The complete official TNPSC Group 4 syllabus (code 496): the single-paper pattern where the Tamil test scores half your marks, every General Studies unit with its exact question count at SSLC standard, Aptitude, the qualifying rules, and the full official topic text in English and Tamil - grounded in the latest notification (07/2025, 3,935 vacancies), not copied from other websites.
Last updated 29 July 2026| Detail | Current scheme |
|---|---|
| Exam name | Combined Civil Services Examination - IV (Group IV Services) |
| Conducting body | Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) |
| Stages | One written exam only (plus certificate verification; physical tests for forest posts). No Mains, no interview. |
| Syllabus code | 496 |
| Standard | SSLC (10th) throughout - GS, Aptitude and Tamil |
| Latest notification | 07/2025 with 3,935 vacancies |
| Qualifying marks | 40% in Part A (60/150) to be evaluated; 90/300 overall for selection - all communities |
| Negative marking | None |
| Fee | Exam fee Rs.100 (One Time Registration Rs.150, valid 5 years) |
| Official website | tnpsc.gov.in |
Group 4 is TNPSC's highest-volume recruitment - the entry gate into Tamil Nadu government service for SSLC-qualified candidates, and the exam behind the famous VAO post. The latest notification's biggest posts:
| Post | Vacancies (07/2025) | Pay level |
|---|---|---|
| Junior Assistant (Non-Security) | 1,621 | Level 8 band (see notification for exact post-wise scale) |
| Typist | 1,099 | |
| Junior Revenue Inspector | 239 | |
| Village Administrative Officer (VAO) | 215 | |
| Steno-Typist (Grade III) | 335 | Level 10 |
| Forest Guard (incl. with Driving Licence) | 97 | Level 5 |
| Forest Watcher (incl. Tribal Youth) | 95 | Level 3 |
| Field Assistant | 19 | Level 6 |
| Total (all posts) | 3,935 |
One exam, one rank list, many posts: you opt for posts at application, and counselling allots them by rank and reservation. Typing posts need typewriting qualifications, forest posts add physical standards and endurance tests, and vacancy counts are tentative until counselling.
| Criterion | Rule |
|---|---|
| Education | SSLC (10th standard) pass minimum; typewriting qualifications for Typist/Steno posts; specific extras per post |
| Age | Minimum 18; post-wise maximums with wide relaxations for reserved categories - see the notification table |
| Language requirement | The Tamil paper is compulsory for all (General English alternative only for eligible differently abled candidates) |
| Physical standards | Only for forest posts (Forest Guard, Forest Watcher) |
Detailed tables verified from the notifications: age limit FAQ and qualification FAQ.
| Part | Subject | Standard | Questions | Marks | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Tamil Eligibility-cum-Scoring Test | SSLC | 100 | 150 | Tamil only |
| B | General Studies (6 units) | SSLC | 75 | 150 | Tamil and English |
| C | Aptitude and Mental Ability | SSLC | 25 | ||
| Total (3 hours, OMR) | 200 | 300 | |||
The mechanics that decide everything: Parts B and C are evaluated only if you score 60 or more in Part A. Cross that gate and all three parts add together for your rank - which makes Part A both the entry door and the biggest prize. Differently abled candidates who studied English only in Board or University may opt for a General English paper (SSLC standard) in place of Part A, with the disability certificate uploaded at application.
100 questions, 150 marks - 50% of the exam. The official unit structure:
| Unit | Topic | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| I | இலக்கணம் (Grammar) | 25 |
| II | சொல்லகராதி (Vocabulary) | 15 |
| III | எழுதும் திறன் (Writing Skills) | 15 |
| IV | கலைச் சொற்கள் (Technical Terms) | 10 |
| V | வாசித்தல் - புரிதல் (Reading Comprehension) | 15 |
| VI | எளிய மொழிபெயர்ப்பு (Simple Translation) | 5 |
| VII | இலக்கியம், தமிழ் அறிஞர்களும், தமிழ்த்தொண்டும் (Literature, Scholars and Tamil Service) | 15 |
| Block | Questions | Share of paper |
|---|---|---|
| Tamil (scoring) | 100 | 50% |
| GS: Economy and TN Development (Unit V) | 20 | 10% |
| GS: TN History and Movements (Unit VI) | 20 | 10% |
| Aptitude (Maths) | 15 | 7.5% |
| GS: Indian Polity (Unit IV) | 15 | 7.5% |
| GS: History and National Movement (Unit III) | 10 | 5% |
| Reasoning | 10 | 5% |
| GS: Science (I) + Geography (II) | 10 | 5% |
Three conclusions fall straight out of this table. Tamil is the exam - half the marks, fully predictable, fully scoring. The TN-focused GS units (V and VI) are the next lever - 40 questions, 20% of the paper. And with competition in the lakhs for a few thousand posts, accuracy beats coverage: in an SSLC-standard paper, ranks are separated less by what you studied and more by how few careless mistakes you make in 200 attempts.
| Group 4 (496) | Group 2/2A Prelims (495) | |
|---|---|---|
| GS standard | SSLC | Degree |
| Tamil/Language part | Tamil only (English for eligible differently abled candidates), counts for rank | General Tamil OR General English by choice |
| Stages | Single paper - final | Prelims is a screening stage before Mains |
| GS depth | Leaner: drops fiscal/monetary policy, HDI comparisons, e-Governance and other deeper topics | Full Degree-standard topic list |
The unit names look alike, which misleads many aspirants into either over-preparing Group 4 or under-preparing Group 2. Prepare Group 4 from 6th-10th school books at recall depth; if you are also targeting Group 2/2A, the same base extends upward with Degree-level depth. Our Group 2 vs Group 4 FAQ compares the two exams decision-by-decision.
| Area | Source |
|---|---|
| Everything GS | Samacheer Kalvi school books, 6th to 10th standard - the primary source for an SSLC-standard paper |
| Tamil (Part A) | School Tamil books 6th-10th; a good இலக்கணம் guide; the Unit VII lists (Thirukkural அதிகாரங்கள், அறநூல்கள், scholars) directly from SSLC books |
| Polity | School books first; Laxmikant only as an optional reference for clarity |
| Aptitude and Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal, daily practice |
| Current affairs | A daily habit, filed unit-wise - see our free daily bilingual current affairs |
Resist the urge to buy Degree-level references for a Group 4-only preparation - the school books plus disciplined revision outperform a taller book pile at this standard. Full book-list reasoning: our verified book list FAQ.
The official Group 4 syllabus is code 496 on tnpsc.gov.in under Recruitment → Syllabus. This page reproduces the same official text in full, in both languages, and is updated whenever TNPSC revises the scheme - always cross-check the Scheme of Examination section printed in the specific notification you apply under.
1. Make Tamil your first subject, not your last. Work through Part A's units in order - grammar rules with daily drills, the vocabulary and மரபு lists, then the Unit VII literature list as pure memorisation with revision cycles. This is 150 marks moving directly with effort.
2. Read the school books for GS - once well, then revise. At SSLC standard, questions test direct recall: names, dates, definitions, matched pairs. One careful pass of 6th-10th Samacheer chapters per unit, converted into short notes, then repeated revision beats any reference book.
3. Daily aptitude, timed. The 25 Part C questions are the same topics every cycle. Fifteen focused minutes a day from day one makes them near-automatic by exam time.
4. Track current affairs lightly but daily. The GS units end with current affairs; at this exam's standard, awareness of major schemes, appointments and events is enough - deep analysis is not required.
5. Mock tests decide your rank. With lakhs of candidates, a few careless errors separate selection from disappointment. Full-length, 200-question timed tests - and honest review of every mistake - are the highest-yield hours of your entire preparation.
A simple 4-month arc: month 1, Tamil grammar and vocabulary + GS Units V and VI + daily aptitude; month 2, Tamil Unit VII lists + GS Units IV and III; month 3, remaining GS + full Tamil revision; month 4, weekly full-length mocks with error-log revision. Forest-post aspirants: build physical training alongside from month one.
Treating Tamil as "just qualifying". It scores half your marks. This single misunderstanding costs more ranks than any hard GS topic.
Preparing from Degree-level books. Group 4 questions come from school-book territory; heavyweight references waste your limited time and bury the simple facts the exam actually asks.
Skipping the Unit VII literature list. Fifteen defined, memorisable questions - the closest thing to free marks in any TNPSC paper - regularly left unprepared.
No error log. At SSLC standard, repeat mistakes are the rank killer. Every mock test error goes into a list you re-read weekly.
Ignoring the 40% gate maths. Aim well above 60 in Part A - candidates near the gate under exam pressure risk their entire paper going unevaluated.
Waiting for the notification to start. With 3,935 vacancies in the last cycle, the next notification will trigger lakhs of applications. The rank list will belong to those already months into preparation on notification day.
Group 4 (syllabus code 496) is a single objective paper of 200 questions for 300 marks in 3 hours. Part A is the Tamil Eligibility-cum-Scoring Test: 100 questions, 150 marks, set in Tamil only. Part B is General Studies: 75 questions at SSLC standard across 6 units. Part C is Aptitude and Mental Ability: 25 questions. Parts B and C together carry 150 marks. There is no separate Mains and no interview.
No - and this is the most important rule in the whole exam. It is an eligibility-cum-scoring test: you must score 40% (60 out of 150) for Parts B and C to be evaluated, and once you cross that gate, all your Tamil marks count fully toward your rank. Tamil is 50% of the total marks, making it the single biggest scoring area.
Notification 07/2025 listed 3,935 vacancies across posts including Junior Assistant (1,621), Typist (1,099), Steno-Typist Grade III (335), Junior Revenue Inspector (239), Village Administrative Officer (215), Forest Guard and Forest Watcher posts, and more. Vacancy counts change every cycle and are tentative until counselling.
Village Administrative Officer (VAO), Junior Assistant (Security and Non-Security), Junior Revenue Inspector, Typist, Steno-Typist Grade III, Personal Clerk, Field Assistant, Forest Guard, Forest Watcher and similar posts across Tamil Nadu government departments. Pay levels in the latest notification range from Level 3 (Forest Watcher) up to Level 10 (Steno-Typist), with VAO at Level 8.
SSLC (10th standard) pass is the minimum for most posts; some posts carry additional requirements such as typewriting qualifications for Typist and Steno-Typist posts, a driving licence for the specific Forest Guard post, and physical standards for forest posts. Check the post-wise table in the notification.
No. There is no negative marking in any TNPSC examination. Attempt all 200 questions.
Two thresholds: 40% in Part A (60 out of 150) for Parts B and C to be evaluated at all, and 90 marks out of 300 overall as the minimum qualifying mark for selection, for all communities. Ranking is then by total marks across all three parts.
The unit names look similar but the standard is different: Group 4 GS is SSLC standard while Group 2/2A Prelims GS is Degree standard. Group 4 also drops several deeper topics (fiscal and monetary policy, HDI comparisons, e-Governance) that Group 2 includes. Same topic map, lighter depth.
Parts B and C (General Studies and Aptitude) are set in both Tamil and English. Part A, the Tamil test, is set in Tamil only - with one exception: differently abled candidates who studied English only in Board or University can opt for a General English paper (SSLC standard) instead, provided the disability certificate is uploaded with the application.
The VAO post is filled through the same single Group 4 paper - there is no separate VAO exam under the current scheme. Same 200 questions, same syllabus, same ranking; VAO simply appears as one of the posts you can opt for, subject to its eligibility conditions.
From tnpsc.gov.in under Recruitment, then Syllabus - look for code 496. This page reproduces the same official syllabus text in full, in both languages.
It depends on the post: in the latest notification, Forest Watcher is at Pay Level 3, Forest Guard at Level 5, Field Assistant at Level 6, VAO at Level 8 and Steno-Typist Grade III at Level 10 of the TN pay matrix. Exact scales are printed in the notification.
Like the biggest subject of the exam, because it is: 100 questions, 150 marks, 50% of the total. The syllabus is finite and published - school-level grammar, vocabulary, மரபுத் தமிழ், technical terms, comprehension, simple translation, and a defined Unit VII list of twenty Thirukkural அதிகாரங்கள், அறநூல்கள் and named Tamil scholars. Daily practice against that list converts directly into rank.
The written standard is lower (SSLC vs Degree for GS) and there is no Mains stage, but competition is enormous because lakhs apply for the same posts. Treat it as easier content with harder competition: accuracy and the Tamil part decide selection.
Yes. Posts such as Forest Guard and Forest Watcher involve physical standards and endurance tests after the written exam, as specified in the notification. The written exam and syllabus are the same as every other Group 4 post.
More notification-verified answers in our TNPSC Official Updates page. Also preparing for higher services? See the Group 1 Syllabus and Group 2 & 2A Syllabus.
ArivArk's bilingual test series is built from the same school books this syllabus is set from - scheduled tests in Tamil and English, video explanations, and an honest rank list so you always know where you stand.
