Group 2 prelims: the last ten days, by the numbers

What the paper is, and what this page counted

Group 2/2A prelims is 200 questions in three hours: 75 General Studies, 25 Aptitude and 100 in the language you chose (General Tamil or General English). There is no negative mark for a wrong answer; half a mark comes off once if any bubble is left blank. The full pattern, from the notification.

Below, every number comes from the three prelims held since the 2022 syllabus change (2022, 2024, 2025): 216 General Studies and 73 Aptitude questions, each tagged by hand to its unit and topic. That is what the Commission actually asked, which is not the same thing as the syllabus allotment.

Where the General Studies marks are

• History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements in Tamil Nadu: 56 questions in 3 papers, about 19 a paper (26% of General Studies)
• Indian Polity: 35 questions in 3 papers, about 12 a paper (16% of General Studies)
• Indian Economy and Development Administration in Tamil Nadu: 34 questions in 3 papers, about 11 a paper (16% of General Studies)
• General Science: 32 questions in 3 papers, about 11 a paper (15% of General Studies)
• History and Culture of India and the Indian National Movement: 31 questions in 3 papers, about 10 a paper (14% of General Studies)
• Geography of India and Tamil Nadu: 21 questions in 3 papers, about 7 a paper (10% of General Studies)
• Current Events and Miscellaneous: 7 questions in 3 papers, about 2 a paper (3% of General Studies)

One unit stands out: History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements in Tamil Nadu supplies 26% of General Studies, against 16% for the next largest. If you have ten days, it gets two of them.

The unit-wise blueprint, official against measured.

The topics asked in every one of the last three papers

A topic that appeared in all three prelims is the safest revision there is. In General Studies:

• Tamil Literature through the Ages (History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements in Tamil Nadu): 22 questions
• Sangam Age: Polity, Society and Literature (History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements in Tamil Nadu): 9 questions
• Tamil Nadu in the Freedom Struggle (History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements in Tamil Nadu): 8 questions
• Population, Migration and Urbanisation (Geography of India and Tamil Nadu): 7 questions
• Constitutional and Statutory Bodies (Indian Polity): 7 questions
• Revolt of 1857 and Early Nationalism (History and Culture of India and the Indian National Movement): 7 questions
• Fundamental Rights and Duties (Indian Polity): 7 questions
• Agriculture and Rural Development (Indian Economy and Development Administration in Tamil Nadu): 6 questions
• Justice Party and Social Reformers (History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements in Tamil Nadu): 5 questions
• Five Year Plans and NITI Aayog (Indian Economy and Development Administration in Tamil Nadu): 5 questions
• Medieval India and the Delhi Sultanate (History and Culture of India and the Indian National Movement): 5 questions
• Physical Features and Relief (Geography of India and Tamil Nadu): 4 questions

And in Aptitude, 73 questions across the three papers (about 24 a paper):

• Simplification, Percentage and Ratio: 15 questions
• Profit, Loss, Interest and Discount: 12 questions
• Number System, HCF and LCM: 11 questions
• Area, Volume and Mensuration: 7 questions
• Coding-Decoding and Direction Sense: 6 questions
• Time, Speed, Distance and Work: 5 questions

A ten-day plan built on those numbers

How many days are left, counted live

1. Days 1 and 2: History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements in Tamil Nadu. Start with its every-year topics above.
2. Day 3: Indian Polity.
3. Day 4: Indian Economy and Development Administration in Tamil Nadu.
4. Day 5: General Science and History and Culture of India and the Indian National Movement.
5. Day 6: Geography of India and Tamil Nadu, and the current events of the last twelve months.
6. Day 7: Aptitude. Thirty timed questions from the topics above, then the formulas you got wrong.
7. Days 8 and 9: the language half, which is 100 of the 200 questions. Where the General Tamil questions come from.
8. Day 10: one full 200-question paper under three hours, then rest.

What to leave for last

These syllabus topics did not appear in any of the last three prelims. Three papers is a small sample and some of them are core subjects, so this is an order of priority for the last ten days, not a list to skip:

• Disasters, Climate Change and Environment (Geography of India and Tamil Nadu)
• Transport and Communication (Geography of India and Tamil Nadu)
• Bhakti and Sufi Movements (History and Culture of India and the Indian National Movement)
• Citizenship, Right to Information and Transparency (Indian Polity)
• Constitution: Making, Preamble and Features (Indian Polity)
• Elections and the Election Commission (Indian Polity)
• Political Parties and the Party System (Indian Polity)
• National Income and Economic Growth (Indian Economy and Development Administration in Tamil Nadu)
• Nature of the Indian Economy and Planning (Indian Economy and Development Administration in Tamil Nadu)
• Blood Relations and Family Tree (Aptitude and Mental Ability)
• Data Interpretation and Charts (Aptitude and Mental Ability)
• Statistics: Mean, Median and Mode (Aptitude and Mental Ability)

On the day: never leave a bubble empty

A wrong answer costs nothing, a blank costs half a mark once, and option (E) "answer not known" counts as answered. So mark every question, and guess between the two options you cannot separate rather than leaving it. The full attempt strategy, and the exam-day checklist.

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Frequently asked questions

When is the TNPSC Group 2 prelims in 2026?

1 November 2026, under Notification 07/2026. Check the official hall ticket for your centre and timing.

Which unit carries the most Group 2 General Studies questions?

History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements in Tamil Nadu: 26% of the General Studies questions in the last three prelims.

Is there negative marking in Group 2 prelims?

No marks are deducted for a wrong answer. Half a mark is deducted once if any question is left blank.