TNPSC · Group 4 & VAO

TNPSC Group 4 exam pattern: 200 questions, 300 marks, 3 hours

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 8 Oct 2026 · 7 min read

The TNPSC Group 4 exam is a single objective paper of 200 questions for 300 marks, in 3 hours, answered on an OMR sheet. Part A is a Tamil test of 100 questions (150 marks), Part B is General Studies (75 questions) and Part C is Aptitude and Mental Ability (25 questions); Parts B and C together carry the other 150 marks. You must score at least 40% in Part A or the rest of your paper is not evaluated, you need 90 out of 300 overall, and there is no interview. These details are from Notification No. 11/2026, dated 6 October 2026.

Group 4 exam pattern at a glance

If you plan to apply, the OTR and application guide covers registration and fees.

The three parts of the paper

The marks are split 150 and 150, and the question numbers are 100 and 100, so a question works out at about 1.5 marks on either side. Part A is therefore half your paper. The six General Studies units, the two aptitude and reasoning units and the seven Tamil units are set out in the Group 4 syllabus; the unit-wise question numbers there are indicative only.

The Tamil gate: how Part A works

Part A is both an eligibility test and a scoring test. The two halves of its name matter.

• Eligibility: you need at least 40% of Part A, which is 60 of 150 marks. If you fall short, Parts B and C are not evaluated at all, however well you did on them.
• Scoring: the marks you earn in Part A are added to your total and count towards your rank. Tamil is not a hurdle you clear and forget.

Three candidates show how this plays out.

The second row is the one people miss. Clearing the Tamil gate with 60 marks leaves you needing at least 30 more from Parts B and C to reach 90. For the paper's Tamil rules in more detail, including who is exempt, see the Tamil Eligibility Test guide.

Candidates with a disability who studied only in English can opt for General English of SSLC standard in place of Part A, with the same 60-mark requirement. For everyone else, there is no English option, which is a change from the old General Tamil or General English choice.

Marking and OMR rules

Wrong answers are not penalised, but blank answers are. This is the most misreported rule in the notification.

• Every OMR question has five bubbles: options A to D, plus E, "answer not known".
• You must not leave any question without a shaded bubble. 0.5 mark is deducted for each question left completely blank. If you don't know an answer, shade E so the question is not counted as blank.
• There is no deduction for a wrong answer in the notification.
• 0.5 mark is also deducted if your left-hand thumb impression is missing, and 2 marks if you write your register number wrongly on a non-personalised OMR sheet.
• You must record the number of questions you left unshaded on the sheet.

In practice, a wrong answer is not penalised, but a blank costs you a further 0.5. So never leave a bubble unshaded: shade your best guess wherever you have any idea, and keep E for a question you can't attempt at all. The full rule and a worked attempt strategy are in the TNPSC marking scheme guide.

How the merit list is drawn

There is no interview and no second written paper. Your rank comes only from your marks in this paper, and the paper is the first step of a longer process:

1. Written exam: you must clear the Tamil gate and score at least 90 out of 300.
2. Onscreen certificate verification: candidates are called in at a ratio of 1:3 (general) or 1:2 (reserved) for VAO, Junior Assistant, Typist and Steno posts.
3. Counselling: 1:3 (general) and 1:1.5 (reserved) for VAO, Junior Assistant and Steno posts; Typist posts use 1:3 and 1:2.
4. Extra tests for forest posts: Forest Guard and Forest Watcher add a Physical Standards Test and an Endurance Test (a walk of 25 km for men and 16 km for women and third gender candidates, in 4 hours), held at Chennai only.

Some posts need more than SSLC, such as a government typewriting certificate for Typist and shorthand for Steno-Typist, so check the post you want in the eligibility guide. The ratios above are for the 2026 notification, and the notification says vacancies are tentative and may change before counselling.

One exam, many posts

All 46 post codes in the 2026 notification are filled from this single paper, with 6,574 tentative vacancies. That includes Village Administrative Officer, Junior Assistant, Bill Collector, Typist, Steno-Typist Grade III, Executive Officer Grade IV and Forest Guard or Watcher. The VAO guide covers the post that most aspirants target, and the groups explained page shows where Group 4 sits among the other TNPSC exams.

What changed from older Group 4 patterns

The year the Part A name changed is not stated in the notification, so don't rely on it when you read older material.

Pacing a 3-hour paper

The average is 54 seconds a question (180 minutes for 200 questions). A split you can rehearse: about 55 minutes on Part A, 60 on General Studies, 40 on aptitude and reasoning, and the last 25 for shading E on any blank, checking your unshaded count and the OMR details. That is a suggestion to test in mocks, not an official recommendation. The Group 4 study plan shows when to start full-length papers.

Practising the pattern with PrepMatic

PrepMatic has full-length Group 4 mocks that match the real paper's length of 200 questions in 180 minutes, so you can rehearse pacing. You can also build shorter mocks by choosing subjects, number of questions, duration and difficulty, or focus a mock on the weak subjects your free assessment found. You can choose Tamil as your exam language. After each mock you see a subject-wise breakdown and the subject that cost you the most marks. Practise the E-bubble and unshaded-count routine on paper too, because that part of the OMR rules is something you have to do by hand.

Frequently asked questions

Is there negative marking in Group 4?

Not for wrong answers. The notification does not deduct marks for a wrong answer, but it does deduct 0.5 mark for every question left completely blank, so shade E if you don't know.

What is the minimum qualifying mark in Group 4?

90 out of 300 for all communities, in addition to 40% (60 of 150) in the Part A Tamil test. Meeting the minimum only makes you eligible; the rank list decides who goes forward.

Is there an interview for Group 4?

No. Group 4 is a single-stage written exam, and ranking is based on written marks alone. Certificate verification and counselling follow for shortlisted candidates.

Do Part A marks count towards the rank?

Yes. Part A is a scoring test as well as an eligibility test, so its 150 marks are part of your 300-mark total.

How long is the Group 4 exam and when is it?

3 hours, from 9.30 AM to 12.30 PM. The 2026 notification schedules it for 10 January 2027. Confirm the date and your hall ticket on TNPSC's website.

Official sources

• TNPSC Group 4 Notification No. 11/2026 (English PDF): scheme of examination, Annexure III and OMR instructions in Annexure IV.
• TNPSC official website: hall tickets, notices and results.
• TNPSC Annual Planner: tentative programme of examinations.

Dates, vacancies and rules change between notifications. Check the latest notification before you apply.

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