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TNPSC Group 4 answer key 2026: how to check and calculate your marks

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

There is no Group 4 2026 answer key yet, because the exam is on 10 January 2027. TNPSC has not announced when a key will be published. What you can prepare now is the method: once a key is out, your raw score is 1.5 marks for every correct answer, minus 0.5 mark for every question you left completely blank. Wrong answers are not penalised.

This page explains how TNPSC answer keys work, how to turn a key into a score for the 200-question, 300-mark paper, and what that score means for the 40% Tamil gate and the 90-mark minimum.

Where TNPSC publishes answer keys

TNPSC has an "Objective Type (Answer Keys)" page on www.tnpsc.gov.in. It lists exams 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 separate "Tentative Subjects" page. Which of these pages will carry the Group 4 2026 key is TNPSC's decision, so start from the home page and follow the notice, not a link forwarded by someone else.

The key has two stages:

• Tentative key: published first so candidates can compare their answers and raise objections.
• Final key: the later version TNPSC publishes after the tentative one, which can differ from it.

Treat any score you compute from a tentative key as an estimate, because the final key can change answers.

The formula for your Group 4 score

The paper has 200 questions for 300 marks, which is 1.5 marks per question. Part A has 100 questions for 150 marks. Parts B and C together have 100 questions (75 + 25) for another 150 marks.

What each kind of answer does:

Two other deductions come from the sheet and the key cannot show them: 0.5 mark if your left-hand thumb impression is missing, and 2 marks for a wrongly written register number on a non-personalised OMR sheet. If either applies to you, subtract it from your estimate.

A worked example

A candidate marks the key and counts the correct answers part by part:

If this candidate left 3 questions completely blank, the blank-answer penalty is 3 × 0.5 = 1.5, so the raw score is 201 − 1.5 = 199.5. Had the same candidate left 20 questions blank instead of shading [E], the penalty would be 10 marks and the score 191. Shading [E] on those 20 would have kept all 201. This is why the notification wants you to shade [E] when you do not know the answer.

Checking the two qualifying conditions

The score alone does not tell you if you are safe:

1. The Part A gate. You need at least 40% of Part A, which is 60 of 150 marks. At 1.5 marks a question that is 40 correct answers out of 100. If you miss it, Parts B and C are not evaluated, however well you did in them. Part A marks, when you pass the gate, still count towards your rank. See the Tamil eligibility test page.
2. The 90-mark minimum. The minimum qualifying score for every community is 90 out of 300, which is 60 correct answers across the paper. Reaching 90 only qualifies you. Rank, and therefore selection, depends on how your marks compare with others for the number of vacancies.

Do the Part A count first. A candidate with 38 correct answers in Part A has 57 marks there and is out, even with every answer in Parts B and C correct.

Why a safe estimate needs a margin

• The key may change. If TNPSC revises answers after objections, your count moves up or down.
• Your recall may be wrong. A quick recall of your answers can be a few questions off. Keep a margin of at least a few marks in either direction.
• There is no official cut-off to compare with. We could not find an official cut-off table for recent Group 4 cycles, so this site does not quote cut-off marks. The Group 4 cut-off page explains what decides it, and why you should treat single numbers quoted on coaching sites with caution.

How to raise an objection

TNPSC accepts online representations against tentative keys. The window is set in the key notice itself, so read it the day it appears and note the last date. Objection windows are limited, so prepare yours quickly:

1. List only the questions where you are confident the key is wrong.
2. For each one, find a published source: the Tamil Nadu Samacheer Kalvi textbook page, an NCERT page for national topics, or an official government document. A challenge backed by a source is much stronger than a bare claim.
3. Submit the objection through the route given in TNPSC's notice, and keep a copy of the acknowledgement.

Raise an objection only if it can change your outcome. A disputed question matters most when you are close to a line. At 39 correct answers in Part A you have 58.5 marks, and one more correct answer takes you to the 60-mark gate.

Practise the calculation before the exam

Working out a key-based score is a skill you can train. After any full mock, count your marks by part yourself, apply the 0.5 blank penalty and check the Part A gate. The Group 4 previous-year questions page shows where to find official papers and keys, and the Group 4 exam pattern page gives the part-wise marking in one table.

How PrepMatic helps

PrepMatic's mock-test result gives your score, a subject-wise breakdown and the subject that cost you the most marks, so you can rehearse the "count by part, check the gate" routine on every full-length 200-question mock. Taking mocks with Tamil as the exam language lets you check Part A properly. The free assessment shows your weakest subjects, so you know early if Tamil is the risk.

Frequently asked questions

When will the Group 4 2026 answer key be released?

TNPSC has not announced it. The exam is on 10 January 2027. Watch www.tnpsc.gov.in for the notice rather than relying on dates from other sites.

Is there negative marking in Group 4?

Wrong answers carry no deduction. But each question left completely blank costs 0.5 mark, and the OMR sheet has option [E], "answer not known", for questions you cannot answer. Shade [E] instead of leaving a blank.

How many marks is each question worth in Group 4?

The paper has 200 questions for 300 marks, so each question is worth 1.5 marks. Part A is 100 questions for 150 marks, and Parts B and C together are 100 questions for another 150.

Can I challenge the TNPSC answer key?

Yes, TNPSC takes representations against a tentative key. The deadline is given in the key notice, so check it as soon as the key is out and back each challenge with a textbook or official source.

What is the minimum mark to qualify in Group 4?

The minimum is 90 out of 300 for all communities, and you must also have at least 60 of 150 in Part A. Qualifying does not guarantee a post, because ranks are drawn by marks against vacancies.

Official sources

• TNPSC objective type answer keys
• TNPSC home page and press releases
• Group 4 Notification No. 11/2026 (English PDF)

Check the marking rules and the objection window in the latest TNPSC notice. The overall schedule is on the Group 4 notification page, and the stages after the key are covered in Group 4 result. For other groups, see the TNPSC exam guide.

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