TNPSC has released its official tentative answer key for the Group 1 Preliminary exam held on 27 September 2026. All 200 answers are below, along with the 6 answers that changed from the exam-day key, how to calculate your score, and how to raise an objection.
Last updated 6 October 2026This page now follows TNPSC's official key. It differs from our exam-day key in 6 questions (listed just below), so if you counted your score on exam day, recheck those. To see every question with its answer, open the full Group 1 2026 question paper. Counted your score? Vote in the live cutoff survey and see where you stand.
| Q | Topic | Our key | TNPSC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Registration of births and deaths (Assertion and Reason) | D | B |
| 89 | Iron consumption and industry (Assertion and Reason) | D | C |
| 101 | Jasmine and white flowers (statements) | C | A |
| 142 | Price Stabilisation Fund, year set up | B | C |
| 160 | State Resource Centre for Women (Assertion and Reason) | D | B |
| 167 | What is virtue? (Assertion and Reason) | B | D |
Question numbers follow the full paper on our site. All other 194 answers are the same in both keys.
TNPSC's official tentative key for all 200 questions. Question order follows the compiled paper; the 6 changed answers are highlighted. Want the full question with options and Tamil? Open the complete paper - every question has a Show Answer button.
Different exam booklets shuffle question order. If your booklet's order differs, match by the question text on the full paper page instead of the number.
There is no fixed pass mark. TNPSC admits roughly 20 times the number of vacancies to the Main examination, applying the rule of reservation - so the real cutoff is simply the score of the last person admitted in each community. This cycle has 46 vacancies (Notification 05/2026, raised from 26 by Addendum 5B/2026) - so roughly 900 plus candidates are expected to enter the Mains.
The seats are distributed by Tamil Nadu's reservation rules - GT 31% (open to all on merit), BC 26.5%, BC(M) 3.5%, MBC/DNC 20%, SC 15%, SC(A) 3%, ST 1% - with 40% for women, 20% PSTM and 4% for persons with disabilities applying horizontally inside each category. So there is a grid of cutoffs, not one number, and the GT cutoff is always the highest.
What that means practically: count your correct answers from the key above and multiply by 1.5. Last year's official cutoffs (Notification 04/2025): GT closed at 219 marks (General) and 220.50 (Women) - about 146 to 147 correct answers - with category cutoffs ranging down to 171 for ST. The full official table is on our cutoff survey page. This year's numbers will move with the paper's difficulty and the 46 vacancies - treat any exact prediction you see this week as a guess. The only real number is TNPSC's own cutoff, released with the Mains shortlist. We will update this section when it comes. Meanwhile, vote in our anonymous cutoff survey - the live distribution shows where your score sits among other candidates.
Three facts, one multiplication:
1. 200 questions carry 300 marks - each question is worth 1.5 marks.
2. There is no negative marking. Wrong answers cost nothing.
3. So: your correct answers × 1.5 = your Prelims score. 120 correct = 180 marks.
The Mains date comes only after the Prelims result, and answer writing takes months to build. Start now: write a paper every 5 days (or every Sunday), get every answer evaluated within 3 days, and talk it through in a one-to-one feedback call. Batch starts 10 October 2026.
TNPSC has released its official tentative answer key for the 27 September 2026 Prelims on tnpsc.gov.in, and this page now follows it for all 200 questions. ArivArk published its own question-wise key on exam evening; 6 of those answers differ from TNPSC's key, and the page lists them. TNPSC releases the final key after reviewing candidates' objections.
The Prelims paper has 200 questions for 300 marks, so each question carries 1.5 marks. Count your correct answers from the key and multiply by 1.5. There is no negative marking, so wrong answers cost nothing.
No. There is no negative marking in any TNPSC examination. Every question you attempted counts only if it is correct.
TNPSC evaluates the Prelims and shortlists candidates for the Main examination based on Prelims marks, vacancies and reservation rules. The Prelims is a screening stage - its marks are not added to the final selection total, which comes from the Mains papers and the interview.
A single objective paper: 200 questions, 300 marks, 3 hours (9.30 AM to 12.30 PM), set in English and Tamil. 175 General Studies questions at Degree standard across 6 units, plus 25 Aptitude and Mental Ability questions at SSLC standard.
Yes. Objections to the tentative key are submitted online on tnpsc.gov.in with supporting evidence, within the short window TNPSC gives in its notice (usually 7 days from the key's release). Check the notice for the exact last date. The final key issued after this review is what evaluation uses.
The complete TNPSC Group 1 2025 Prelims paper - all 200 questions in English and Tamil with the official final answer key - is free on this site, question by question with a Show Answer button.
While you wait: solve the Group 1 2025 question paper with the official answer key, revise the Group 1 Syllabus, or do a quick round of Important Committees - a favourite Group 1 topic.
Whatever your score, answer writing is what decides Group 1. Our Mains Test Series cum Guidance Programme 2026-27 starts on 10 October: 36 papers, every answer evaluated within 3 days, and a one-to-one feedback call after every test.
