TNPSC Shortcuts in Tamil: Memory Tricks for Group 4 (with Tables)

Thirukkural: 3 books, 133 chapters, 1,330 couplets.

Every chapter has 10 couplets, so chapter number × 10 is its last couplet: கல்வி, chapter 40, holds 391–400. Chapters up to 38 are virtue, up to 108 wealth, then love.

The 20 syllabus chapters: 10 from virtue, 10 from wealth. The 2026 notification names only 20 chapters for Part A. In the order of Parimelazhagar's commentary, ten come from அறத்துப்பால் and ten from பொருட்பால், and none from காமத்துப்பால்.

Group them by ending: six "உடைமை" chapters (அன்பு, ஒழுக்கம், பொறை, அருள், ஊக்கம், பண்பு), three "ஆமை" chapters (புறங்கூறாமை, கல்லாமை, அவையஞ்சாமை), and two pairs: கல்வி–கல்லாமை (40, 41) and ஒழுக்கமுடைமை–கூடா ஒழுக்கம். (Parimelazhagar spells chapter 12 நடுவுநிலைமை.)

Ethical works: the number is in the name. Apart from ஔவையார் பாடல்கள், all eight ethical works in Unit VII belong to the பதினெண்கீழ்க்கணக்கு.

Two hooks: the three works named after medicines go 3–5–6 (திரிகடுகம், சிறுபஞ்சமூலம், ஏலாதி); and in the saying "நாலும் இரண்டும் சொல்லுக்குறுதி", four is நாலடியார் and two is the two-line Thirukkural.

The 2026 syllabus puts Tamil literature from the Sangam age onwards in Part B, Unit VI (20 questions), where the old memory verses (வாய்பாட்டுப் பாடல்கள்) are the best shortcut.

Ettuthogai (எட்டுத்தொகை): the verse, then 5-2-1.

நற்றிணை நல்ல குறுந்தொகை ஐங்குறுநூறு

ஒத்த பதிற்றுப்பத்து ஓங்கு பரிபாடல்

கற்றறிந்தார் ஏத்தும் கலியோடு அகம்புறம் என்று

இத்திறத்த எட்டுத் தொகை

Here கலி is கலித்தொகை, அகம் அகநானூறு, புறம் புறநானூறு. Then 5-2-1: five akam (love) works (நற்றிணை, குறுந்தொகை, ஐங்குறுநூறு, கலித்தொகை, அகநானூறு), two puram (பதிற்றுப்பத்து, புறநானூறு), one both (பரிபாடல்). ஐங்குறுநூறு is five poets × 100 poems; பதிற்றுப்பத்து is ten tens, the first and last lost.

Pathupattu (பத்துப்பாட்டு): five Arruppadai plus five.

முருகு பொருநாறு பாணிரண்டு முல்லை

பெருகு வள மதுரைக் காஞ்சி – மருவினிய

கோல நெடுநல் வாடை கோல்குறிஞ்சிப் பட்டினப்

பாலை கடாத்தொடும் பத்து

• Five Arruppadai: the first four plus மலைபடுகடாம் (கூத்தராற்றுப்படை). Two poets wrote two each: நக்கீரர் and கடியலூர் உருத்திரங்கண்ணனார். The Part A Unit VII list of Tamil scholars names an உருத்திரங்கண்ணனார் — most likely the same Sangam poet, though the syllabus gives only the name.

• Shortest and longest: முல்லைப்பாட்டு (103 lines), மதுரைக்காஞ்சி (782). U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer first printed Pathupattu, in this order, in 1889.

Pathinenkilkanakku (பதினெண்கீழ்க்கணக்கு): 11 + 6 + 1. Eleven ethical works (the eight above plus திருக்குறள், இனியவை நாற்பது, ஆசாரக்கோவை), six on love (கார் நாற்பது, the four ஐந்திணை / திணை works and கைந்நிலை) and one on war (களவழி நாற்பது). Four end in "நாற்பது": இன்னா, இனியவை, கார், களவழி. (Some editions have இன்னிலை instead of கைந்நிலை; 11 + 6 + 1 counts கைந்நிலை.)

The five great epics (ஐம்பெருங்காப்பியங்கள்): five ornaments. Each name comes from an ornament; picture them head to foot:

மணிமேகலை and குண்டலகேசி are Buddhist epics; சீவக சிந்தாமணி and வளையாபதி are Jain. சிலப்பதிகாரம் and மணிமேகலை are the twin epics.

For the garlands, Tolkappiyam's line "போந்தை வேம்பே ஆர்" runs Chera, Pandya, Chola.

Pallavas (capital Kanchipuram): a play, a victory, temples. Mahendravarman I wrote the Sanskrit play Mattavilasa Prahasana. His son Narasimhavarman I (Mamallan) defeated Pulakesin II in 642 and took Vatapi (Vatapikondan); Mamallapuram is named after him. Narasimhavarman II (Rajasimha) built the Kailasanathar temple in Kanchi and the Shore Temple.

Cholas: three capitals, in order. Uraiyur for the Sangam Cholas (Karikalan built the Kallanai). Thanjavur, taken by Vijayalaya around 850, where Rajaraja I (985–1014) built the Peruvudaiyar (Brihadeeswara) temple in 1010. Gangaikonda Cholapuram, built by Rajendra I (1014–1044), titled Gangaikondan and Kadaram Kondan.

• Remember 5-4-2-4-2-1, and the gap at 31: the 44th Amendment (1978) moved the right to property out of Part III to Article 300A, so there are six Fundamental Rights, not seven. Ambedkar called Article 32 the "heart and soul" of the Constitution.

• Numbers worth knowing: 17 untouchability abolished; 21 life and personal liberty; 21A education for children aged 6–14 (86th Amendment, 2002); 24 no child under 14 in factories, mines or hazardous work.

• Part IV, then IVA: Directive Principles are Articles 36–51, not enforceable in court (Article 37); Fundamental Duties follow in 51A, ten from the 42nd Amendment (1976) and the eleventh from the 86th (2002). The same 42nd Amendment added "socialist", "secular" and "integrity" to the Preamble.

• Schedules: the 73rd Amendment gave the 11th Schedule (Panchayats, 29 subjects) and the 74th the 12th (Municipalities, 18 subjects); add one to the amendment and you add one to the schedule. All 25 parts and 12 schedules: parts and schedules of the Constitution.

The Vaigai and Thamirabarani begin and end in Tamil Nadu. The Mullaperiyar dam (1895, John Pennycuick) is on the Periyar in Kerala's Idukki district but is run by Tamil Nadu and feeds the Vaigai basin.

Hills. Western Ghats: Nilgiris (Ooty), Anaimalai, Palani hills (Kodaikanal), Pothigai. Eastern Ghats: Javadhu, Kalvarayan, Shevaroy (Yercaud), Kolli, Pachaimalai. The two meet in the Nilgiris. The trap: Tamil Nadu's highest peak is Doddabetta (2,637 m); Anamudi (2,695 m) is higher but in Kerala.

SI units: seven base units, the rest from formulas. Length m, mass kg, time s, current A (ampere), temperature K (kelvin), amount of substance mol, luminous intensity cd (candela). Derive the rest: force = mass × acceleration, so kg m/s² is the newton (N); work = force × distance, N m the joule (J); power = work ÷ time, J/s the watt (W); pressure = force ÷ area, N/m² the pascal (Pa).

• Percentages as fractions: 12.5% = 1/8, 37.5% = 3/8, 62.5% = 5/8, 87.5% = 7/8, 16⅔% = 1/6, 33⅓% = 1/3.

• x% of y = y% of x: 8% of 50 is 50% of 8, which is 4.

• Successive change: a% then b% is a + b + ab/100 overall; a 10% rise then a 20% rise is a 32% rise.

• HCF × LCM = product of two numbers (two numbers only).

• Time and work: if A takes a days and B takes b days, together they take ab/(a + b): 10 and 15 days give 150/25 = 6 days.

• Two-year compound minus simple interest = P × (R/100)²: ₹10,000 at 10% gives ₹100.

Worked examples and 15 solved questions: percentage shortcuts.

TNPSC rarely asks for the bare list. "Odd one out" and "match the following" questions need what each work or article is about, which only the textbook gives. Test whether it has stuck:

1. Close the book and write. The day after reading a table, write it from memory, then reread only what you missed.

2. Come back after a gap: a day, three days, a week.

3. Test against the clock. The paper gives about 54 seconds a question (200 in 3 hours); recall at that speed is the real test.

4. Retest what you got wrong the following week.

Thervu's Group 4 mock tests are timed, in Tamil and English, and marked the moment you submit. Every wrong answer joins your revision queue and returns at spaced intervals (daily limit on Free, unlimited on Pro). Free accounts get daily full-syllabus tests; explanations for every answer and topic tests are on Pro.

Next: the Group 4 study plan, GK questions in Tamil and the TNPSC Group 4 exam guide.