Wrote the Prelims on 27 September? Tell us how many answers you got right - anonymously, two taps - and see the live distribution of all candidates instantly. The more who vote, the sharper everyone's cutoff estimate becomes.
Results appear as votes come in - this page updates live. Vote above and share the page with your exam-hall friends; every vote sharpens the picture.
| Community | Responses | Middle of the pack |
|---|---|---|
| BC | 1 | 110 to 120 correct |
TNPSC's own figures - marks of the last candidate admitted to the Mains in each category for the previous cycle (Notification 04/2025, Prelims held 15.06.2025). Divide by 1.5 for the correct-answer count. W = Women, G = General turn within the category.
| Category | Cutoff / 300 | Correct answers |
|---|---|---|
| GT (Women) | 220.50 | 147 |
| GT (General) | 219.00 | 146 |
| GT (General, PSTM) | 216.00 | 144 |
| GT (Women, PSTM) | 210.00 | 140 |
| BC (Women) | 214.50 | 143 |
| BC (General) | 212.50 | 141 |
| BC (General, PSTM) | 208.50 | 139 |
| BC (Women, PSTM) | 204.00 | 136 |
| BC Muslim (Women) | 207.00 | 138 |
| MBC/DNC (Women) | 211.50 | 141 |
| MBC/DNC (General) | 211.50 | 141 |
| MBC/DNC (General, PSTM) | 208.50 | 139 |
| SC (Women) | 207.00 | 138 |
| SC (General, PSTM) | 204.00 | 136 |
| SC (General, incl. shortfall) | 201.00 | 134 |
| SC(A) (General) | 202.50 | 135 |
| SC(A) (Women) | 198.00 | 132 |
| SC(A) (General, PSTM) | 193.50 | 129 |
| ST (General, incl. shortfall) | 171.00 | 114 |
| MBC/DNC (Low Vision) | 160.50 | 107 |
| MBC/DNC (Hearing Impaired) | 145.50 | 97 |
What last year teaches: the whole field closed between 114 and 147 correct answers, most categories within a narrow 129 to 147 band. Note that the Women cutoff was sometimes higher than the General cutoff (GT and BC) - horizontal reservation guarantees seats, it does not cap them. This year's numbers will differ with the paper and the 46 vacancies, but the shape stays similar.
There is no single Group 1 cutoff. TNPSC admits roughly 20 times the number of vacancies to the Mains, distributing the seats by Tamil Nadu's reservation rules - so every category has its own cutoff, and within each category the special quotas create further cutoffs. This cycle: 46 vacancies (raised from 26 by Addendum 5B/2026), so roughly 900 plus candidates should enter the Mains.
| Category | Share of posts |
|---|---|
| General Turn (GT / OC) - open to every community on merit | 31% |
| BC (other than BC Muslim) | 26.5% |
| BC (Muslim) | 3.5% |
| MBC / DNC | 20% |
| SC | 15% |
| SC (Arunthathiyar) | 3% |
| ST | 1% |
Inside every category, horizontal quotas apply on top: 40% for women, 20% PSTM (studied 1st standard to Degree in Tamil medium - the reason this survey asks), and 4% for persons with benchmark disabilities, plus quotas for destitute widows and ex-servicemen on eligible posts. Each of these slices can close at a different mark.
Three things that follow from this:
1. GT is not "for OC only". A BC or SC candidate who scores above the GT cutoff is counted in the open 31% on merit - without using their community quota. High scorers help their whole community this way.
2. The GT cutoff is always the highest. Then usually BC and MBC close together, and SC, SC(A) and ST below - the exact gaps change every year with the paper.
3. A PSTM candidate's effective cutoff can be lower than the same category's general cutoff, because the 20% PSTM slice is filled from PSTM candidates first.
Mechanism and score calculation in full: answer key page's cutoff section. We update both pages with TNPSC's real numbers when the Mains shortlist is released.
