Previous year paper analysis · TNPSC

TNPSC Group 1 prelims 2024 paper analysis

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 9 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

The TNPSC Group 1 preliminary paper of 13 July 2024 had 200 questions in three hours, and Tamil Nadu dominated the start: by our count 64 of the 175 General Studies questions (37%) came from the two Tamil Nadu units, and 18 of the first 19 questions were on Tamil Nadu history, literature and Thirukkural. This page gives the unit counts from TNPSC's tentative-key booklet and compares them with 2025 and 2026.

Paper facts

Preliminary marks are used only to shortlist candidates for the main examination, which the 2024 notification schedules for 10 to 13 December 2024. The Group 1 exam pattern explains the stages.

Unit-wise tally

The 2024 notification lists ten units with no indicative counts, so the table is our classification alone. Aptitude was exactly 25 by our reading.

What stood out

• Tamil Nadu at the front. Unit VIII had 41 questions (23% of General Studies) and Unit IX 23 (13%). After the opening run on Tamil Nadu history, Valluvar and Tamil literature came about a dozen on Tamil Nadu schemes and indicators: the Pudhumai Penn scheme, health and growth indices, the Girl Child Protection Scheme and Dr. Dharmambal Ammaiyar assistance.
• Thirukkural about eleven times, mostly on what Valluvar says about kings, wealth, friendship and Thirukkural's "universal" character.
• Polity was modest at 25 questions (14%), centred on the Information Commission, basic-structure cases, free legal aid, the right against exploitation and the Preamble.
• Current Events was its own unit with 15 questions: Khel Ratna and Padma awards for 2024, the G20, a storm in the UAE, an oil spill at Kosasthalaiyar and National Civil Service Day.
• Science tested the syllabus's opening line. Four questions dealt with rote learning, conceptual learning, induction-deduction reasoning and skepticism (a fifth asked which Article mentions scientific temper), next to chemistry (an octane-rated fuel, dissociation constants), physics (transformer, equipotential surfaces) and medicine (whooping cough, the Mantoux test).
• Format mix was mild. Of 162 General Studies questions we could read fully, about 64 (40%) used match, statement, assertion-reason or ordering formats; the rest were short direct questions.
• Aptitude was two blocks, twelve questions early and thirteen late, on family-relation puzzles, work and time, circles, interest, LCM and HCF, remainder problems, a dice probability and GST.

How the unit mix moved, 2024 to 2026

To compare with the six-unit syllabus used from 2025, we regrouped 2024's ten units. The Current Events unit disappears after 2024; the later syllabi fold current affairs into each unit.

Polity and Economy grew; science and general history shrank. Read the 2025 analysis and the 2026 analysis for detail.

Difficulty (our reading)

Easier to answer than 2025 or 2026 wherever you knew the fact, because most questions were short and options rarely combined. It was hard in a different way: the volume of Tamil Nadu detail was large, and a candidate strong in all-India topics but thin on Tamil Nadu would have lost many marks.

What this means for your preparation

1. Give Tamil Nadu a fixed daily slot. Use Tamil Nadu history, culture and heritage and Development Administration in Tamil Nadu as your base.
2. Learn the syllabus wording. Rote versus conceptual learning and scientific temper are written into Unit I, so questions on them are fair game; the Group 1 syllabus lists them.
3. Use 2024 for speed, 2026 for difficulty. Time yourself on this paper first, then step up to the later papers. The Group 1 preparation strategy shows where prelims practice fits in a year-long plan, and the Group 4 previous year questions guide describes the error-log method.

Practising with PrepMatic

PrepMatic can send study reminders by browser notification or email, which helps if you are fitting a daily Tamil Nadu slot around work. Its Group 1 prelims mocks have 200 questions, and a free assessment of about 15 untimed questions shows your weakest subjects. Practice questions are AI-generated rather than past papers, so rely on the official files below for real papers.

Official sources

• Group 1 2024 prelims booklet with tentative key (General Studies with Aptitude and Mental Ability Test)
• Group 1 2024 prelims final answer key
• Group 1 2024 notification (No. 04/2024)
• TNPSC objective-type answer keys and previous papers

Counts are our reading of TNPSC's booklet, not an official classification. Check tnpsc.gov.in for current rules, and see the TNPSC guide for related pages.

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