The Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission, abbreviated as TNPSC conducts Group 2/2A, the Combined Civil Services Examination Group II/IIA (CCSE-II) each year. This exam is intended to find and recruit candidates for diverse openings in the Civil Services of the Tamil Nadu Government.

The TNPSC Group 2 Exam is considered the most sought-after exam in Tamil Nadu. TNPSC conducts the common Preliminary Exams for both Group 2 and 2A posts. Typically, the commission releases various vacancies under these two divisions. There are some differences between Group 2 and Group 2 A examinations. Let us explore them.

TNPSC Group 2/2A EXAM

TNPSC CCSE Age Limit

Minimum Age – 21 years
Maximum Age – 34 years
The age of the candidate will be calculated as on the examination year

Age relaxation

Upper age limit relaxation is not given to candidates from ST, SC, OBC, MBC/Denotified Groups, and Destitute Widows.
Age relaxation of up to 10 years is granted for differently-abled individuals.
Candidates with 40% impairment are given an age relaxation of up to 10 years
The maximum age limit for veterans is 48 years old

TNPSC Group 2/2A Eligibility Criteria

Educational Requirement

The applicants for the TNPSC Group 2/2A exam should have a graduate degree from a recognised university, may belong to any discipline.

Selection process:

Preliminary Exam
Mains Exam

Differences between Group 2 and Group 2 A Exam

Aspirants appearing for the TNPSC Group 2 & 2A exam are now at ease. Previously the major difference between the two competitive examinations was the interview. Before this, the Group 2 examination had an interview, and the Group 2A vacancies did not have an interview. As per recent updates of TNPSC, the third stage of examination i.e. Interviews for the post of Group 2 exams were cancelled. This decision is intended to speed up the recruitment process by the commission. The marks of the candidates obtained in the Mains examination will be taken into consideration for ranking and to fill the vacancies.

So, what are the other differences? Let us take a glance.

Mains

TNPSC hereafter will have the Mains examinations for Group-IIA posts in multiple-choice question (MCQ) format.

Group 2

The comprehensive topics for Group I that cover biodiversity, environment, and science & technology are included, except for ethics. The main exam of Group 2 will be of descriptive type.

TNPSC Group 2 Main Exam Pattern
Number of Papers	Paper Name	Level	Exam Type	Total Marks
Paper 1	Tamil Eligibility Test	SSLC	Descriptive	100
Paper 2	General Studies	Degree	Descriptive	300

Group 2 A

TNPSC Group 2 Main Exam Pattern
Number of Papers	Paper Name	Level	Exam Type	Total Marks
Paper 1	Tamil Eligibility Test	SSLC	Objective	100
Paper 2	General Studies	Degree	Objective	300
	Language(General Tamil / General English)	SSLC	Objective
	General Intelligence and Reasoning	SSLC	Objective

The Group-IIA Mains examination will hereafter include Intelligence and Reasoning questions.

No changes were made to the Preliminary exams and we have a mandatory Tamil eligibility test for both Group II & Group IIA exams after clearing Prelims.

Syllabus

Group 2/Group 2A

Regarding the latest changes in the Mains syllabus, limelight has been provided to topics related to Tamil Nadu.

Posts

Group II

The Group II category covers positions such as:

Post	Department
Junior Employment Officer	Employment & Training
Probation Officer	Department of Prisons & Correctional Services
Assistant Inspector of Labour	Labour Department
Sub Registrar (Grade II)	Registration Department
Junior Employment Officer (Differently Abled)	Employment and Training
Special Assistant	Vigilance & Anti-Corruption Department
Special Branch Assistant	Intelligence Section Office of the Commissioner of Police Special Branch of Criminal Investigation Department

Group IIA

The Group-IIA category covers posts such as:

Post	Department
Municipal Commissioner (Grade-II)	Municipal Administration Department
Assistant Section Officer	Secretariat (Except Law and Finance Department)
	Secretariat – Law Department
	Secretariat – Finance Department
Residential Warden – Full Time (Men’s Hostel)	Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College Chennai
Senior Inspector of Co-Operative Societies	Co-operative Societies
Audit Inspector	Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Administration Audit Department
Assistant Inspector in Local Fund Audit	Local Fund Audit Department
Supervisor or Junior Superintendent	Agricultural Marketing and Agri-Business Department
Handloom Inspector	Handlooms & Textiles Department
Revenue Assistant	Revenue Department
Assistant	Commissionerate of Revenue Administration Department
	Rural Development & Panchayat Raj divisions
	Divisions of Commercial Taxes
	● Tamil Nadu Ministerial Service Departments ● Tamil Nadu Town Panchayat Subordinate Service ● Tamil Nadu Co-Operative Audit Subordinate Service ● Tamil Nadu General Subordinate Service
	Secretariat (except Law & Finance Department)
	Secretariat – Law
	Secretariat – Finance
	Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission
	Secretariat – Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
Executive Officer (Grade II)	Town Panchayat Department
Junior Co-Operative Auditor	Co-Operative Audit
Audit Assistant	Accounts Branch of Highways Department
Personal Clerk	Secretariat (except Law and Finance)
	Secretariat (Finance)
	Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission
Steno-Typist	Secretariat (Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly)
Planning Junior Assistant	Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission
Lower Division Clerk	Secretariat (Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly)

Realize your dream of cracking the TNPSC Group 2/2A Exam

Choosing the right TNPSC coaching institute while you initialize your preparation journey is the seed for your success. Let Chinmaya IAS Academy fuel your learning and preparation with the right and best guidance. We understand that the TNPSC Group II/IIA exam is highly competitive. Hence, we instill learners with essential skills to confidently crack the exam.

We hope you have gained an understanding between the Group 2 and 2A exams. Be a part of our goal-oriented teaching methodologies and interactive learning system and maximize your success!