The complete official syllabus for TNPSC Group 2 and Group 2A - the shared Common Preliminary Examination with every unit's exact question count, the completely different Mains of the two groups (descriptive for Group 2, objective for Group 2A), the qualifying Tamil Eligibility Test, and the full official topic text in English and Tamil. Sourced from TNPSC's syllabus documents (codes 495, 469 and 583), not summarised from other websites.
Last updated 29 July 2026| Detail | Current scheme |
|---|---|
| Exam name | Combined Civil Services Examination - II (Group II and IIA Services) |
| Conducting body | Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) |
| Selection stages | Common Preliminary Exam → Main Exam (separate for Group 2 and 2A). No interview. |
| Syllabus codes | Common Prelims: 495 · Group 2 Mains: 469 · Group 2A Mains: 583 |
| Prelims qualifying marks | 90 out of 300, all communities |
| Question paper language | Tamil and English (Language part: General Tamil or General English by choice) |
| Negative marking | None, at any stage |
| Fee | Prelims Rs.100 (One Time Registration Rs.150, valid 5 years) |
| Official website | tnpsc.gov.in |
Combined Civil Services Examination - II fills a wide band of Tamil Nadu government posts through one common Prelims. Group 2 covers executive posts such as Deputy Commercial Tax Officer, Assistant Inspector of Labour, Probation Officer and Junior Employment Officer - in the latest notification these sit at pay levels up to Level 18 of the TN pay matrix. Group 2A covers ministerial posts such as Full-Time Assistants in various departments. The practical difference for you as an aspirant is the Mains format: Group 2 tests descriptive answer writing, Group 2A tests objective speed and accuracy - and under the current scheme, neither group has an interview, so the Mains score alone decides selection.
| Criterion | Rule |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18 years for most posts (a few posts require 21) - check the post-wise table in the notification |
| Maximum age | Post-wise, with substantial relaxations for reserved categories and further concessions (persons with benchmark disability, destitute widows and others as notified) |
| Education | Any recognised degree for most posts; some posts carry subject-specific requirements or preferences |
| Final-year students | Can apply after writing the final year exam; proof of passing required at the Mains document stage |
Exact post-wise tables with worked examples: age limit FAQ, educational qualification FAQ, final-year students FAQ.
| Stage | Type | Counts in final rank? |
|---|---|---|
| Common Preliminary Examination (495) | Objective, 200 questions, 300 marks | No - screening only |
| Mains Paper I - Tamil Eligibility Test | Descriptive, 100 marks | No - qualifying only (minimum 40) |
| Group 2 Mains Paper II (469) | Descriptive, 300 marks | Yes - decides the entire rank |
| Group 2A Mains Paper II (583) | Objective, 200 questions | Yes - decides the entire rank |
Because there is no interview, the exam is decided entirely on paper. Onscreen certificate verification happens before Mains admission, with no supplemental list for candidates rejected there - keep every certificate matching your One Time Registration details well in advance.
| Part | Subject | Standard | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | General Studies (6 units) | Degree | 75 | 300 | 3 hours |
| B | Aptitude and Mental Ability | SSLC | 25 | ||
| C | Language: General Tamil OR General English | SSLC | 100 | ||
| Total | 200 | 300 | |||
Minimum qualifying marks: 90 for all communities. Objective type on OMR sheets, no negative marking. Note what makes this Prelims unique among TNPSC exams: half the paper is the SSLC-standard Language part - the single largest and most predictable block of marks.
The six GS units mirror Group 1's units in topic but with different question counts and only 75 questions in total. Official text in full, with Tamil one tap away:
Half the Prelims paper, at SSLC standard. You choose one language at application; both follow the same unit structure:
| Unit | General Tamil / பொதுத்தமிழ் | General English | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | இலக்கணம் (Grammar) | Grammar | 25 |
| II | சொல்லகராதி (Vocabulary) | Vocabulary | 15 |
| III | எழுதும் திறன் (Writing Skills) | Writing Skills | 15 / 10 |
| IV | கலைச் சொற்கள் (Technical Terms) | Technical Terms | 10 |
| V | வாசித்தல் - புரிதல் (Reading Comprehension) | Reading Comprehension | 15 / 20 |
| VI | எளிய மொழிபெயர்ப்பு (Translation) | Translation | 5 |
| VII | இலக்கியம், தமிழ் அறிஞர்கள் (Literature and Scholars) | Literary Works (SSLC poems and prose) | 15 |
General Tamil covers school-level grammar (பிரித்து/சேர்த்து எழுதுதல், சந்திப்பிழை, ஒருமை-பன்மை and more), vocabulary and usage, மரபுத் தமிழ், technical-term equivalents (search engine - தேடு பொறி), reading comprehension from newspapers and editorials, simple translation, and Unit VII's defined list: twenty Thirukkural அதிகாரங்கள், the அறநூல்கள் (நாலடியார், நான்மணிக்கடிகை and others), and named Tamil scholars from உ.வே.சாமிநாத ஐயர் to நாமக்கல் கவிஞர். General English covers full school grammar, vocabulary, writing skills, administrative terms, comprehension, translation, and a defined SSLC list of poems and prose for Unit VII. Both lists are finite and published - which is exactly why toppers treat this part as a bankable 100 questions rather than a lottery.
| Block | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Language (General Tamil / English) | 100 | 50% |
| GS: Economy and TN Development (Unit V) | 20 | 10% |
| GS: TN History and Movements (Unit VI) | 20 | 10% |
| GS: Indian Polity (Unit IV) | 15 | 7.5% |
| Aptitude and Reasoning | 25 | 12.5% |
| GS: History (III) + Science (I) + Geography (II) | 20 | 10% |
The Language part plus Aptitude - both SSLC standard - make up 62.5% of the paper. That is the honest, under-discussed truth of this exam: the cut-off battle is usually won in the "easy" half, where preparation is most predictable, while Units V, VI and IV decide the rest. Candidates who obsess over Degree-level GS but treat the Language part casually routinely miss the cut-off.
Do not treat it as a formality: it is descriptive, timed, and a hard gate. English-medium candidates especially should budget real weeks of writing practice - our Tamil Eligibility Test FAQ covers the exemption rules and preparation approach.
| Paper | Subject | Standard | Marks | Qualifying |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Tamil Eligibility Test | SSLC | 100 | 40 (not ranked) |
| II | General Studies - descriptive, 7 units | Degree | 300 | 90 |
Paper II's seven units, with marks per unit:
| Unit | Topic | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| I | Modern History of India with specific reference to Tamil Nadu | 40 |
| II | Tamil Society - Culture and Heritage (answerable in Tamil or English) | 30 |
| III | Social Issues in India with specific reference to Tamil Nadu | 50 |
| IV | Science and Technology in Development | 40 |
| V | Constitution, Polity and Governance with specific reference to Tamil Nadu | 60 |
| VI | Geography, Environment, Biodiversity and Disaster Management (TN focus) | 40 |
| VII | Indian Economy with specific reference to Tamil Nadu | 40 |
The question paper follows a fixed three-part structure that should shape your entire answer-writing practice: Part A - nine compulsory 10-mark questions (about 100 words each, 90 marks, drawn from every unit except Unit II); Part B - five 10-mark questions from Unit II alone, answer any three (30 marks, in Tamil or English); Part C - six sections of three 15-mark questions each, answer two per section (about 200 words each, 180 marks). That is 24 written answers, roughly 3,600 words, in 180 minutes - a writing-speed challenge as much as a knowledge test. Unit V (Polity and Governance, 60 marks) is the single heaviest unit; every syllabus unit is deeply Tamil Nadu-flavoured, from district administration to state welfare schemes.
| Paper | Component | Standard | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Tamil Eligibility Test (descriptive, qualifying) | SSLC | 100 marks |
| II | Part A: General Studies - objective, 5 units | Degree | 150 |
| Part B: General Intelligence and Reasoning - objective, 27 topic areas | SSLC | 50 |
Paper II's five GS units, per the 2025 scheme:
| Unit | Topic | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| I | Modern History of Tamil Nadu, Tamil Society - Culture and Heritage | 30 |
| II | Administration of States with reference to Tamil Nadu | 45 |
| III | Science and Technology in Development | 20 |
| IV | Tamil Nadu Economy and Social Issues in Tamil Nadu | 30 |
| V | Geography of Tamil Nadu, Environment, Biodiversity and Disaster Management | 25 |
Two things stand out. First, Unit II (Administration of States, 45 questions) is the largest unit - and it goes deep into territory no other TNPSC exam tests the same way: the Secretariat structure, Chief Secretary hierarchy, and the full district administration chain from District Collector through DRO, RDO, Tahsildar, BDO and Revenue Inspector down to the Village Administrative Officer. Second, the Reasoning part is a full 50 questions across 27 defined topic areas (analogy, coding-decoding, puzzles, calendar, Venn diagrams, mirror images, statement-conclusion and more) - a quarter of the paper, at SSLC standard, and pure practice territory.
| Group 2 | Group 2A | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical posts | Executive: Deputy Commercial Tax Officer, Assistant Inspector of Labour, Probation Officer and more | Ministerial: Full-Time Assistants and similar posts |
| Prelims | One Common Preliminary Examination (495) for both | |
| Mains format | Descriptive - 24 written answers, 300 marks, 7 units | Objective - 200 MCQs (150 GS + 50 Reasoning) |
| Key skill | Structured answer writing at speed | MCQ accuracy and elimination at speed |
| Interview | None - Mains marks alone decide the rank | |
| Pay levels | Higher (up to Level 18 in the latest notification) | Generally lower ministerial levels |
Since the Prelims is common, you do not have to choose between them until the application stage - and because the GS content overlaps substantially, most aspirants prepare for both, deciding based on their strength: writers lean Group 2, fast objective solvers lean Group 2A. Our Group 2/2A exam pattern FAQ and Group 2 vs Group 4 FAQ go deeper on choosing.
The foundation is the same as every TNPSC exam: Samacheer Kalvi school books, 6th to 12th standard. On top of that:
| Area | Source |
|---|---|
| Polity | Laxmikant (Indian Polity) - essential for Unit IV and for both Mains |
| Modern India / National Movement | Spectrum - Modern India |
| Economy | Ramesh Singh, selectively, over the school-book base |
| General Tamil (Part C) | School Tamil books 6th-10th; a dedicated இலக்கணம் guide for the grammar units; the defined Unit VII lists from SSLC books |
| General English (Part C) | School English grammar plus the defined SSLC poems and prose list |
| Aptitude and Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal (both volumes) - doubly important for Group 2A's 50-question Reasoning part |
| Tamil medium references | History - Venkatesan; Polity - Pragadeesh publication / Tamili publications |
Full reasoning per pick: our verified book list FAQ.
All three official documents are on tnpsc.gov.in under Recruitment → Syllabus: code 495 (Common Preliminary), code 469 (Group 2 Mains) and code 583 (Group 2A Mains). This page reproduces the same official text, bilingual, and we update it whenever TNPSC revises a scheme - as happened with the Group 2A Mains pattern in 2025.
1. Bank the Language part first. It is 100 predictable SSLC-standard questions with published, finite lists. Grammar rules, the Unit VII literature list, and daily vocabulary work convert directly into marks. Target near-full accuracy here - it is the cheapest 50% of the paper.
2. Then weight GS by unit size. Units V (20), VI (20) and IV (15) carry 55 of the 75 GS questions. Prepare them from school books first, then Laxmikant and reference depth. Science, Geography and History share just 20 questions - solid one-pass coverage, then revision only.
3. Run Aptitude daily. Fifteen minutes to half an hour, every day, from day one - and if Group 2A is your goal, extend this into the full 27-topic Reasoning list.
4. File current affairs unit-wise, daily. Every GS unit ends with "Current affairs". Our daily bilingual current affairs pages are organised by these exact units.
5. Split your Mains preparation by group. Group 2 aspirants: answer-writing practice from month one of Mains prep - 24 answers in 180 minutes is a trained skill, and the Part A/B/C structure above tells you exactly what to train. Group 2A aspirants: objective test practice with heavy emphasis on Unit II (Administration of States) - the 45-question unit almost nobody else prepares in depth - plus timed Reasoning sets.
A simple 6-month arc: months 1-2, Language part + Polity + daily aptitude; month 3, Economy and TN Development; month 4, TN History and Movements + Indian History; month 5, Science, Geography, and full revision of the Language part; month 6, weekly full-length mocks with error-log revision. Repeat aspirants on a 3-month runway: compress to Language + Units V/VI/IV in month one, everything else in month two, and mocks throughout month three.
Treating the Language part as "easy, so later". Half the paper, most predictable marks, most often postponed - and the most common reason for missing a cut-off by a few marks.
Preparing GS at Group 1 depth for Prelims. The GS part here is 75 questions, not 175. Depth belongs to the Mains stage; Prelims rewards breadth plus the Language bank.
Ignoring the Tamil Eligibility Test until after Prelims results. It is descriptive and it gates your entire Mains evaluation at 40 marks.
Group 2 aspirants who read but never write. A candidate who knows everything but writes 2,000 words in three hours loses to one who knows less but completes all 24 answers.
Group 2A aspirants who skip Administration of States. Forty-five questions on Secretariat and district administration - the largest single unit in their Mains - barely covered by general study materials.
No timed mock tests. Both formats are speed tests in disguise. Practise under exam-identical timing from early in your preparation, not the final month.
Group 2 and 2A share one Common Preliminary Examination (code 495): 200 objective questions for 300 marks - 75 General Studies (Degree standard), 25 Aptitude and Mental Ability (SSLC) and 100 Language questions (General Tamil or General English, SSLC). After Prelims the paths split: Group 2 Mains (code 469) is a descriptive exam - a qualifying Tamil Eligibility Test plus a 300-mark General Studies paper of 7 units; Group 2A Mains (code 583) is an objective exam - the same qualifying Tamil test plus a 200-question paper (150 General Studies + 50 Reasoning). Neither group has an interview.
Both share the same Prelims and the same qualifying Tamil Eligibility Test. The Main exams differ completely: Group 2 Mains is descriptive (written answers, 300 marks, 7 units) while Group 2A Mains is objective (200 multiple-choice questions: 150 General Studies + 50 Reasoning). Group 2 posts are generally higher in the pay matrix. Neither has an interview - the Mains score alone decides the rank.
No. Under the current scheme there is no interview for either Group 2 or Group 2A. Selection is decided by the Main Examination marks alone, after the qualifying Tamil Eligibility Test is cleared.
General Studies (75): General Science 5, Geography of India 5, History and National Movement 10, Indian Polity 15, Indian Economy and TN Development 20, Tamil Nadu History and Movements 20. Aptitude and Mental Ability adds 25, and the Language part (General Tamil or General English) adds 100, for a total of 200 questions.
Ninety (90) marks out of 300, for all communities, as per the latest notification. Candidates are shortlisted for Mains in order of Prelims marks following the reservation rules.
No. There is no negative marking at any stage of any TNPSC examination, so the correct strategy is to attempt every question.
Yes. The 100-question Language part of the Common Prelims offers a choice between General Tamil and General English, selected at application. Both follow the same unit structure: Grammar 25, Vocabulary 15, Writing Skills, Technical Terms 10, Reading Comprehension, Translation 5 and Literary Works 15 questions.
Two papers: Paper I is the Tamil Eligibility Test (100 marks, SSLC, descriptive, qualifying at 40 - not counted in ranking). Paper II is General Studies (Degree standard, 300 marks, 3 hours, descriptive) across 7 units, answered in three parts: Part A - nine 10-mark questions (90 marks), Part B - three of five 10-mark questions from the Tamil Society unit (30 marks, answerable in Tamil or English), and Part C - twelve 15-mark questions, two from each of six sections (180 marks). The minimum qualifying mark for Paper II is 90.
Two papers: the same qualifying Tamil Eligibility Test, then an objective Paper II of 200 questions - 150 General Studies questions (Degree standard) across 5 units, and 50 General Intelligence and Reasoning questions (SSLC standard) across 27 topic areas.
A compulsory SSLC-standard descriptive paper of 100 marks shared by Group 2 and Group 2A Mains. It covers translation (Tamil-English both ways), precis writing, comprehension, expansion, essay on Thirukkural themes, official letter writing and Tamil language knowledge. You need 40 marks to qualify; the score is not added to your rank, but your Mains paper is evaluated only if you cross it.
It varies by post. In the latest notification, posts such as Deputy Commercial Tax Officer and Assistant Inspector of Labour carry Pay Level 18 of the TN pay matrix, with other posts at levels between roughly 10 and 16. The exact scale for each post is printed in the notification.
Minimum 18 years for most posts (a few require 21), with post-wise maximum ages and category relaxations listed in each notification. See our detailed age limit FAQ, verified from the official notifications, for the exact tables.
From tnpsc.gov.in under Recruitment, then Syllabus. Look for code 495 (Common Preliminary), 469 (Group 2 Mains) and 583 (Group 2A Mains). This page reproduces the same official syllabus text in full.
The General Studies subject areas overlap heavily (Polity, Economy, History, TN History, Science, Geography, Aptitude), but Group 2 Prelims adds a 100-question Language part that Group 1 does not have, the unit weightages differ, and the Mains formats are completely different. Preparation transfers well between the two, which is why many aspirants prepare for both together.
Yes. Under the 2025 scheme, Group 2A Mains Paper II is a 200-question objective paper: 150 General Studies questions across 5 units plus 50 General Intelligence and Reasoning questions across 27 topic areas. Always verify the scheme printed in the specific notification you apply under.
The Language part is 100 of the 200 questions - half the paper at SSLC standard. Most well-prepared candidates aim for very high accuracy there because it is the most predictable half. A common working split is roughly half your time on the 75 Degree-standard GS questions, a third on Language, and the rest on Aptitude, adjusted by your mock-test results.
More notification-verified answers in our TNPSC Official Updates page. Preparing for Group 1 too? See the complete Group 1 Syllabus 2026.
ArivArk's bilingual test series follows this exact syllabus and weightage - scheduled tests in Tamil and English, video explanations for every paper, and an honest rank list so you always know where you stand.
