TNPSC Group 4 exam 2026

Group 4 is a single objective-type paper on an OMR sheet: 200 questions, 300 marks, 3 hours, at SSLC standard. Each question has four options, plus an option [E] to shade when you don’t know the answer.

• Part A decides whether Parts B and C are marked. You need at least 60 of 150 (40%) in Part A, otherwise your other answers are not evaluated.
• All three parts count towards your rank. Part A is not just a qualifying test: its 150 marks are added to those of Parts B and C.
• Minimum total: 90 of 300 for every community.
• No negative marking, but blanks cost marks. A wrong answer costs nothing, while every question left blank costs 0.5 mark. Never leave a bubble empty: guess, or shade option [E].

• Education: a pass in SSLC (Class 10) with eligibility for Higher Secondary.
• Extra qualifications for some posts: Typist and Junior Assistant cum Typist need the Government Technical Examination in typewriting; Steno-Typist and Personal Clerk need typewriting and shorthand; Forest Guard with driving licence needs a valid licence.
• Age (2026 notification, as on 1 July 2026): at least 18 (21 for VAO and the forest posts). For most posts the upper limit is 30 for the general category, 32 for BC, BCM and MBC/DC, and 35 for SC, SC(A) and ST; reserved candidates with a qualification above SSLC have no upper limit for most posts. Some posts differ (Executive Officer Grade IV is 25 to 37, for example), so check your post in the notification. The 2025 limit for the general category was 32.
• Tamil: Part A is written in Tamil, so you need a working command of the language.

There is no interview for Group 4. Selection runs on your written-exam rank:

1. Written exam (Parts A, B and C).
2. Upload of certificates and their verification, including typing and shorthand qualifications for the posts that need them.
3. Counselling, where posts are allotted in order of rank and community reservation.

Part A tests Tamil grammar, literature and Tamil scholars. Part B covers six General Studies units, from General Science to Tamil Nadu’s history and social movements, and Part C tests aptitude and reasoning.

• Start with Part A. It carries half the marks and decides whether Parts B and C are marked at all. Strong Tamil is the fastest way up the rank list.
• Read the Samacheer Kalvi school textbooks (Classes 6–10). The paper is set at SSLC standard and much of General Studies comes straight from them.
• Practise against the clock. 200 questions in 180 minutes is under a minute each. Full-length timed mock tests build that pace.
• Answer everything. A wrong answer costs nothing, but a blank costs 0.5 mark, so an unanswered question is worse than a guess.
• Go back to your mistakes. Revisiting wrong answers a few days later fixes them for good, and shows which units need more reading.
• Follow current affairs for the last 12 months, especially Tamil Nadu government schemes.

Thervu’s Group 4 mock tests are timed, set in both Tamil and English, and marked the moment you submit.

• Choose any length, from 30 minutes to 3 hours.
• No negative marking, as in the real exam, so you get used to answering every question.
• Your result shows your score, a bar for each subject and the topics that cost you marks.
• Wrong answers come back in your revision queue until you get them right.
• The free plan includes 3 tests a day, and no card is needed.

Start a free TNPSC Group 4 mock test