TNPSC Group 4 Preparation 2021 [Books, Study Material, Plan] : In case, you have applied for the upcoming TNPSC Group 4 recruitment or planning to apply for the same, you will be thinking about the right planning strategies. Here are some useful details that will help you with your preparation for the TNPSC Group 4 recruitment conducted by the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission
- Study Materials
- TNPSC Group 4 Preparation Plan
- TNPSC Group 4 Books
- How To Prepare For TNPSC Group 4
- TNPSC Group 4 Question Papers
- Previous Year Question Papers
TNPSC Group 4 Preparation Tips
Preparation Tips
Here are some tips to help you with the preparation for TNPSC Group IV:
- Aware of the syllabus and pattern
- Find and keep syllabus copy
- Choose the right study materials
- Know past trend of questions
- Importance of cut off
- Expected subject wise questions
Be Aware Of The Syllabus and Exam Pattern
The first step to plan your preparation is that you should be completely aware of the pattern of TNPSC Group 4 written test. Then, you should gather complete details about the syllabus for each subject in the written test. As far as the exam pattern is concerned, there will be 200 questions in total and the test will be conducted for a maximum of 300 marks. The test will be conducted for the total duration of three hours and the 200 questions will be divided as follows:
- General Studies – 75 Questions
- Aptitude Test – 25 Questions
- General Tamil/General English – 100 Questions.
Here general studies will have questions from History, Science, Current Affairs, Geography, and Indian Polity.
Where To Find The Syllabus Details?
You can get the complete details about the syllabus for each subject in the notification issued by TNPSC. It is better to take a print out of the syllabus to make sure that you can cover all the chapters given in the syllabus.
Choose The Right Study Materials
When talking about TNPSC Group 4 study materials, make sure that you have the textbooks of the Tamil Nadu State Board syllabus right from class 6 and 10. You can get the textbooks of Class 11 and 12 of the Tamil Nadu State Board. Here, you can gather some books of Class 11 and 12 like History, economics, and Indian Polity. With these books, you can cover not just some syllabus, but you can cover the entire syllabus.
What Do Past Trends Show?
It is better to know the number of questions asked in each subject in the past TNPSC Group 4 examinations. It will help you get an idea on where to give more focus to score more. Here is a table to show the number of questions asked in different subjects in TNPSC Group 4 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016:
| Subject | Number of Questions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2016 | |
| General Tamil/English | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Current Affairs | 8 | 5 | 10 | 18 |
| Mathematics | 6 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| General Knowledge | 7 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| Zoology | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Botany | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Chemistry | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Physics | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Geography | 12 | 13 | 8 | 6 |
| Polity | 9 | 12 | 3 | 8 |
| Economics | 10 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| History | 18 | 18 | 16 | 16 |
How About The TNPSC Group 4 Cut Off?
You should know the number of questions you should give correct answers to be in the safe zone. Here find the data in this respect for the past four Group IV examinations:
- 2016 – Candidates, who got 180 and more questions correct were in the safe zone
- 2014 – The safe zone was assigned to candidates, who got 160 and more questions right.
- 2013 – 155 Questions
- 2012 – 154 Question
From the data above, you can understand that the more you secure in the coming Group IV examination, better will be your chances to get shortlisted for further rounds of the selection process.
How Many Questions To Expect?
When you are aware of the number of questions to expect for each subject, you can plan your preparation accordingly. Here is the list to show the number of questions you can expect under each subject:
- Tamil/English – 100
- Mathematics – 25
- Current Affairs – 12-24
- General Knowledge – 7
- Zoology – 4-6
- Biology – 2-4
- Chemistry – 1-4
- Physics – 2-4
- Geography – 4-7
- Polity – 6-9
- Economics – 10-14
- History – 12-15
As a final word, we wish to suggest that you should give more focus on current affairs. Keep yourself updated with the latest news happening in India and even abroad.
Tips For The Day Before The Test
Here are some tips to follow on the day before the date of the Group 4 written examination. Following these tips will help you avoid rushing in the last minute:
- Avoid preparing new chapters on the day before the exam date. Your friends might tell you that certain topics are important and questions might arise in them. Even in such a case do not get tempted to prepare afresh on the day before the test date.
- Try to complete at least a single revision of all the chapters you have studied. It will help with boosting your confidence level to a great extent.
- Have a clear idea about the test centre. Plan to start early and reach the test centre on time. Just get a clear picture of the mode of transportation and if possible, you can just visit the centre a week before the test as well. It will help you feel relaxed that you can reach the test centre on time on the test date.
- Make sure that you have kept your hall ticket and other stationery items ready the day before the test.
- On the previous night, make sure that you get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep.
TNPSC Group 4 Preparation Plan For 30 Days
Let us consider that you have four weeks left for the TNPSC Group 4 examination. With just a month left for the group 4 examination, which includes VAO recruitment as well, we will find the preparation plan for 5 days each week with Saturday and Sunday in each week left for revision.
First Week Preparation Plan
This planned schedule is prepared in such a way that you can spend 6 hours a day for 5 days in a week and as mentioned earlier, you can leave Saturdays and Sundays for the revision of whatever you have studied in the given week:
| Topic | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VAO | Records of Revenue Role, Functions and Duties of VAO | Basic Principles On Irrigation Revenue Collection Lands | Role of VAO During Calamities Jamabandi | Patta, Chitta Adangal Ryotwari Memorandum | Adivasis & Tribals Land & Reforms Revenue Recovery Act |
| English | Part – C | Part – B | Part – C | Part – B | Part – C |
| Identify the author With a short story With Nationality With Poem | Appreciation Questions Figure of Speech | Match the places and poet Nationality of the poet | Questions from Shakespeare’s Questions From Oscar Wilde’s Dr. Karl Paulnack | About the Poets Match the author with relevant title/Character | |
| Aptitude | Simplification | Percentage | Simple Interest | Compound Interest | Time & Work |
Second Week Preparation
It is better to dedicate the second week for General Studies as there are 7 topics in General Studies. From these 7, you should study 6 topics compulsorily and the final one is current events that you should keep yourself updated on a daily basis. It is not possible to prepare a time table for current events.
It is better to take note of the important events happening in politics, sports, international affairs, and many other important events and keep revising them then and there. Here is the table to show the preparation schedule for General Studies dedicated for week two:
| Topic | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Movement | National Renaissance | Emergency of National Leader | Different Modes of Agitation | Role of Tamil Nadu in National Freedom Struggle | Left out topics |
| Indian Polity | Constitution of India, Preamble | Salient Features of Constitution | Union, State & Territory | Union, State & Territory | Rights & Duties |
| Indian Economy | Nature of Indian Economy | Five Year Plan | Models – An Assessment | Land Reform & Agriculture | Employment |
| History & Culture | Indus Valley Civilization | Guptas | Delhi Sultan | Mughal & Marathas | Vijayanagar & Bahamanis |
| Geography | Earth & Universe | Solar System | Monsoon | Rainfall | Weather & Climate |
| General Science | Botany – Concept of life Science | Zoology – Blood Circulation | Animals, plants & Human Life | Nutrition & Dietetics | Respiration |
It will not be possible to complete some of these chapters in a single week. So, we will carry some of these to the third week as well, so that you can cover the remaining portions that were not covered in the second week of your preparation.
Third Week Preparation Schedule
Make sure that you revise whatever you have studied in a week during the weekends. This sort of practice will help you confidently move on with the third-week schedule given below:
| Topic | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Movement | National Renaissance (Continuation of second-week preparation) | Emergency of National Leader (Continuation of second-week preparation) | Different Modes of Agitation (Continuation of second-week preparation) | Role of Tamil Nadu in National Freedom Struggle (Continuation of second-week preparation) | Left out topics (Continuation of second-week preparation) |
| Indian Polity | Constitution of India, Preamble (Continuation of second-week preparation) | Salient Features of Constitution (Continuation of second-week preparation) | Union, State & Territory (Continuation of second-week preparation) | Union, State & Territory (Continuation of second-week preparation) | Rights & Duties (Continuation of second-week preparation) |
| Indian Economy | Nature of Indian Economy (Continuation of second-week preparation) | Five Year Plan (Continuation of second-week preparation) | Models – An Assessment (Continuation of second-week preparation) | Land Reform & Agriculture (Continuation of second-week preparation) | Employment (Continuation of second-week preparation) |
| History & Culture | South Indian History | Characteristics of Indian Culture | Unity In Diversity | Political Parties | Schemes |
| Geography | River | Soil | Forest | Transport | Population |
| General Science | Physics: Nature of Universe | Scientific law, force, motion & Energy | Standard in Units | Chemistry: Element, Compound, Acid | Pesticides in Societies |
Fourth Week
During the fourth week, you can plan to prepare for the aptitude and mental ability section of the Group 4 examination. The chapters here include:
- Simplification
- Coding
- Decoding
- Blood Relation
- Profit & Loss
Also, in the fourth week, you should cover the left out topics in Part A, B, and C of the English subject.
In reality, it is hard to cover the entire syllabus for Group 4 recruitment within one month as you will feel tired. Some candidates might be fast learners, while some might be slow. So, the schedule above might not be the one-size fit. If you feel that some changes are to be made as per your convenience, you can do the same. Preparation and practice are the keys to success. So, plan your preparation well and you are sure to succeed. All the Best!
TNPSC Group 4 Preparation Books
As you can judge, books play a major role in preparing for TNPSC Group IV or any other recruitment examination for that matter. So, you should be careful about selecting the right books that will make your preparation process easier. Here are some details to help you in this respect.
Tamil Nadu State-Board Books
As you know, Tamil Nadu State Board syllabus is referred to as “Samacheer Kalvi” and the textbooks under this syllabus for all subjects like mathematics, science, social science, English and Tamil followed in the state of Tamil Nadu from class 6 to 10 should be your first source of preparation. The thing you should remember here is that most of the questions in TNPSC examinations are asked directly from the textbooks of these classes.
So, you can gain the utmost confidence when you are thorough with the chapters in these books. It is not that you should read all the chapters. Just take the syllabus of TNPSC Group IV for each paper and prepare only for the chapters in the syllabus from these textbooks. You can easily download these books from the official website of the state board for free. Otherwise, you can also buy them online from dependable sources. Now, let us get into subject-wise reference books that will help you with the preparation.
History
As said earlier, you can complete your basic preparations from the history textbooks from classes 6 to 12. Then, you can refer to the following books as well:
- Bipan Chandra – India’s Struggle for Independence
- Bipan Chandra – History of Modern India
- K. Venkadesan – India Freedom Struggle
- Prof. J. Dharmarajan – Tamilnadu History
Indian Polity
You will find Indian Polity textbooks in Class XI and XII of the Tamil Nadu State Board syllabus. You can prepare the mentioned books. In addition, the other references are:
- Dr. Shankara Saravanan – Indian Arasamaippu Poti Thervu Kalanjiyam
- Lakshmikanth – Indian Polity
Indian Economy
Indian Economy is part of the syllabus in Class XI and XII in one of the groups. In addition, you can refer to Ramesh Singh’s Indian Economy for Civil Services Examination book.
Geography
- Spectrum Publication – Geography of India
- Oxford School Atlas
Aptitude
- R.S. Agarwal – Objective Arithmetic
- R.S. Agarwal – Quantitative Aptitude
- R.S. Agarwal – A Modern Approach to Verbal Reasoning
Other Books
In addition to the books mentioned above, you can refer to the Hindu and other standard newspapers for the current affairs part. You can also watch television news channels and listen to FM radio news as well to keep updated to easily clear the current affairs section.
You can secure better marks in this part if you keep yourself updated. You can also refer to the Government of India’s India Year Book. The Spectrum Publication’s Science & Tech book will also help.
Furthermore, to help candidates with the preparation, there are many books available in the market that are specially designed to help candidates for TNPSC preparation. When you choose a standard book, it will be of great help in your preparation process. Not just preparation, practise is also important. You can take mock tests and practice yourself with past question papers as well after you complete your preparation.
How To Prepare For TNPSC Group 4 From Home?
When reading this topic, most candidates get a question as to whether it is really possible to prepare for TNPSC Group 4 examination at home without any sort of coaching. The answer to this question is affirmative as it is highly possible with proper planning and execution of the plan.
In fact, many successful candidates in TNPSC Group 4 in the past years prepared themselves without opting for any coaching from other sources. Here are some tips provided by them to help candidates planning for self-preparation for group 4:
- Know the syllabus
- Use Samacheer Kalvi books
- Have a proper plan in place
- Take short notes
- Use latest preparation materials
- Take mock tests
- Try solving previous year question papers
- Constant revision is important
- Try to improve swiftness in solving questions
Know The TNPSC Group 4 Syllabus
As you can judge, you can plan the preparation only when you are completely aware of the syllabus and pattern. So, before even you start your preparation just make sure that you know the syllabus completely. You can gather complete details in this respect right from the notification issued by the TNPSC for Group 4 recruitment.
Use Samacheer Kalvi Books
Most candidates, who have succeeded in TNPSC with self-preparation are of the opinion that most questions in the TNPSC Group 4 subject were asked directly from the textbooks of class 6 to 10 in the Tamil Nadu State syllabus, which is referred to as Samacheer Kalvi, which denotes equal education to all.
All schools in the state follow this syllabus. You can download the textbooks for free from the official state board website. So, once you know the syllabus, look for the chapters from the syllabus from these textbooks and start your preparation from there.
Have A Proper Plan In Place
Even before you start your preparation, you should have a proper study plan in place as the syllabus to cover is huge. So, make sure that you start your preparation early to avoid missing out on any chapters at the last minute. You can find tips and tricks to plan your preparation from YouTube. Just use the appropriate search term and you will come across some videos that will help you with your planning.
Take Short Notes
In general, most candidates think that they should take short notes only when they prepare for current affairs part of TNPSC Group 4. But, in reality, taking short notes will be helpful not just for this section, but also for the other sections as well. When you take short notes of the important points, you can quickly go through them every night to refresh and remember things. Even, these notes will help you with the final revision before the test week.
Use Latest Preparation Materials
Not just state government textbooks, you can also refer to other books in the process of preparing for TNPSC Group 4. In addition to choosing the latest textbooks, make sure that you choose the latest books if you intend to refer to other sources as well. It is important to give the latest answers in the TNPSC exams.
Take TNPSC Group 4 Mock Tests
There are good sources online that conduct mock tests for candidates interested for free. Just use the web for searching for such sources online and try taking these tests. They will help you identify where you stand and whether some deep preparation is really essential such that you can modify your plan accordingly.
Try Solving Previous Year TNPSC Group 4 Question Papers
In most instances, the questions asked in the previous years are repeated this year as well. So, even if you cannot find a source to take mock tests, you can try solving previous year question papers on your own. If you get answers correct, it will boost your confidence level to take the written test. If you find that you have difficulty answering questions, you can judge that there should be some changes in your preparation pattern. In turn, you can make the appropriate changes.
Constant Revision Is Important
As mentioned earlier, it is better to have a proper preparation time table in place. For instance, if you prepare a weekly plan, just make sure that you have two days in the week reserved for revision. The constant revision will help you remember things. Here, you can use the short notes you have taken to quicken the revision process.
Try To Improve Swiftness In Solving Questions
You will find that your speed in answering increases with regular practising with the past question papers. So, make sure that you practice with previous years’ question papers by keeping a watch on the time you are taking to solve a section to judge your improvement.
TNPSC Group 4 Previous Year Question Papers
TNPSC Group 4 (VAO) previous year questions papers are given below. It will help candidates in practising the questions and candidates can also know the nature of questions asked in the previous question papers by going through the previous papers.
Every year some questions from previous papers are directly asked in the question paper, so by solving these papers, you can score better marks and you will have an edge in the selection process. TNPSC Group 4 General English, General Tamil, and General Studies question papers from the year 2011 to 2019 are given below.
- TNPSC Group 4 General English Question Paper 2019
- TNPSC Group 4 General Tamil Question Paper 2019
- TNPSC Group 4 General Studies Question Paper 2019
- TNPSC Group 4 General English Question Paper 2018
- TNPSC Group 4 General Studies Question Paper 2018
- TNPSC Group 4 General Tamil Question Paper 2018
- TNPSC Group 4 General English Question Paper 2016
- TNPSC Group 4 General Studies Question Paper 2016
- TNPSC Group 4 General Tamil Question Paper 2016
- TNPSC Group 4 General Tamil Question Paper 2014
- TNPSC Group 4 General English Question Paper 2014
- TNPSC Group 4 General Studies Question Paper 2014
- TNPSC Group 4 General Tamil Question Paper 2013
- TNPSC Group 4 General Studies Question Paper 2013
- TNPSC Group 4 General English Question Paper 2012
- TNPSC Group 4 General Studies Question Paper 2012
- TNPSC Group 4 General Tamil Question Paper 2011 (Differently abled)
- TNPSC Group 4 General Studies Question Paper 2011 (Differently abled)
- TNPSC VAO General Tamil Question Paper 2011
- TNPSC VAO General Studies Question Paper 2011
Conclusion
The idea here is that self-preparation at home for TNPSC Group 4 is highly possible. You can follow the tips above to ensure your success!