Every examination in TNPSC's official Programme of Examinations 2026 - Group 1, Group 2/2A, Group 4 and the three Combined Technical Services recruitments - with notification dates, exam dates and durations, plus the changes announced after the planner was published. Sourced from the official planner (published 3 December 2025 on tnpsc.gov.in) and the subsequent official addenda, not from guesswork.
Last updated 6 October 2026, with every official change so far| Date | What happens | Where to read more |
|---|---|---|
| 21 October 2026 | Group 2/2A hall ticket released | Group 2 hall ticket 2026 |
| 1 November 2026 | Group 2/2A Prelims, 9.30 AM to 12.30 PM; our answer key the same evening | Group 2 exam date, answer key |
| 5 November 2026 | Last date to apply for Group 4 (Notification 11/2026, 6,574 vacancies) | Group 4 notification 2026, how to apply |
| 10 January 2027 | Group 4 exam, 9.30 AM to 12.30 PM (moved from the planner's 20 December) | Group 4 exam date 2026 |
| Not announced yet | Group 1 Prelims result, then the Mains date | Group 1 answer key, cut-off |
| # | Examination | Notification date | Exam commences | Days | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Combined Technical Services Examination (Non-Interview Posts) | 20.05.2026 | 03.08.2026 | 7 | As per planner |
| 2 | Combined Civil Services Examination - I (Group I Services) | 23.06.2026 (published as planned) | 06.09.2026 27.09.2026 | 1 | Prelims postponed via Addendum 5A (16.07.2026); held on 27.09.2026 |
| 3 | Combined Technical Services Examination (Diploma / ITI Level) | 07.07.2026 | 20.09.2026 | 7 | As per planner |
| 4 | Combined Civil Services Examination - II (Group II and IIA Services) | 11.08.2026 (published as planned) | 25.10.2026 01.11.2026 | 1 | Prelims date confirmed by Notification 07/2026; applications closed 09.09.2026 |
| 5 | Combined Technical Services Examination (Interview Posts) | 31.08.2026 | 14.11.2026 | 4 | As per planner |
| 6 | Combined Civil Services Examination - IV (Group IV Services) | 06.10.2026 (published as planned) | 20.12.2026 10.01.2027 | 1 | Notification 11/2026 out: 6,574 vacancies; apply by 05.11.2026 |
The Annual Planner (formally "Programme of Examinations") is TNPSC's official year-ahead calendar, published on tnpsc.gov.in under Recruitment. For each planned examination it gives three facts: the expected notification date, the exam commencement date, and the number of exam days. That is all it gives - by its own notes, vacancies are announced only in each notification, syllabus and scheme details remain changeable until notification, and the whole calendar is tentative. Treat the planner as your preparation compass and the notification as your contract.
Notification 05/2026 was published on 23 June 2026 exactly as scheduled, applications closed on 29 July 2026, and the Prelims - after the Addendum 5A postponement - was held on 27 September 2026. Next come the Prelims result and then the Main examination, whose date TNPSC announces only after the result. Check your score with our Group 1 answer key 2026, see where you stand on the expected cut-off page, and use the waiting months for answer writing: the Group 1 syllabus, including Mains Papers I to IV, and our Group 1 Mains Test Series 2026-27, starting 10 October 2026.
Notification 07/2026 was published on 11 August 2026 exactly as scheduled, online applications closed on 9 September 2026 (with a correction window from 13 to 15 September), and the Common Preliminary Examination is on 1 November 2026, 9.30 AM to 12.30 PM - revised from the planner's tentative 25 October. The hall ticket was released on 21 October 2026, and our hall ticket page has the download link and steps. With under a month to go this is revision time: full-length tests, previous year papers at the real exam timing, and no new topics in the last week. The Group 2 exam date page has a day-by-day final-month plan. Full notification details - 821 vacancies, eligibility, fees and the complete exam pattern - are on our Group 2 Prelims Notification 2026 page, and the complete unit-wise syllabus, the 100-question Language part, and both Mains formats are on our Group 2/2A syllabus page.
The Group 4 notification (No. 11/2026) came out on 6 October 2026, as the planner said. It has 6,574 vacancies, many more than last time (3,935). Apply online by 5 November 2026. The exam is on Sunday, 10 January 2027, not 20 December as the planner said. It is one paper only, with no second stage and no interview. Note that the age limits are 2 years lower this time: 18 to 30 for the general category. Tamil is half the marks, so study Tamil first. Full details: Group 4 notification 2026, Group 4 age limit 2026 and the Group 4 syllabus.
Alongside the civil services track, the 2026 planner schedules three technical recruitments: Non-Interview Posts (notification 20 May, exam from 3 August, spanning 7 days), Diploma/ITI Level (notification 7 July, exam from 20 September, 7 days) and Interview Posts (notification 31 August, exam from 14 November, 4 days). These cover engineering, technical and specialist posts across departments, each with post-specific qualifications - candidates from technical backgrounds should watch these notifications on tnpsc.gov.in, since the eligibility and syllabus vary by post far more than in the civil services exams.
The planner's real gift is the countback. Take your target exam's commencement date and count backwards: the final month belongs to full-length mock tests and revision, the two months before that to completing and consolidating the syllabus, and everything earlier to first-pass study. Applied to 2026: a Group 2/2A aspirant should be syllabus-complete by late September and in mock-test mode through October and into early November; a Group 4 aspirant should be Tamil-strong by November and fully test-ready through December and early January. Aspirants writing multiple exams get a bonus from this calendar's spacing - Group 1 (September), Group 2/2A (November) and Group 4 (January 2027) form a natural ladder where each preparation feeds the next, since the General Studies base overlaps heavily across all three.
Two habits make the calendar work: a daily current-affairs routine that never pauses between cycles (every exam's syllabus ends with current affairs - our free daily bilingual current affairs run year-round for exactly this reason), and scheduled testing that follows the real formats - which is what our test series exists for.
TNPSC announces changes through addenda on tnpsc.gov.in and through SMS/email to registered candidates - never by post. Practical routine: check the Commission's website weekly once your target notification is out, keep your One Time Registration mobile number and email active, and re-verify every date you see on any website (including this one) against the official source before building plans on it. We annotate this page whenever an official change is published, so bookmarking it gives you the planner and its live corrections in one view.
It is the official yearly calendar published by TNPSC on tnpsc.gov.in (under Recruitment, then Annual Planner) listing every planned examination with its expected notification date, exam commencement date and duration. The 2026 planner (Programme of Examinations 2026) was published on 3 December 2025 and lists six examinations, including Group 1, Group 2/2A and Group 4.
The planner originally listed 6 September 2026, and the notification (05/2026) was published on 23 June 2026 as planned. The Preliminary exam was then postponed to 27 September 2026 through Addendum 5A dated 16 July 2026, and it was held on that date. The Main examination date will be announced after the Prelims result.
Notification No. 07/2026 was published on 11 August 2026, exactly as the planner scheduled. Online applications closed on 9 September 2026. The Common Preliminary Examination for Combined Civil Services Examination II (Group II and IIA) is on 1 November 2026, 9.30 AM to 12.30 PM - revised from the planner's tentative 25 October. The hall ticket was released on 21 October 2026. Full details, vacancies and syllabus are on our Group 2 Prelims Notification 2026 page.
The planner gave 20 December 2026, but the notification (No. 11/2026, released on 6 October 2026) has fixed the exam on Sunday, 10 January 2027, 9.30 AM to 12.30 PM. There are 6,574 vacancies, and the last date to apply online is 5 November 2026.
No. The planner itself states it is tentative, that examinations may be added or deleted, and that syllabus and scheme details remain subject to modification until each notification is published. The Group 1 Prelims postponement in this very cycle shows how dates can move - always verify against the notification and later addenda on tnpsc.gov.in.
Not in the planner. The planner note states clearly that vacancies will be announced in each examination's notification. The planner only tells you when to expect that notification.
Three separate technical recruitments appear in the 2026 planner: Non-Interview Posts (notification 20 May 2026, exam from 3 August 2026, 7 days), Diploma/ITI Level (notification 7 July 2026, exam from 20 September 2026, 7 days), and Interview Posts (notification 31 August 2026, exam from 14 November 2026, 4 days). These cover technical posts recruited outside the Group 1/2/4 civil services track.
Count backwards from your target exam's commencement date: the notification typically arrives about two to three months before the exam, and applications close a few weeks after notification. Your serious preparation should not wait for the notification - by planner logic, a Group 2/2A aspirant targeting early November should already be deep into revision when the August notification lands.
No. Timings, centres, fees, eligibility and vacancies all come with each notification. The planner is a calendar, not a rulebook - pair it with the notification when it arrives.
TNPSC publishes a fresh planner for each year (the 2026 edition on 3 December 2025). Within a year, changes are made through addenda and website announcements rather than by reissuing the planner - which is why this page tracks both the planner and subsequent official changes.
ArivArk's bilingual test series is scheduled around these exact exam dates - syllabus-mapped tests in Tamil and English, video explanations for every paper, and an honest rank list so you always know where you stand.
