Official TNPSC syllabus (code 496) and scheme for the Combined Civil Services Exam-IV (Group 4): one 300-mark SSLC-level paper with a 100-question Tamil test, 75 General Studies and 25 Aptitude questions. TNPSC’s tentative 2026 planner lists the exam for 20 December 2026.
This is the current official syllabus (code 496) for the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission’s Combined Civil Services Examination-IV (Group IV Services). It is one objective paper at SSLC (Class 10) standard.
TNPSC’s Annual Planner 2026 (published 3 December 2025) lists the Group IV notification for 6 October 2026 and the exam for 20 December 2026. TNPSC calls the planner tentative. It also says the syllabus and scheme can change until the notification is published, and that vacancies will be announced in the notification.
Part | Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
A | Tamil Eligibility-cum-Scoring Test | 100 | 150 |
B | General Studies | 75 | 150 (B + C together) |
C | Aptitude and Mental Ability | 25 | (B + C together) |
Total | 200 | 300 |
Category | Minimum qualifying marks (out of 300) |
|---|---|
SCs, SC(A)s, STs, MBCs/DCs, BC(OBCM)s and BCMs | 90 |
Others | 120 |
Unit | Subject | 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 (including Thirukkural) | 20 |
Aptitude (15): simplification, percentage, HCF, LCM, ratio and proportion, simple and compound interest, area, volume, time and work.
Reasoning (10): logical reasoning, puzzles, dice, visual reasoning, alpha-numeric reasoning, number series.
Unit | Topic | Questions |
|---|---|---|
I | இலக்கணம் (Grammar) | 25 |
II | சொல்லகராதி (Vocabulary) | 15 |
III | எழுதும் திறன் (Writing skill) | 15 |
IV | கலைச் சொற்கள் (Technical terms) | 10 |
V | வாசித்தல் – புரிந்து கொள்ளும் திறன் (Reading comprehension) | 15 |
VI | எளிய மொழி பெயர்ப்பு (Simple translation) | 5 |
VII | இலக்கியம், தமிழ் அறிஞர்களும், தமிழ்த்தொண்டும் (Literature, Tamil scholars and their service) | 15 |
The syllabus PDF also has a General English section of 100 questions marked “For Differently Abled Candidates only”. Check the Group IV notification to see who is eligible for it.
Open TNPSC’s website
Go to tnpsc.gov.in → Syllabus.
Find Combined Civil Services Examination – IV (Group IV Services)
The syllabus file is code 496.
Check the scheme page as well
The syllabus PDF gives question counts. Marks and qualifying marks are on TNPSC’s scheme of examination page.
TNPSC’s Annual Planner 2026 lists the Group IV notification for 6 October 2026 and the exam for 20 December 2026. TNPSC says the planner is tentative.
200 questions in one paper: 100 in the Tamil test, 75 in General Studies and 25 in Aptitude and Mental Ability.
300 marks in total. The minimum qualifying marks are 90 for SCs, SC(A)s, STs, MBCs/DCs, BC(OBCM)s and BCMs, and 120 for others.
SSLC (Class 10) standard for all parts.
Yes. TNPSC’s planner says the syllabus and scheme may be modified until the notification is published.
