Official source: Syllabus synced from the Tamil Nadu Employment & Training Department portal
(tamilnaducareerservices.tn.gov.in/vle/syllabus).
Last updated: May 31, 2026. Always verify with the latest TNPSC notification.

TNPSC Group 1 Syllabus 2026 — Prelims & Mains (Official PDF)

TNPSC Group 1 பாடத்திட்டம் 2026 — Prelims & Mains (அதிகாரப்பூர்வ PDF)

Complete TNPSC Group 1 (Combined Civil Services Examination-I) syllabus for Prelims and Mains, aligned with the official Tamil Nadu government study portal.

தமிழ்நாடு அரசுப் பணியாளர் தேர்வுக்குழு Group 1 (Combined Civil Services Examination-I) Prelims மற்றும் Mains பாடத்திட்டம் — அதிகாரப்பூர்வ TN careers portal PDF-லிருந்து.

Exam Pattern (தேர்வு முறை)

• Prelims (Code 497): Single paper — General Studies (Degree, 175 Q) + Aptitude & Mental Ability (SSLC, 25 Q).
• Mains (Code 498): Tamil Eligibility Test + 4 General Studies papers (250 marks each) + Interview.
• Standard: Degree level for GS; SSLC for aptitude & Tamil eligibility.

Detailed Syllabus (விரிவான பாடத்திட்டம்)

Prelims — General Studies (175 Questions)

1. Unit I: General Science (10 Questions)
   Scientific knowledge and scientific temper – Power of r easoning – Rote learning vs conceptual learning – Science as a tool to understand the past, present , and future; Nature of universe – General scientific laws – Mechanics – Properties of matter, force, motion, and energy – Everyday application of the basic principles of mechanics, electricity and magnetism, light, sound, heat, nuclear physics, laser, electronics, and communications; Elements and compounds, acids, bases, salts, petroleum p roducts, fertilizers, pesticides; Main concepts of life science, classification of living organisms, evolution, genetics, physiology, nutrition, h ealth and hygiene, human diseases; Environment and ecology; Latest inventions in science and technology; Current affairs.
2. Unit II: Geography of India (10 Questions)
   Location – Physical features – Monsoon, rainfall, weather and climate – Water resources – Rivers in India – Soil, Minerals and Natural Resources – Forest and Wildlife – Agricultural pattern; Transport – Communication; Social Geography – Population density and dis tribution – Racial, linguistic groups and major t ribes; Natural calamity – Disaster m anagement – Environmental pollution – Reasons and preventive measures – Climate change – Green energy; Geographical landmarks; Current affairs.
3. Unit III: History, Culture of India, and Indian National Movement (25 Questions)
   Indus Valley Civilization – Guptas, Delhi Sultans, Mughals, and Marathas – Age of Vijayanagaram and Bahmani Kingdoms – South Indian History; Change and continuity in the socio-cultural history of India; National Renaissance – Early uprising against British rule – Indian National Congress – Emergence of leaders – B.R.Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, Bharathiar, V.O.Chidambaranar , Jawaharlal Nehru, Kamarajar , Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Thanthai Periyar, Rajaji, Subash Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore , and others; Different modes of a gitation: Growth of Satyagraha and Militant Movements; Communalism and Partition; Characteristics of Indian Culture, Unity in Diversity – Race, Language, Custom; India as a Secular Sta te, Social Harmony; Prominent personalities in various spheres – Arts, Science, Literature and Philosophy; National symbols – Eminent personalities and places in news – Sports – Books a nd Authors; Current affairs.
4. Unit IV: Indian Polity (40 Questions)
   Constitution of India – Preamble to the Constitution – Salient features of the Constitution – Union, State and Union Territory – Citizenship, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties, Directive Principles of State Policy – Union Ex ecutive, Union Legislature – State Executive, State Legislature – Local Governments, Panchayat Raj – Spirit of federalism: Centre – State relationships – Election – Judiciary in India – Rule of Law – Corruption in public life – Anti-corruption measures – Lokpal and Lok Ayukta – Right to Information – Empowerment of Women – Consumer Protection Forums, Human Rights Charter; Political parties and political system in India; Current affairs.
5. Unit V: Indian Economy and Development Administration in Tamil Nadu (50 Questions)
   Nature of Indian Economy – Five-year plan models – an assessment – Planning Commission and Niti Aayog; Sources of revenue – Reserve Bank of India – Fiscal Policy and Monetary Policy – Finance Commission – Resource sharing between Union and State Government s – Goods and Services Tax; Structure of Indian economy and employment generation, Land Reforms and Agriculture – Application of Science and Technology in Agricultu re – Industrial growth – Rural welfare oriented p rogrammes – Social p roblems – Population, Education, Health, Employment, Poverty; Human Development Indicators in Tamil Nadu and a comparative assessment across the Country – Impact of social reform movements in the socio-economic development of Tamil Nadu – Political p arties and w elfare schemes for various sections of people – Rationale behind the reservation policy, and access to the social resources – Economic trends in Tamil Nadu – Role and impact of social welfare schemes in the socio-economic development of Tamil Nadu – Social justice and social harmony as the cornerstones of socio -economic development; Education a nd health systems in Tamil Nadu; Geography of Tam il Nadu and its impa ct on e conomic growth;
6. Unit VI: History, Culture, Heritage, and Socio -Political Movements in Tamil Nadu (40
   Questions) History of Tamil Society, related archaeological discoveries, Tamil literature from Sangam age till contemporary times; Thirukkural – Significance as a secular literature – Relevance to everyday life, Impact of Thirukkural on humanity, Thirukkural and universal values – Relevance to Socio-politico- economic affairs, Philosophical content in Thirukkural; Role of Tamil Nadu in freedom struggle – Early agitations against British Rule – Role of women in freedom struggle; Evolution of 19th and 20th century socio-political movements in Tamil Nadu – Justice Party, Growth of Rationalism – Self Respect Mo vement, Dravidian Movement , and p rinciples underlying both these movements; Contributions of Thanthai Periyar and Perarignar Anna.

Prelims — Aptitude & Mental Ability (25 Questions)

1. Unit I: Aptitude (15 Questions)
   Simplification – Percentage – Highest Common Factor (HCF) – Lowest Common Multiple (LCM) – Ratio and Proportion – Simple interest – Compound interest – Area – Volume – Time and Work.
2. Unit II: Reasoning (10 Questions)
   Logical reasoning – Puzzles – Dice – Visual reasoning – Alpha numeric reasoning – Number series.

Mains — General Studies Papers I–IV

1. Unit I: Modern History of India and Indian Culture (100 marks)
   Advent of Europeans – Colonialism and imperialism – Establishment, expansion and consolidation of British Rule – Early uprising against British Rule – South Indian rebellion 1799 – 1801 A.D. – Vellore rebellion 1806 A.D. – Sepoy mutiny of 1857 A.D. – Indian National Movements – Moderation, Extremism and Terrorism Movements of Indian Patriotism – Significant Indian National Leaders – Rabindranath Tagore, Maulana Abulkalam Azad, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, B.R.Ambedkar and Vallabhai Patel – Constitutional developments in India from 1773 to 1950 – Second World War and final phase of independence struggle – Partition of India – Role of Tamil Nadu in freedom struggle – Subramanya Siva – Subramania Bharathiyar, V.O.Chidambaranar, C.Rajagopalachariyar, Thanthai Periyar, Kamarajar and others; Impact of British rule on socio-economic affairs – National Renaissance Movement – Socio-religious reform movements – Social reform and educational reform acts; Emergence of “Social Justice” Ideology in Tamil Nadu – Origin, Growth, Decay and achievements of Justice Party – Socio-political movements and its achievements after Justice Party; India since Independenc
2. Unit II: Social Issues in India and Tamil Nadu (100 marks)
   Population Explosion – Fertility, Mortality – Population Control Programmes – Migration – Poverty – Illiteracy – Dropouts – Right to Education – Women Education – Skill based education and programmes – E-Learning; Child labour and Child abuse – Child Education – Child school dropouts – Child abuse – Laws to protect Child abuse – Child protection and welfare schemes; Sanitation: Rural and Urban Sanitation – Role of Panchayat Raj and Urban development agencies in sanitation schemes and programmes; Women Empowerment: Social justice to women – Schemes and programmes – Domestic violence – Dowry menace – Sexual assault – Laws and awareness programmes – Prevention of violence against women – Role of Government and NGOs in women empowerment – Schemes and Programmes; Social Changes: Urbanization – Policy, Planning and Programmes in India and Tamil Nadu – Comparative study on social and economic indicators – Impact of violence on society – Religious violence – Terrorism and Communal violence – Causes – Steps to control and awareness; Problems of minorities; Human rights issues; Regional disparities in India – Causes and remedies; Social development: Page 2 of 4 Approaches – Models – Policies
3. Unit III: Ethics and Integrity (50 marks)
   Ethics and Human Interface: Definition and scope of ethics – Ethics of Indian Schools of Philosophy – Ethics of Thirukkural; Kinds of ethics: Intuitionism – Existentialism – Duties and responsibility – Moral judgements – Moral Absolutism – Moral Obligation; Attitude: Its influence and relation with thought and behaviour – Moral and political attitudes; Ethics in public administration: Philosophical basis of governance and probity in Governance – Codes of ethics and conduct: Primary responsibilities of public service professionals – Transparency of information sharing and service delivery – Professional and non- professional interaction – Potentially beneficial interaction – Maintenance of confidentiality of records – Disclosure of Information – Boundaries of competence – Consultation on ethical obligation – Ethics and Non-discrimination – Citizen’s Charters – Challenges of corruption – Ethics of public polity determination. Paper III – General Studies II (Degree Standard – 250 Marks)
4. Unit I: Indian Polity and Emerging Political Trends across the World affecting India (100 marks)
   Constitution of India – Historical background – Making of the Indian Constitution – Preamble – Salient features of Indian Constitution – Parts, Articles and Schedules – Amendments; Citizenship; Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties; Directive Principles of State Policy; Structure, Power and Functions of Governments: Union Government – Legislature: Parliament – Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha; Executive: President, Vice-President – Prime Minister and Council of Ministers – Constitutional Authorities; Judiciary: Supreme Court – Judicial Review – Judicial activism – Latest Verdicts; State Government – Legislature: State Legislative Assembly – State Legislative Council; Executive: Governor – Chief Minister – Council of Ministers; Judiciary: High Court – District Courts – Subordinate Courts – Tribunals; Local Government: Rural and Urban Local Governments – Historical background – 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts; Union Territories: Evolution – Administration; Federalism: Indian Federal System – Differentiating from other forms of federalism; Union – State Relations: Legislative, Administrative and Financial relations; Indian Administration: Civil Services in India – Historical
5. Unit II: Role and Impact of Science and Technology in the Development of India (100 marks)
   Science and Technology – Role, Achievements and Developments – their applications and impacts; Elements and Compounds, Acids, Bases and Salts – Oxidation and reduction – Carbon, Nitrogen and their compounds – Chemistry of Ores and Metals – Fertilizers, Pesticides, Insecticides – Polymer and Plastics – Corrosion – Chemistry in everyday life; Energy – Renewable and Non -Renewable – Self- sufficiency – Oils and Minerals exploration; Space Research – Nano Science and Technology – Application of Nano -materials; Advancements in the fields of Information Technology – Robotics and Automation – Artificial Intelligence – Mobile Communication; Computer System Architecture, Operating System, Computer Networks, Cryptography and Network security, Relational Database Managem ent System, Software Engineering, Image Processing, Machine Learning; Cropping pattern in India – Organic farming – Agriculture Biotechnology – Commercially available Genetically Modified Crops – Eco, Social impact of Genetically Modified Crops – Intellectual Property Rights, Bio Safety; Floriculture, Olericulture, Pomology and Medicinal Plants, Conventional and Modern Propagation Technique, Glass House – Hydroponics – Bonsa
6. Unit III: Tamil Society – Culture and Heritage (50 marks)
   (Candidates may answer the questions in this unit either in Tamil or in English) Origin and Development of Tamilian – Palmleaf Manuscript – Document – Archaeological excavation in Tamil Nadu – Adhichanallur, Arikkamedu, Keeladi, Konthakai, Manalur, Sivakalai; Arts, Science and Culture: Literature, Music, Drama and other arts – Science – Culture (Internal and External); Tamil Society and the condition of business – Sangam age – Medieval age – Modern age; Growth of Rationalist – Origin and Development of Dravidian Movements in Tamil Nadu – Their contribution in Socio and economic development; Socio and cultural life of the modern Tamilian: Caste, Religion, Women, Polity, Education, Economics, Commerce and Relationship with other countries – Tamil Diaspora; Development of modern Tamils: Print – Edition – Translation – Film Industries – Computer and Media. Paper IV – General Studies III (Degree Standard – 250 Marks)
7. Unit I: General Geography and Geography of India with Special Reference to Tamil Nadu (75
   marks) Earth and Universe: Solar System – Atmosphere, Lithosphere, Hydrosphere and Biosphere; India and Tamil Nadu: Location – Physical Divisions – Drainage – Weather and Climate: Monsoon, Rainfall – Natural Resources: Soil, Natural Vegetation, Wildlife – Irrigation and Multipurpose Projects – Mineral Resources – Energy Resources – Agriculture: Crops, Livestock, Fisheries, Agricultural Revolutions – Industries – Population: Growth, Distribution and Density – Migration – Races, Tribes, Linguistics and Religions – Trade – Geo Politics: Border Disputes; Ocean and Sea: Bottom relief features of Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal; Geospatial Technology: Remote Sensing, Geographical Information System (GIS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS); Map: Loc ating features and Places; Current Affairs.
8. Unit II: Environment, Biodiversity and Disaster Management (75 marks)
   Ecology: Structure and function of ecosystem – Ecological succession – Ecosystem services – Biodiversity conservation – Biodiversity Types – Biodiversity Hot Spots in India; Biodiversity : Significance and Threats – In-situ and Ex-situ conservation measures – Roles of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) – Biodiversity Act; Environmental Pollution and Management: Air, Water, Soil, Thermal and Noise pollution – Pollution Prevention and control strategies – Solid and hazardous waste management – Environmental Standards and Environmental Monitoring – Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): Steps in EIA process – Environmental Clearance – Environmental Auditing; Sustainable Development: Global Environmental Issues and Management – Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Targets – Climate Change – Changes in monsoon pattern in Tamil Nadu, India and Global scenario – Environmental consequences of climate change and mitigation measures – Clean and Green Energy – Paris Agreement – Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs); Environmental Law
9. Unit III: Indian Economy – Current Economic Trends and Impact of Global Economy on India (100
   marks) Features of Indian Economy – National Income – Capital formation – NEP (New Economic Policy) – NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India); Agriculture – Role of Agriculture – Land Reforms – New Agricultural Strategy – Green Revolution – Contract Farming – Minimum Support Price – Price Policy, Public Distribution System (PDS), Subsidy, Food Security – Agricultural Marketing, Crop Insurance, Labour – Rural Credit and Indebtedness – World Trade Organization and Agriculture; Industry – Growth ‐ Policy – Role of Public Sector and Disinvestment – Privatisation and Liberalization – Public Private Partnership (PPP) – SEZs (Special Economic Zones) – MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) – Make in India; Infrastructure in India – Transport System – Power – Communication – Social Infrastructure – Research and Development; Banking and Finance: Banking, Money and Finance – Central Bank – Commercial Bank – Non Banking Financial Institutions – Stock Market – Financial Reforms – Financial Stability – Monetary Policy – Reserve Bank of India and Autonomy; Public Finance Page 4 of 4 – Sources of Revenue – Tax and Non-Tax Revenue – Canons of Taxation – Goods and Service Tax
10. அலகு I: இந்தியாவின் நவீன வரலாறு ைற்றும் இந்திய கலொச்சொரம் (100 ைதிப்தபண்கள்)
    ஐர ோப்பியர்களின் வருகக – கோலனித்துவம் (பிற குடிரயற்ற நோடுகளின் ஆதிக்கம்), மற்றும் ஏகோதிபத்தியம் – ஆங்கிரலயர் ஆட்சி நிறுவுதல், விரிவோக்கம் மற்றும் ஒருங்கிகைப்பு – ஆங்கிரலயர் ஆட்சிக்கு எதி ோன ஆ ம்பகோல எழுச்சி – கி.பி.1799 முதல் 1801 வக ததன்னிந்தியோவில் நகைதபற்ற கிளர்ச்சிகள் – கி.பி.1806–ல் நரடமெற்ற ரவலூர் கலகம் – கி.ெி. 1857-ல் நரடமெற்ற ெிப்ெொய் கலகம் – இந்திய ரதசிய இயக்கங்கள் – மிதவோதம், தீவி வோதம் மற்றும் பயங்க வோத ரதசிய இயக்கங்கள் – குறிப்ெிடத்தக்க இந்திய ரதசியத் தகலவர்கள் – இைவீந்தைநொத் தோகூர், தமௌலோனோ அபுல்கலோம் ஆசோத், ன ொகன்தொஸ் கைம்ெந்த் கோந்தி, ஜவகர்லொல் னநரு, ரநதோஜி சுபோஷ் சந்தி ரபோஸ், ெி.ஆர்.அம்ரபத்கர் மற்றும் வல்லபோய் பரைல் – கி.ெி.1773 முதல் 1950 வக இந்திய அ சியலகமப்பு வளர்ச்சி – இ ண்ைோம் உலகப் ரபோர் மற்றும் சுதந்தி ப் ரபோ ோட்ைத்தின் இறுதிக் கட்ைம் – இந்தியப் பிரிவிகன – சுதந்தி ப் ரபோ ோட்ைத்தில் தமிழ்நோட்டின் பங்களிப்பு – சுப் மைிய சிவோ – சுப் மைிய போ தியோர், வ.உ.சிதம்ப னோர், ெி. ோஜோரகோபோலோச்சோரியோர், தந்ரத தபரியோர், கோம ோஜர் மற்றும் ெிறர்; சமூக-தபோருளோதோ விவகோ ங்களில் பிரிட்டிஷ் ஆட்சியின

Download Official Syllabus PDF

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• Group 1 Preparation Guide
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• Daily Study Material Quiz
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• Free Online Mock Tests

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the TNPSC Group 1 exam pattern?

Group 1 has Prelims (200 questions: 175 GS + 25 aptitude), Mains (Tamil eligibility + 4 GS papers), and an interview.

Where can I download the official Group 1 syllabus PDF?

Download from the Tamil Nadu Career Services portal or use the PDF link on this page (source: https://tamilnaducareerservices.tn.gov.in/vle/syllabus).

Is Thirukkural part of Group 1 syllabus?

Yes. Tamil society, Thirukkural, and socio-political movements in Tamil Nadu are core units in Prelims and Mains.