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TNPSC Group 2 answer key 2026: prelims key, objections and score estimate

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 9 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

TNPSC has not published a Group 2 or 2A answer key for the 2026 cycle. News reports put the prelims on 1 November 2026, which we have not confirmed in the official PDF, so the exam may not have been held when you read this. The prelims has 200 questions for 300 marks, so a rough estimate of your score is 1.5 marks for each correct answer. That score is used only to shortlist candidates for the mains, so what matters is whether you clear the cut-off, not how high your marks are.

This page shows where TNPSC posts answer keys, how to turn one into a score, and how to use the objection window sensibly.

Why the prelims key is a screening tool

Under the 2025 scheme (Notification No. 11/2025), the common prelims for Group II and IIA is a single OMR paper of 3 hours, 200 questions and 300 marks. The minimum qualifying score is 90 for all communities, and candidates are shortlisted for the mains at 1:10 per reservation group, with everyone tied at the last cut-off admitted. Prelims marks are not added to your mains marks and do not count towards the final rank.

That changes how you should read the key. Prelims marks play no part in the final rank, but near the shortlist cut-off a single mark can separate "shortlisted" from "not shortlisted". Nobody can know that cut-off in advance, so there is no safe score to quote. The Group 2 result page explains how the shortlist works.

Where TNPSC publishes answer keys

TNPSC lists keys on its "Objective Type (Answer Keys)" page on www.tnpsc.gov.in: a table with the date of notification, post, date of exam, tentative key and final key. Current tentative keys are also posted through a "Tentative Subjects" page. TNPSC decides which page will carry the Group 2 key, so follow its notice from the home page.

The tentative key comes first and is open to representations. The final key follows, and it can differ from the tentative one. A score estimated from the tentative key is only an estimate.

How to estimate your prelims score

The paper has three parts:

With 300 marks for 200 questions, the average value of a question is 1.5 marks. Count your correct answers against the key part by part. Then:

The Group 4 2026 notification takes 0.5 mark off each question left completely blank, with no deduction for wrong answers. Read the instructions in the Group 2 notification you applied under to see if the same penalty applies, and shade [E], "answer not known", if it does. The marking scheme page covers how TNPSC handles this across exams.

Sixty correct answers is 90 marks, the minimum qualifying score. Reaching it makes you eligible in principle, but the 1:10 shortlist is what decides who moves on, and the cut-off depends on the paper's difficulty and the vacancies. We could not find an official Group 2 cut-off table for earlier cycles, so this page does not quote one.

What the 1:10 shortlist means for you

Ten times the number of vacancies in each reservation group are shortlisted, with ties at the last mark all admitted. As a purely illustrative example, a group with 40 vacancies would shortlist about 400 candidates. The real numbers depend on the vacancies in the notification and its addendum. It follows that your estimate must be read against your own category, not against a general list.

Because the shortlist is a ranking, an objection is worth the effort only when you are close to the line. If your estimate is comfortably above where you expect the cut-off to be, there is little to gain. If it is close, double-check every question you got wrong.

How to raise an objection

TNPSC accepts online representations against tentative keys, and the key notice states the window. Read it the day it appears.

1. Shortlist the questions where you are certain the key is wrong. Do not challenge ones you merely feel unsure about.
2. Find a published source for each. For the General Studies part, use standard school textbooks (Samacheer Kalvi for Tamil Nadu topics), NCERT books for national topics, or government documents. For the language part, use the prescribed texts.
3. Submit each objection through the route in TNPSC's notice and save the acknowledgement.

If TNPSC accepts an objection, the change appears in the final key and applies to all candidates, not only to you.

What about the mains?

The Group II mains papers are descriptive, so they do not have an answer key in the same sense. Group IIA Main Paper II is a computer-based objective test of 200 questions for 300 marks, and an answer key process may apply to it. The Group 2 exam pattern page has the mains structure, and TNPSC's notices will say how that paper's key is handled.

Using the key to plan the mains

Once you have a score estimate, you can do two things. Sort your wrong answers by part, to see if language, General Studies or aptitude cost you the most. And restart your study plan for the mains as soon as the prelims are over, whatever the result, because the mains date in the 2025 cycle was announced with the prelims result. The Group 2 study plan covers the switch.

How PrepMatic helps

PrepMatic's mock tests for TNPSC match the prelims structure, a 200-question paper for 300 marks, and the mock result shows your score, subject-wise breakdown and the subject that cost you the most marks. That is the same part-wise tally you would do with a TNPSC key. The practice is objective only: it does not include descriptive Group II mains writing (see Group 2 on PrepMatic).

Frequently asked questions

When will the TNPSC Group 2 prelims answer key be released?

TNPSC has not announced a date for the 2026 cycle. Reports put the prelims on 1 November 2026. Watch www.tnpsc.gov.in for the notice.

How do I calculate my Group 2 prelims marks?

Count your correct answers and multiply by 1.5, since the paper is 200 questions for 300 marks. Check the OMR instructions of your notification for any penalty on unanswered questions.

What is the qualifying mark in Group 2 prelims?

The minimum qualifying score is 90 out of 300 for all communities (60 correct answers at 1.5 marks each). Actual shortlisting is at 1:10 per reservation group, so the cut-off can be higher.

Do prelims marks count in the final Group 2 rank?

No. Prelims marks are used only to shortlist candidates for the mains. The final rank is drawn from the mains Paper II marks.

Can I challenge a wrong answer in the TNPSC key?

TNPSC accepts representations against the tentative key within the window stated in its notice. Support each objection with a textbook or official source.

Official sources

• TNPSC objective type answer keys
• TNPSC home page
• Group 2 and 2A Notification No. 11/2025 (English PDF)

The scheme described here is from the 2025 notification (see the Group 2 notification page for both cycles); confirm the 2026 marking rules, objection window and shortlisting ratio in the latest notice. The TNPSC exam guide links to every group.

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