TNPSC Group 2 and 2A prelims practice and mock tests
Practise the prelims the way it is set: ten questions at a time in its three parts, the working under every answer, then the full paper on the clock.
Latest TNPSC Group 2 & 2A dates
From TNPSC's own notices (listed below), checked 30 Oct 2026
- ApplicationsClosed on 9 Sep 2026
- Prelims1 Nov 2026, 9.30 am to 12.30 pm, on paper (OMR); hall tickets out since 21 OctUnder way
- Prelims resultOn a date TNPSC will announce; the main's date comes with it
- MainGroup 2 and Group 2A, on dates TNPSC will announce
What the prelims really tests
Half the paper is a language test
General Tamil or General English, at SSLC standard, is 100 of the 200 questions. The prelims only screens: its marks do not carry into the main.
a question on average: 200 questions in 3 hours.
candidates called to the main for each post, by prelims rank within each reservation group.
lakh sat the last prelims, on 28 Sep 2025; by the main, 828 posts were on offer.
Try 5 TNPSC Group 2 & 2A questions
- General Studies
- Aptitude & Mental Ability
- General Tamil
- General English
Easy ones, taken from the app's own rounds. The paper gives you 54 seconds a question: tap an answer, and the next one comes by itself.
- Every answer worked
- Misses come back
- Free to start
Sign in, and the app opens straight on TNPSC Group 2 & 2A.
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Exam pattern
The prelims is 200 questions in 3 hours, for 300 marks, on paper: General Studies 75, Aptitude and Mental Ability 25, and General Tamil or General English 100.
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Studies | 75 | 112.5 |
| Aptitude and Mental Ability | 25 | 37.5 |
| General Tamil / General English | 100 | 150 |
| Prelims | 200 | 300 |
No mark is taken for a wrong answer, but every question must be answered: shade E, 'answer not known', or lose half a mark for each one left blank. The notification gives 300 marks for the whole paper; the marks for each part above are our split at 1.5 a question. You need 90 of 300 to qualify. Candidates with a disability who use a scribe get at least 20 minutes more for every hour.
Syllabus
The notification lists every unit and how many questions each carries.
| General Studies, degree standard | General Science 5, Geography of India 5, Indian history, culture and the national movement 10, Indian Polity 15, the Indian economy and development administration in Tamil Nadu 20, and Tamil Nadu's history, culture, heritage and social and political movements 20. |
|---|---|
| Aptitude and Mental Ability, SSLC standard | Aptitude 15: simplification, percentage, HCF and LCM, ratio, interest, area, volume, time and work. Reasoning 10: logic, puzzles, dice, visual and alphanumeric reasoning, number series. |
| General Tamil or General English, SSLC standard | General English: grammar 25, vocabulary 15, writing 10, technical terms 10, reading comprehension 20, translation 5 and literary works 15, from the SSLC textbooks. General Tamil has its own units, printed in Tamil. |
From the notification's Annexure III, in shorter words.
Eligibility
A degree, Tamil, and an age inside your post's and community's limit on 1 Jul 2026.
| Education | A degree for most posts; some ask a particular one, such as a B.Com. or a B.L. Every qualification must be held on 11 Aug 2026. |
|---|---|
| Tamil | Tamil as a language in SSLC, HSC or a degree, or schooling in Tamil medium, or TNPSC's Second Class Language Test, held by 11 Aug 2026. |
| Age on 1 Jul 2026 | At least 18 for most posts; Sub Registrar 20, Probation Officer 22 or 26, Executive Officer Grade III 25. The upper limit depends on your community. |
| Attempts | No limit. Candidates outside the reserved communities with five or more years of government service may not apply. |
| Fee | ₹100 for the prelims and ₹150 for the main (₹300 if shortlisted for both mains), and ₹150 once for One Time Registration if you have not registered. SC, SC(A), ST, persons with a benchmark disability and destitute widows pay nothing; BC(OBCM), BCM and MBC/DC get three free chances, former servicemen two. |
| Some posts ask more | Jailor: height and eyesight standards, and chest for the men's post; one post for women, one for men. Audit Inspector, Executive Officer Grade III and one Assistant post: Hindus only. |
The upper age by community is in the next section.
Age relaxation and cutoffs
Find your community: the upper age for most posts. TNPSC publishes no cutoff marks.
| Category | Age relaxation |
|---|---|
| Others (not a reserved community) | None: the limit is 32 |
| BC(OBCM), BCM, MBC/DC, SC, SC(A), ST | No limit, except Deputy Commercial Tax Officer: 37 |
| Persons with a benchmark disability | 10 years, to 42 |
| Former servicemen | To 50 |
| Destitute widows | No limit, except Deputy Commercial Tax Officer: 37 |
Each upper age is one you must not have reached on 1 Jul 2026: with a limit of 32, you may apply at 31 but not at 32. 'No limit' means under 60. The rows for disability and former service are for 'Others'; in the reserved communities they matter only for Deputy Commercial Tax Officer. A few posts differ: Deputy Commercial Tax Officer with a law degree allows 2 years more; Jailor with a Master's in Criminology or Social Work, and Executive Officer Grade III, allow 37 for 'Others'; Probation Officer 1011 is 26 to 42 for 'Others'. Persons with a benchmark disability may not apply for Jailor, Special Assistant, Special Branch Assistant or Probation Officer 1011. TNPSC publishes no cutoff marks: the last cycle's lists gave register numbers, with each candidate's marks shown only when their register number is looked up.
A round of ten, in the prelims' pattern
Play freeSelection process
The prelims only screens. The main ranks you, on its Paper II alone; there is no interview.
| Stage | What it is | Counts for merit |
|---|---|---|
| Prelims | 200 questions in 3 hours; 90 of 300 to qualify. | No: it decides who sits the main |
| Main, Paper I | A written Tamil test at SSLC standard, 100 marks in 3 hours. 40 are needed before Paper II is marked. | No: it is only to pass |
| Main, Paper II | Group 2: General Studies in written answers. Group 2A: 200 objective questions on a computer. Each 300 marks in 3 hours, 90 needed. | Yes: your rank |
| Certificates, then counselling | Called by rank, three for each post (fewer in the reserved turns), then your post chosen by rank. | By your rank |
The main is separate for Group 2 and Group 2A, each taking 10 candidates for each post. One selected for a Group 2 post is not considered for Group 2A. Last cycle TNPSC moved the Group 2A Paper II from a computer to paper; the 2026 notification says computer.
Posts and pay
846 posts this cycle, by our sum: 43 in Group 2 at pay Levels 16 to 18, 803 in Group 2A at Levels 9 to 12.
| Posts | 43 in Group 2 and 803 in Group 2A, after Addendum 7A of 3 Sep 2026 added 25. |
|---|---|
| Some Group 2 posts | Deputy Commercial Tax Officer, Sub Registrar Grade II, Jailor, Probation Officer, Assistant Section Officer. |
| Some Group 2A posts | Assistant in many departments, Senior Revenue Inspector, Audit Inspector, Accountant, Executive Officer Grade II and III. |
| Pay | Group 2 at Level 18, Assistant Section Officer at Level 16; Group 2A at Levels 9 to 12. The notification prints levels, not rupees. |
| Last cycle | 4,20,217 sat the prelims on 28 Sep 2025, and 10,583 were called to the main for 828 posts, by our sum. Marks and ranks on 29 Jun 2026; counselling from 16 Sep 2026. |
TNPSC's helpline: 1800 419 0958, working days 10 am to 5.45 pm. Hall tickets at tnpscexams.in; notices and results at tnpsc.gov.in.
How to prepare
Three habits, kept every week until the exam: rounds every day, your mistakes first, a full mock every Sunday.
- Five rounds a day, all three sections. From the first day, so a weak section never waits. TNPSC Group 2 & 2A has 141 Easy rounds; a free account plays 100 different rounds on the web, and the Pass opens the rest.
- Replay what you got wrong, first. Answering beats reading again, most of all when you see the working straight after: a week later, students who tested themselves remembered 61% of a passage, those who reread it 40%.
- One full mock test every Sunday, once the papers open. 200 questions in 180 minutes, then the marksheet section by section. TNPSC Group 2 & 2A has 10 full papers; they open when the Easy rounds are cleared, or at once with the Pass. Our papers take nothing off for a question left blank; the real paper takes half a mark, so practise answering every one.
Roediger and Karpicke, Psychological Science, 2006; Rowland, Psychological Bulletin, 2014. Spread out, the same practice lasts longer: 47% recalled against 37% when crammed (Cepeda and others, Psychological Bulletin, 2006).
Common questions
Short answers on negative marking, the prelims marks, the interview and the language paper.
- Is there negative marking in TNPSC Group 2?
- Not for a wrong answer. But every question must be answered: shade E if you do not know, or lose half a mark for each question left blank.
- Do the prelims marks count?
- No. The prelims only decides who sits the main, 10 candidates for each post. Your rank comes from the main's Paper II alone.
- Is there an interview for Group 2?
- No, for no post in 2026. The main's Paper II decides your rank; certificate checks and counselling follow.
- Can I take the language part in English?
- Yes: the prelims' language part is General Tamil or General English, at SSLC standard. The main's Paper I, though, is a Tamil test everyone must pass, unless excused for a disability.
- Are these actual TNPSC questions?
- No. Every question is an original written to the TNPSC Group 2 and 2A pattern and level, and Play To Prepare is not connected to TNPSC.
Sources
Every exam fact above was read in TNPSC's own notices on 30 Oct 2026. The counts of rounds and papers are our game's own.
- TNPSC Group II and IIA notification 07/2026, 11 Aug 2026The prelims and the main, the marking, the syllabus, who can apply, the fee, the posts and their pay, and selection.
- Addendum 7A, 3 Sep 202625 more posts, 43 in Group 2 and 803 in Group 2A, and the age rules of the added ones.
- Prelims press release, 21 Oct 2026The prelims on 1 Nov 2026 at 38 district centres, and the hall tickets.
- Exam dashboard, Group II and IIA 11/2025The last cycle's dates and numbers, and how its results were published.
When a new notice is published, this page changes with it.
