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TNPSC · Group I

TNPSC Previous Year Question Papers

முந்தைய ஆண்டு வினாத்தாள்கள்

Official-link-first guide to using previous TNPSC question papers for topic priority and mock practice.

Group I guideOfficial website

Notification is final

This guide helps you prepare and navigate official links. Confirm the latest TNPSC notification before applying, paying fees, downloading hall tickets, or checking results.

Last Reviewed

14 May 2026

Review Cadence

Monthly

Authority

TNPSC official notification, syllabus, scheme, dashboard, and result pages are the final authority.

Related Study Links

Use these internal guides and practice pages when they match the paper or stage you are preparing for.

Group I

Group I syllabus

Classify each previous question under the correct syllabus unit.

Group I

Group I exam pattern

Check marks, duration, and paper type before using old papers.

Group I

Group I answer key

Use answer keys to review mistakes after solving papers.

Practice

TNPSC aptitude practice

Topic-wise timed practice for quantitative aptitude, reasoning, mental ability, and DI.

Aptitude

Percentage guide

Useful for marks, population, election, profit-loss, and DI questions.

Aptitude

Ratio and proportion guide

Core topic for arithmetic, mixtures, ages, partnership, and data interpretation.

Aptitude

Time and work guide

Important for work-rate, efficiency, pipes, and combined-work questions.

Reasoning

Reasoning practice

Practise coding-decoding, series, blood relations, direction sense, and arrangements.

Group I Has Two Kinds of Previous Papers — Use Both Differently

Group I has a three-stage selection process. Prelims is a 200-question objective paper (General Studies + Aptitude). Mains consists of Paper I (300 marks), Paper II (300 marks), and a qualifying Tamil paper (100 marks). The Oral Test adds 60 marks to the mains total. Previous papers for each stage need to be used with a different purpose.

Objective prelims papers test breadth — how many syllabus units you can answer under time pressure. Descriptive mains papers test depth and writing — whether you can argue, support, and connect ideas under 3 hours per paper. Do not use a prelims paper to judge mains readiness, and do not skip mains writing practice because prelims feels comfortable.

  • Prelims papers (2022, 2024, 2025 — all available below): Solve each paper cold, then tag every wrong question to a syllabus heading. Build a high-frequency list. Questions on Sangam age, Indian Constitution basics, environmental laws, and Tamil Nadu current affairs have appeared in every cycle.
  • Mains papers: TNPSC does not publicly host descriptive mains answer scripts. The mains question papers from recent cycles (Dec 2024) are available on TNPSC official results page. Download directly from tnpsc.gov.in.
  • Cross-cycle comparison: Questions on the same topic appearing in 2022 and 2024 have very high repeat probability. Build a repeat list after solving both papers.

How to Use Group I Prelims Papers — Step by Step

Use prelims papers in four passes over your preparation period, not just once before the exam.

  • Pass 1 (Month 1–2): Solve the 2022 paper without preparation. Do not check answers mid-paper. Score it honestly. This baseline tells you which subjects and units already have coverage and which are completely blank.
  • Pass 2 (Month 2–4): After subject-wise revision, solve the 2024 paper. Compare your tag sheet — did weak units improve? Did new units become weak? This is a re-diagnosis, not a final score.
  • Pass 3 (Month 4–5): Solve the 2025 paper under exam conditions — 3 hours, 200 questions, no breaks. Aim for time management, not only accuracy. Mark questions you guessed and review them after.
  • Pass 4 (Final month): Re-solve the 2022 and 2024 papers in 90-minute blocks by topic group (History + Tamil Nadu History, Polity + Economy, Geography, Science, Aptitude). Target 85%+ accuracy in each group.

How to Use Group I Mains Papers

Mains writing practice cannot be done by reading — it requires writing. Use the following method for each mains question you encounter from previous papers.

  • Step 1: Read the question and identify the command word. "Examine" means argue for and against with evidence. "Discuss" means cover multiple perspectives. "Critically analyse" means evaluate with strengths and weaknesses. "Explain" means describe the mechanism or process clearly.
  • Step 2: Spend 3 minutes on a rough structure — introduction (definition or context), body (3–4 points with Tamil Nadu examples where possible), conclusion (policy direction or personal stance). Never start writing without a structure.
  • Step 3: Write the answer in full under time — 15 minutes for a 150-word answer, 25 minutes for a 250-word answer, 35 minutes for a 400-word answer. Overrunning by even 5 minutes per question will leave the last question incomplete.
  • Step 4: Review your answer against model answers focusing on: Are key facts correct? Is the Tamil Nadu angle present? Does the conclusion follow from the body? Is the handwriting and spacing readable?
  • Paper I topics (History, Geography, Science, Environment, Current Events): Prioritise Tamil Nadu-specific answers — Pallava port trade, Cauvery disputes, Salem steel plant closures, Muppandal wind energy, government welfare schemes. Generic answers that could apply to any state consistently score lower.
  • Paper II topics (Polity, Economy, Administration, Social Issues, Essay): Practice essay writing with an introduction of 50 words, a three-part body of 250 words, and a conclusion of 50 words. Group I essays are typically 350–400 words and must have a clear argument, not just a list of facts.

Group I Mains Papers — Where to Find Them

The 2024 Group I Mains examination was held on December 10–13, 2024. TNPSC does not maintain a direct PDF archive of descriptive mains question papers at stable URLs. The papers appear temporarily on the official results page after each exam. Use these steps to access them:

  • Go to tnpsc.gov.in → Results → scroll to "CCSE I / Group I" 2024 mains entry.
  • Download Paper I (General Studies, Indian Polity, History, Geography) and Paper II (Indian Polity, Economy, Tamil Nadu Administration, Social Issues, Essay) directly from that page.
  • The Tamil qualifying paper (Paper III) is a 100-mark objective-style paper — treat it as a scoring buffer and not the priority paper for study.
  • For older mains questions (2017–2019 cycles), search for "TNPSC Group 1 mains question paper [year] PDF" — multiple coaching institute blogs host unofficial scans. Verify each question against the official notification scheme before using.

What to Record After Each Paper

Solving without recording is wasted time. After each paper, update a simple sheet with the following fields. Review this sheet every two weeks to see whether the same units keep appearing as weak areas.

  • Paper name and year.
  • Score and time taken.
  • Top 5 weak syllabus headings (the units where most marks were lost).
  • Repeated topics seen in two or more papers.
  • Questions where you guessed correctly (lucky marks — do not count as knowledge).
  • Questions where you guessed wrong (reveal concept gaps, not just fact gaps).
  • Next action step — e.g., "revise Tamil Nadu administration structure before next paper".

Official Paper Links — Available Below on This Page

Three Group I prelims papers are available directly below: 2025 (tentative key from TNPSC), 2024 (final key from TNPSC), and 2022 (final key from TNPSC). Each links to the official TNPSC government source. If a PDF link is broken, go directly to the official TNPSC answer keys page.

  • TNPSC official answer keys archive: https://www.tnpsc.gov.in/English/answerkeys.aspx
  • TNPSC official results page: https://www.tnpsc.gov.in/English/results.aspx
  • Note: Mains descriptive papers are available on the results page after each exam, not on the answer keys page.

Group I Previous Exam Papers Guide

Group I previous papers should be used in two different ways: objective papers for prelims coverage and descriptive papers for mains answer-writing structure. Do not judge mains readiness from prelims scores alone.

Paper Type
Use It For
What to Record
Warning
Group I Prelims objective papers
Coverage, elimination practice, speed, and high-frequency topic identification.
Weak GS units, Tamil Nadu facts, aptitude errors, current-affairs gaps.
A prelims paper does not train descriptive mains writing.
Group I Mains descriptive papers
Answer structure, time management, command words, examples, and presentation.
Missing headings, weak introductions, lack of Tamil Nadu examples, unfinished answers.
Do not read model answers passively; write your own answer first.
Interview or oral-test updates
Understanding profile, service, administration, and current issue expectations.
Native district, degree background, service preference, public-policy topics.
Interview preparation starts after written base, not after final shortlist only.

Recent Official Papers with Answer Keys

TNPSC hosts these as official question-paper and answer-key references. Open the official link, solve the paper first, then check the marked answer key and update your mistake log.

Year
Notification
Exam and Date
Key Status
Study Use
2025
01/04/2025

Combined Civil Services Examination-I in Group I and IA Services

15/06/2025

View official paper links
Tentative answer key hosted on 23/06/2025
Use for the latest prelims question spread, GS depth, aptitude weight, and elimination practice.
2024
04/2024 (28/03/2024)

Combined Civil Services Examination-I in Group I Services

13/07/2024 FN

View official paper links
Final answer key published by TNPSC (tentative key hosted 23/07/2024)
Use for previous-cycle prelims comparison, repeated topic tracking, and timed objective practice.
2022
01/2022

Combined Civil Services Examination-I in Group I Services

19/11/2022 FN

View official paper links
Final answer key published by TNPSC
Use as a second cycle for cross-cycle topic comparison — identify areas that have appeared in three consecutive cycles.
Source: TNPSC official Objective Type Answer Keys / Previous year Question Papers page. If a final key is published later, use the final key for scoring and the tentative key only for challenge-window context.

First Pass

  • Solve one paper slowly without looking at answers to understand the question style.
  • Mark every question under a syllabus heading instead of only counting marks.
  • Write whether each mistake is a fact gap, concept gap, language issue, calculation error, or time issue.

Second Pass

  • Revise the weak syllabus headings found in the first pass.
  • Solve the same paper again under time after 10-15 days.
  • Compare improvement by topic, not only by total score.

Final Revision

  • Create a repeated-topics sheet from all papers.
  • Revise formulas, Tamil facts, current affairs, and high-frequency GS units.
  • Use full mock tests only after previous-paper patterns are clear.

Previous Paper Logbook Format

Keep one page for every previous paper you solve. The logbook matters more than the score because it tells you which syllabus headings repeatedly cost marks.

Exam name and year
Stage or paper type
Official source checked
Score and time taken
Top 5 weak syllabus headings
Fact mistakes
Concept mistakes
Careless mistakes
Questions to revise again
Next action before the next paper

How to practice PYQs

  • Start with one paper untimed to understand question style.
  • Classify mistakes into factual gap, concept gap, language issue, and time-pressure error.
  • Repeat official papers after revision instead of only reading solved answers.

What not to do

  • Do not rely on random PDF collections without checking the official source and exam name.
  • Do not assume an old paper pattern is still active for the current notification.

Official Links

resourceAnnual plannerresourceScheme of examinationresourceExam dashboardresourcePrevious year question papers