A (CCSE-II) |
Preliminary |
200 |
300 |
3 hrs |
| Group 1 (CCSE-I) |
Preliminary |
200 |
300 |
3 hrs |
Every question carries 1.5 marks and there is no negative marking. That is the biggest single difference between TNPSC and most other commissions, and it should change how you sit the paper: an unanswered question and a wrong one score the same, so attempt all 200.
Group 4 in detail. Part A is a Tamil Eligibility-cum-Scoring Test of 100 questions for 150 marks. Score under 40 per cent in it, that is 60 of 150, and Parts B and C are not evaluated at all. Part B is General Studies (75 questions) and Part C is Aptitude and Mental Ability (25 questions), together 100 questions for 150 marks. There is no main examination and no interview: VAO, Junior Assistant, Typist, Steno-Typist, Bill Collector and Forest Guard are all filled from this one paper.
Group 2 and Group 2A share a preliminary paper and separate after it. Group 2 covers the interview posts and its main examination is descriptive; Group 2A covers the non-interview posts and its main examination is objective. Both mains open with a Tamil eligibility paper. The minimum qualifying mark at the preliminary stage is 90 for candidates in the general category and lower for reserved categories.
Eligibility is generally 18 to 32 years for candidates in the Others category, with no upper age limit for SC, SC(A), ST, MBC/DC and BC candidates on most posts. Educational qualifications vary: Group 4 posts ask for SSLC or higher secondary depending on the post, while Group 1, 2 and 2A need a degree. Always confirm against the notification itself, never a summary.
