| Conducting body | Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC). Official website ↗ |
|---|---|
| Posts | Deputy Collector, Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Taxes), Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, District Registrar, Assistant Commissioner of Labour, Assistant Director of Rural Development, District Employment Officer |
| Qualification | A degree from a university set up by a central or state Act, or an institution declared a deemed university under the UGC Act. Check the post-wise conditions in the notification. |
| Age limit | 21–34 years on 1 July 2026 (general category) |
| Domicile | See the notification |
| Selection stages | Preliminary exam (objective, OMR), used only for shortlisting → Onscreen certificate verification before the main exam → Main exam: qualifying Tamil paper and three descriptive General Studies papers → Interview (100 marks) → Medical examination |
| Latest notification | Notification No. 05/2026: Combined Civil Services Examination I (Group I Services) · 46 vacancies |
Last checked . Sources
About TNPSC Group 1
TNPSC Group 1 (Combined Civil Services Examination I) recruits for senior Tamil Nadu state posts such as Deputy Collector, District Registrar and Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Taxes). Selection runs through three stages: a preliminary exam, a descriptive main exam and an interview. Notification No. 05/2026, dated 23 June 2026, listed 26 vacancies, and addendum 5B/2026 (13 August 2026) added two posts and raised the total to 46.
Eligibility
Age limit
General category: 21–34 years, counted on 1 July 2026.
Age relaxation
- OBC: 5 years
- SC: 5 years
- ST: 5 years
- PwBD: 10 years
- Limits above are for the Others category. BC, BCM, MBC/DC, SC, SC(A) and ST candidates can be up to 39.
- Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Taxes): up to 35 (Others) and 40 (reserved categories) for candidates with a B.L. degree.
- Ex-servicemen can be up to 50 (Others) or 55 (reserved categories).
Qualification
A degree from a university set up by a central or state Act, or an institution declared a deemed university under the UGC Act. Check the post-wise conditions in the notification.
Other conditions
- Candidates called for interview also go through a medical board examination, and post eligibility depends on its report.
Selection process
- Preliminary exam (objective, OMR), used only for shortlisting
- Onscreen certificate verification before the main exam
- Main exam: qualifying Tamil paper and three descriptive General Studies papers
- Interview (100 marks)
- Medical examination
Exam pattern
Preliminary exam
Mode: Objective, OMR · Duration: 3 hours
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS |
|---|---|
| General Studies (degree standard) | 175 |
| Aptitude and Mental Ability (SSLC standard) | 25 |
Main exam
Mode: Descriptive · Duration: 3 hours per paper
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Paper I: Tamil Eligibility Test (SSLC standard, qualifying) | 100 |
| Paper II: General Studies I | 250 |
| Paper III: General Studies II | 250 |
| Paper IV: General Studies III | 250 |
Interview
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Interview | 100 |
TNPSC Group 1 syllabus
Prelims: General Studies
- General science (10 questions)
- Geography of India (10)
- History, culture of India and Indian national movement (25)
- Indian polity (40)
- Indian economy and development administration in Tamil Nadu (50)
- History, culture, heritage and socio-political movements in Tamil Nadu (40)
Prelims: Aptitude and Mental Ability
- Aptitude (15 questions)
- Reasoning (10 questions)
Mains: General Studies I
- Modern history of India and Indian culture (100 marks)
- Social issues in India and Tamil Nadu (100 marks)
- Ethics and integrity (50 marks)
Mains: General Studies II
- Indian polity and political trends across the world affecting India (100 marks)
- Science and technology in India's development (100 marks)
- Tamil society: culture and heritage (50 marks)
Mains: General Studies III
- General geography and geography of India with reference to Tamil Nadu (75 marks)
- Environment, biodiversity and disaster management (75 marks)
- Indian economy, current trends and the impact of the global economy (100 marks)
What they ask
The prelims has 175 degree-level General Studies questions and 25 aptitude questions, 300 marks in three hours. You need 120 marks (Others) or 90 (reserved categories) to qualify, and prelims marks are not used in the final ranking. The heaviest prelims units are Indian economy and development administration in Tamil Nadu (50 questions), Indian polity (40) and Tamil Nadu history and culture (40). The main exam has three 250-mark descriptive General Studies papers plus a qualifying Tamil paper where you need 40 out of 100 before the others are evaluated. The final merit list adds main Papers II to IV and the 100-mark interview, 850 marks in all.
How to prepare
- Plan prelims study around the weightage: economy and development administration in Tamil Nadu, polity, and Tamil Nadu history and culture make up 130 of the 175 General Studies questions.
- Start answer writing early. General Studies I includes a 50-mark ethics and integrity unit that is easy to neglect if you only revise facts.
- Tamil Nadu content runs through all three mains papers, from Tamil society, culture and heritage in General Studies II to geography with reference to Tamil Nadu in General Studies III.
- Practise the descriptive Tamil paper as well. Scoring below 40 means your General Studies papers are not evaluated.
- Use daily topic-wise practice quizzes on the free Improvam app for the prelims units, then switch to written practice once prelims is over.
TNPSC Group 1 is one of the exams in the Improvam app. Open it to start a practice quiz.
Open in the Improvam appHow to apply
- Register on the One Time Registration (OTR) platform at www.tnpscexams.in, or log in with your existing OTR.
- Fill the Group 1 online application and pay the fee unless you are exempt.
- Use the correction window after the last date if you need to change details.
- Download the prelims hall ticket from the TNPSC website.
Previous papers and answer keys
TNPSC Group 1 FAQs
46 after addendum 5B/2026: Deputy Collector (12), Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Taxes) (10), Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies (6), District Registrar (8), Assistant Commissioner of Labour (1), Assistant Director of Rural Development (6) and District Employment Officer (3).
Sources
- TNPSC Notification No. 05/2026, CCSE I (Group I Services) ↗ (official, checked )
- TNPSC Addendum 5B/2026 to Notification 05/2026 (46 vacancies) ↗ (official, checked )
- TNPSC exam dashboard: CCSE I 05/2026 ↗ (official, checked )
Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.
Related exams
MORE TAMIL NADU EXAMS
CIVIL SERVICES EXAMS ELSEWHERE
- APPSC Group 1 · Andhra Pradesh
- APPSC Group 2 · Andhra Pradesh
- APPSC CCE · Arunachal Pradesh
- APSC CCE · Assam
- BPSC CCE · Bihar
- CGPSC SSE · Chhattisgarh