TNPSC · Group I
குரூப் 1 — 90 நாள் படிப்பு திட்டம்
90-day phase plan for Group I covering prelims breadth, mains answer writing, Tamil eligibility, and interview readiness.
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Group I is a three-stage exam — Prelims, Mains, and Interview. Your 90-day window is not enough to start from zero in all three stages. Use it as a structured baseline: build breadth for prelims, begin mains answer writing, and lay the foundation for Tamil eligibility.
This plan assumes you have 3–4 hours available daily. If you are a working candidate, adjust the daily blocks but do not skip the writing practice — that is the skill Group I tests hardest.
Spend the first month building a factual base across History, Polity, Geography, Economy, and Science. Cover one topic per day using a focused note and 15–20 MCQs. Do not try to be exhaustive.
Tamil Nadu-specific content is mandatory from Day 1: administration structure (Collector → District → Taluk → Village), social reform movements (Periyar, Iyothee Thass, Justice Party), Tamil Nadu geography (Western Ghats, Cauvery, NE monsoon), and welfare schemes (MGR mid-day meal, CM-CHIS, Kalaignar Magalir Urimai).
Stop adding new topics after Day 60. Phase 2 is for going deeper on high-frequency areas and developing mains answer structure. Group I Mains rewards structured, example-rich, balanced answers — not just factual recall.
Start every writing session by identifying the command word (Examine / Analyse / Critically Evaluate / Discuss / Explain). Then follow: Introduction (2–3 sentences, define or contextualize) → Body with Tamil Nadu examples and constitutional references → Conclusion with policy recommendation.
Phase 3 is not for learning new content. It is for testing what you know, filling specific gaps, and building exam-day stamina. Group I prelims is 200 questions in 3 hours — you need the muscle memory of sustained focus.
For mains, write 2–3 full answers per day. Use past Group I mains question papers. Target: 400 words in 25 minutes. If you cannot do that by Day 80, write shorter but structured answers rather than longer but shapeless ones.
If you have only 3 hours daily, protect the answer-writing slot above everything else. Many candidates who read extensively still fail Group I Mains because they never practiced structured descriptive writing.
Use this as a starting point. After your first mock test (Day 45), shift hours from your stronger subjects to your specific weak areas.
