TNPSC Group 4 Syllabus 2026: Unit-wise Questions, Part A Tamil
200 questions, 300 marks, 3 hours. Part A Tamil needs 60 of 150 before anything else is marked. Unit-wise question counts from Annexure III, syllabus code 496.
TNPSC Group 4 is a single OMR paper of 200 questions for 300 marks in 3 hours, under syllabus code 496. Every question is worth 1.5 marks. Posts, age and fee are on the Notification 11/2026 page.
The paper at a glance
| Part | Subject | Questions | Marks | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Tamil Eligibility-cum-Scoring Test (SSLC standard) | 100 | 150 | Tamil only |
| B | General Studies (SSLC standard) | 75 | 150 together | Tamil and English |
| C | Aptitude and Mental Ability (SSLC standard) | 25 | Tamil and English |
Two thresholds apply. You need 60 of 150 (40 percent) in Part A, or Parts B and C are not marked. The overall minimum printed for all communities is 90 of 300. Rank is on the total of all three parts.
No mark is cut for a wrong answer. A question left blank costs 0.5 mark, so shade option E if you do not know.
Part A Tamil, unit by unit
| Unit | Area | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| I | Ilakkanam (grammar) | 25 |
| II | Sollagarathi (vocabulary) | 15 |
| III | Ezhuthu thiran (writing skill) | 15 |
| IV | Kalaich chorkal (technical terms) | 10 |
| V | Vasithal, purinthu kollum thiran (reading comprehension) | 15 |
| VI | Eliya mozhipeyarppu (simple translation) | 5 |
| VII | Literature, Tamil scholars and Thirukkural | 15 |
Unit IV is the one most coaching notes skip. It asks for the Tamil equivalents of everyday technical words across science, medicine, law, IT and media. The notice's own examples are search engine (thedu pori), migration (valasai), allergy (ovvamai), gene (marapanu) and nautical mile (kadal mail).
Unit VII is based on school textbooks up to SSLC. For Thirukkural it lists only 20 chapters, including ozhukkamudaimai, poraiyudaimai, ookkamudaimai, virunthombal, eegai, kalvi, natpaaraaythal and aruludaimai. Learn those 200 couplets, not all 1,330.
Part B General Studies
| Unit | Area | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| I | General Science | 5 |
| II | Geography | 5 |
| III | History, Culture of India and Indian National Movement | 10 |
| IV | Indian Polity | 15 |
| V | Indian Economy and Development Administration in Tamil Nadu | 20 |
| VI | History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements of Tamil Nadu | 20 |
Units V and VI carry 40 of the 75 GS questions, and both are Tamil Nadu centred. Unit V covers welfare schemes, social justice as a cornerstone of development, education and health systems in Tamil Nadu, and the Finance Commission and GST on the Union side. Unit VI covers Sangam to modern Tamil literature, Thirukkural's relevance to socio-political life, Tamil Nadu's role in the freedom struggle and the social reform movements.
Science and Geography together are only 10 questions. Do not let them take a third of your time.
Part C Aptitude and Mental Ability
| Unit | Topics | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| I Aptitude | Simplification, percentage, HCF, LCM, ratio and proportion, simple interest, compound interest, area, volume, time and work | 15 |
| II Reasoning | Logical reasoning, puzzles, dice, visual reasoning, alpha-numeric reasoning, number series | 10 |
This is the quickest 37.5 marks on the paper. The topics are fixed and short. Speed matters more than depth, because you have 3 hours for 200 questions, which is 54 seconds each.
General English for differently abled candidates
Differently abled candidates who studied only English at board or university level can take General English (SSLC standard) in place of Part A. They need the same 60 of 150. The units are Grammar 25, Vocabulary 15, Writing Skills 10, Technical Terms 10, Reading Comprehension 20, Translation 5 and Literary Works 15, with a named list of poems and prose from school textbooks. The disability certificate must be uploaded in the Annexure V format with the application.
How to split your preparation
By marks, Part A is half the paper, so every Tamil question is worth exactly as much as a GS question. A candidate weak in Tamil should treat Part A as the first job, because missing 60 means the rest is never marked.
A practical order: Tamil grammar and technical terms first, then Tamil Nadu economy and history (Units V and VI), then polity, then aptitude. Leave general science and geography for revision.
Practise with the five-option format on the Group 4 practice page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Notification 11/2026 sets Part A Tamil at 100 questions, Part B General Studies at 75 and Part C Aptitude at 25. The unit-wise counts on this page are from its Annexure III, which says they can move marginally.
Only the 20 chapters (adhikarams) named in Unit VII of Part A, such as ozhukkamudaimai, poraiyudaimai, virunthombal, kalvi and natpaaraaythal. Not all 133.
No. Part A is set in Tamil only. Parts B and C are set in both Tamil and English.
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