TNPSC Exam Pattern and Syllabus (Tamil Nadu)
The Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) conducts the Combined Recruitment Examination (CRE) to fill administrative posts in the state. The selection process is carried out in three successive stages:
- Preliminary Examination
- Mains Examination
- Interview / Personality Test
Stage I: Preliminary Examination (Objective Type)
The Preliminary exam is a screening test consisting of one paper. The marks obtained here are not counted for the final merit list.
| Subject | Questions | Total Marks | Duration | Negative Marking |
| General Studies (175) + Aptitude & Mental Ability (25) | 200 | 300 | 3 Hours | No |
Minimum Qualifying Marks: 90 for Reserved Categories | 120 for Others.
Detailed Prelims Syllabus
- UNIT-I: General Science: Scientific Knowledge and Temper; Nature of Universe; General Scientific Laws; Mechanics, Properties of Matter, Force, Motion and Energy; Electricity and Magnetism, Light, Sound, Heat, Nuclear Physics, Laser, Electronics and Communications; Elements and Compounds, Acids, Bases, Salts, Petroleum Products, Fertilizers, Pesticides; Life Science, Nutrition, Health and Hygiene, Human Diseases; Environment and Ecology.
- UNIT-II: Current Events: History (Latest events, National symbols, Profile of States); Polity (Political parties, Welfare schemes); Geography (Landmarks); Economics (Socio-economic issues); Science (Latest inventions).
- UNIT-III: Geography of India: Location, Physical features; Monsoon, Rainfall, Weather and Climate; Water Resources, Rivers; Soil, Minerals and Natural Resources; Forest and Wildlife; Agricultural pattern; Transport and Communication; Population density; Natural calamities and Disaster Management.
- UNIT–IV: History and Culture of India: Indus Valley Civilization; Guptas, Delhi Sultans, Mughals and Marathas; Age of Vijayanagaram and Bahmani Kingdoms; South Indian History; Change and Continuity in Socio-Cultural History; Characteristics of Indian Culture, Unity in Diversity, India as a Secular State.
- UNIT-V: Indian Polity: Constitution of India, Preamble, Salient features; Union, State and Union Territory; Citizenship, Fundamental Rights, Duties, and Directive Principles; Union & State Executive and Legislature; Local Government, Panchayat Raj; Spirit of Federalism; Election, Judiciary, Rule of Law; Anti-corruption, Lokpal, Lok Ayukta, RTI, Empowerment of Women, Consumer Protection, Human Rights.
- UNIT-VI: Indian Economy: Nature of Indian Economy, Five-year plan models; Planning Commission and Niti Aayog; Sources of revenue, RBI, Fiscal and Monetary Policy, Finance Commission, GST; Structure of Indian Economy, Land Reforms, Agriculture, Industrial growth, Rural Welfare, Social Problems (Poverty, Education, Health).
- UNIT-VII: Indian National Movement: National Renaissance, Early uprising against British rule; Indian National Congress; Emergence of leaders (B.R. Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, Bharathiar, V.O.C., Nehru, Kamarajar, Gandhi, Azad, Periyar, Rajaji, Bose, Tagore); Different modes of Agitation; Communalism and Partition.
- UNIT-VIII: History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements in Tamil Nadu: History of Tamil Society and Archaeological discoveries; Tamil Literature (Sangam to contemporary); Thirukkural (Secular nature, relevance to everyday life, impact on humanity, socio-politico-economic affairs); Role of Tamil Nadu in freedom struggle; Evolution of 19th and 20th Century movements (Justice Party, Self Respect Movement, Dravidian Movement).
- UNIT–IX: Development Administration in Tamil Nadu: Human Development Indicators; Impact of Social Reform Movements; Political parties and Welfare schemes; Reservation Policy; Economic trends; Social Justice and Harmony; Education and Health systems; Geography of Tamil Nadu and Economic growth; e-Governance.
- UNIT-X: Aptitude and Mental Ability: Simplification, Percentage, HCF, LCM, Ratio and Proportion, Simple interest, Compound interest, Area, Volume, Time and Work, Logical Reasoning (Puzzles, Dice, Visual, Alpha-numeric, Number Series).
Stage II: Mains Examination (Descriptive Type)
The Mains exam consists of four papers. Paper I is a qualifying Tamil eligibility test.
| Paper | Subject | Marks | Duration | Standard |
| Paper I | Tamil Eligibility Test (Qualifying) | 100 | 3 Hours | SSLC |
| Paper II | General Studies – I | 250 | 3 Hours | Degree |
| Paper III | General Studies – II | 250 | 3 Hours | Degree |
| Paper IV | General Studies – III | 250 | 3 Hours | Degree |
Mains Syllabus
Paper I: Tamil Eligibility Test (Qualifying)
- Translation (Tamil to English and English to Tamil).
- Precis writing and Comprehension.
- Hints Development.
- Letter writing (Official).
- Essay writing on Tamil Culture and Heritage.
Paper II: General Studies – I
- Unit I: Modern History of India and Indian Culture (Advent of Europeans, British rule, National Renaissance, Emergence of leaders).
- Unit II: Social Issues in India and Tamil Nadu (Population, Poverty, Illiteracy, Women Empowerment, Child Abuse, Corruption, Communal Violence, Terrorism).
- Unit III: General Aptitude & Mental Ability (SSLC Standard – Conversion of information to data, Tables, Graphs, Probability).
Paper III: General Studies – II
- Unit I: Indian Polity and Emerging Political Trends across the world affecting India.
- Unit II: Role and Impact of Science and Technology in the Development of India (IT, Space, Health, Energy, Agriculture).
- Unit III: Tamil Society – Its Culture and Heritage (Art, Music, Film, Drama, Architecture, Socio-economic history from Sangam age to date).
Paper IV: General Studies – III
- Unit I: Geography of India with special reference to Tamil Nadu (Physical features, Resources, Agriculture, Industries, Oceanography).
- Unit II: Environment, Biodiversity and Disaster Management (Ecology, Pollution, Climate Change, Environmental Laws).
- Unit III: Indian Economy – Current Economic Trends and Impact of Global Economy on India (Features of Indian Economy, NITI Aayog, Agriculture, Industry, Banking, Public Finance).
Stage III: Interview / Personality Test
The final stage is an oral interview to judge the candidate’s mental caliber and social traits.
- Interview Marks: 100
- Total Marks for Merit: 850 (750 from Mains Paper II, III, IV + 100 from Interview).
- Qualifying Marks for Final Selection: 255 (Reserved) | 340 (Others).