TNPSC Group 1 Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

Three stages: Preliminary, Main and Interview, with onscreen certificate verification before the Mains and a medical after the interview. Admission at every stage is provisional, based on what you claimed in the application.

Preliminary

300 marks, three hours, objective, OMR, in Tamil and English. It's a screening test only; its marks don't count towards final merit. Minimum qualifying marks are 90 for SC, SC(A), ST, MBC/DC, BC(OBCM) and BCM candidates and 120 for Others. Twenty times the vacancies go through to the Mains, group by group, plus everyone tied on a group's cut-off even if that exceeds 1:20.

Main Examination and Interview

• All Mains papers are descriptive. There's no optional subject and no essay paper.
• Paper I needs 40 for every category and doesn't count towards merit. Papers II to IV are evaluated only if you clear it. Differently abled candidates can be exempted, but only if they claim it in the application.
• Papers II to IV need 225 out of 750 (reserved categories) or 300 (Others) to reach the interview.
• You must sit every paper and the interview.
• The interview carries 100 marks with no minimum, and tests personality, bearing, aptitude, general and technical knowledge. It calls two times the vacancies in a reservation group with five or more, and three times where it has four or fewer.

The syllabus for both stages is Annexure III of Notification 05/2026. The Preliminary syllabus is also on the Commission's Syllabus page as subject code 497 (dated 16 December 2024), in English and Tamil. The question count against each unit is indicative; the Commission can shift questions between units.

Preliminary, Part A: General Studies (Degree standard, 175 questions)

Every unit except VI ends with current affairs. Units IV, V and VI together are 130 of the 175 questions, and two of them are about Tamil Nadu.

Preliminary, Part B: Aptitude and Mental Ability (SSLC standard, 25 questions)

• Aptitude (15): simplification, percentage, HCF and LCM, ratio and proportion, simple and compound interest, area, volume, time and work.
• Reasoning (10): logical reasoning, puzzles, dice, visual reasoning, alphanumeric reasoning, number series.

Main Examination

• Paper I: Tamil at SSLC standard, written in Tamil.
• Papers II to IV: General Studies I, II and III at Degree standard, answered in Tamil or English.

Qualification

A degree from a university established by a Central or State Act, an institution established by an Act of Parliament, or a deemed university under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956. It must be held on the notification date and obtained in order (SSLC, then HSC or Diploma, then UG, then PG). Final-year students can sit the Preliminary if they prove they've passed by the Mains document upload. Final professional MBBS candidates without internship can apply on stated conditions.

For Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Taxes), preference goes in order to: B.Com. and B.L. with a Diploma in Taxation Laws; B.Com. and B.L.; either with the Diploma; either alone.

Age, as on 1 July 2026

Minimum 21 for all posts.

Ex-servicemen already recruited to any service lose the concession, under section 3(j)(vii) of the Tamil Nadu Government Servants (Conditions of Service) Act, 2016. Date of birth is checked against the SSLC or HSC mark sheet; if neither shows it, a Birth Certificate, Transfer Certificate or Degree Mark Sheet. Nothing else is accepted.

Government service bar

Candidates outside SC, SC(A), ST, MBC/DC, BC(OBCM) and BCM with five or more years of Central, State or UT service can't apply, even within the age limit.

Tamil

You need adequate knowledge of Tamil on the notification date: SSLC, HSC or a degree with Tamil as a language, High School or SSLC in Tamil medium, or the Commission's Second Class Language Test (Full Test). Without proof, you must pass that test within two years of appointment or be discharged.

Reservation and disability

Communal reservation applies; reservation for Destitute Widows and Ex-Servicemen doesn't (their age concessions do). Post-wise vacancy split is announced later. Benchmark disability has 4 per cent reservation, with suitable categories set post by post. Deputy Collector: low vision, hard of hearing, locomotor disability, cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack, specific learning disability, multiple disabilities. Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Taxes) adds visually impaired, hearing impaired, muscular dystrophy, autism spectrum disorder and mental illness. The other posts have narrower lists in the notification.

Medical

A physical fitness certificate at joining, and vision of Standard III or better. Defective vision needs an Eye Fitness certificate from a Government Hospital eye specialist.

1. Preliminary (screening).
2. Onscreen certificate verification. If you're rejected or don't upload in time, no one replaces you.
3. Main Examination.
4. Interview, with a Medical Board examining everyone called, after the interview. Again, no replacement list for those who fail.
5. Counselling by rank, where posts are allotted.

Merit is the Mains (Papers II to IV) plus the interview, out of 850. Ties go to the older candidate, then higher Mains marks, then whoever applied first by application number.

Being admitted at any stage, or even selected, gives no right to appointment; the Commission can reject a candidature at any point for a wrong claim.

Every post is at Level 22 of the Tamil Nadu pay matrix. The notification gives the level, not a rupee figure.

One exam and one merit list feed seven services: Civil Service, Commercial Taxes, Co-operative, Registration, Labour, Panchayat Development and General Service. Which one you get is settled at counselling by rank. Deputy Collector is 12 of the 46 posts.

One Time Registration first

₹150, valid five years. It isn't an application; you still apply for each exam. You need a photo taken in the last three months (20 KB to 50 KB, Photograph.jpg) and a signature (10 KB to 20 KB, Signature.jpg), both at 200 DPI, plus an active email and mobile.

Fees

Pay online (net banking, card or UPI). Special categories can claim fee concession, but each claim uses one of a limited number of free chances. Keep your own count, whatever the dashboard shows. The Yes/No choice can't be edited later, and a false claim means rejection and one year's debarment.

Have ready: SSLC or HSC mark sheet, degree certificate (or Annexure V proof of result), proof of Tamil, any age concession papers, and any equivalence Government order from the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education.

The Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission runs all three stages, results and counselling. A Medical Board examines interview candidates. The Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education publishes the Government orders on equivalent qualifications.

TNPSC runs several numbered Combined Civil Services Examinations at once; Group II and IIA was under notification 07/2026 in the same period. Check the notification number before relying on any rule. All are listed on tnpsc.gov.in.

Centres are listed in Annexure I of the notification, and exam-day instructions in Annexure IV. The Preliminary is on 27 September 2026, 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., moved from 6 September by Addendum 5A/2026. The Mains date is announced with the Preliminary results.

Leave phones, smart watches, memory rings, Bluetooth devices, log tables, map stencils, books and handbags at home, even switched off. Anyone found with them isn't allowed to write and can be debarred; there's no safekeeping at the venue.

TNPSC publishes its year ahead in the Annual Planner, and each cycle's notices and addenda on the Exam Dashboard.

The hall ticket (memorandum of admission) is downloaded from tnpscexams.in; it isn't posted. Results, shortlists and interview dates go up on tnpsc.gov.in. SMS and email alerts are a courtesy and the Commission takes no responsibility if they don't arrive, so check the Exam Dashboard yourself.

Results and shortlists are published on tnpsc.gov.in, with no individual letters. Expect three lists: the 1:20 Mains shortlist after the Preliminary, the interview list after the Mains, and the final merit list out of 850 before counselling. With 46 posts, the Mains list will be about 920 candidates plus ties; the Commission revises each shortlist when vacancies change.

The fixed minimums are in the notification: 90 or 120 out of 300 in the Preliminary, 40 out of 100 in Tamil, and 225 or 300 out of 750 in the Mains. The actual Preliminary cut-off floats by reservation group and is published with each result on tnpsc.gov.in. This cycle's vacancies rose from 26 to 46 after applications closed, so a previous cycle's figure is a weak guide.

1. Clear the Tamil paper first. 40 out of 100 at SSLC standard unlocks the marking of your General Studies papers; above 40 it earns nothing.
2. Check the non-mark bars: Tamil knowledge proof, the five-year service bar, and date of birth on your SSLC or HSC sheet.
3. Don't neglect the 25 SSLC-level Aptitude questions in the Preliminary. They're the easiest marks against a 120 bar.
4. Train for three General Studies papers: 750 marks of descriptive writing in nine hours, no optional subject.
5. Practise from TNPSC's own papers. The Commission posts past Group I Preliminary and Main papers under Previous Question Papers and descriptive question papers, and keys under Answer Keys.
6. Upload documents on time for onscreen verification; a lost place isn't refilled.
7. Count your fee concessions yourself.
8. Apply early. The last tie-break favours the earlier application number.

TNPSC publishes past Group I papers on its own site. Objective papers, including Group I Preliminary and Main, are under Previous Question Papers; Group I Main written papers are with the descriptive question papers. Answer keys for objective papers are under Answer Keys.

• Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission
• Notification 05/2026, Advertisement No. 736, 23 June 2026, with the syllabus as Annexure III
• Addendum 5A/2026 (Preliminary postponed) and Addendum 5B/2026 (vacancies revised)
• Exam Dashboard for this notification
• Application portal and One Time Registration
• Previous Question Papers, descriptive papers and Answer Keys
• Syllabus and Annual Planner

Who conducts TNPSC Group 1?

The Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission. Its formal name is the Combined Civil Services Examination I (Group I Services).

How many posts are there in 2026?

46, after Addendum 5B raised the original 26.

Does the Preliminary count towards final merit?

No. It's a screening test only.

What happens if I fail the Tamil paper?

Your General Studies papers won't be marked. You need 40 out of 100.

Is there an optional subject?

No. The Mains is three General Studies papers of 250 marks each.

Is there a minimum in the interview?

No. It carries 100 marks with no minimum.

What is the age limit?

21 to 34 for Others and 21 to 39 for reserved categories, as on 1 July 2026.

I'm a government servant. Can I apply?

Not if you're unreserved with five or more years of service.

When is the Preliminary?

27 September 2026, 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.

Which version of the notification governs?

The English version, in case of doubt.