TNPSC Group 4 Part C Aptitude: 25 questions, 2 units and how to practise them

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Checked on: 24.10.2026. On that day tnpsc.gov.in listed no addendum or corrigendum to this notification.

This guide covers Part C of the Group 4 exam: aptitude and reasoning. Many aspirants fear maths, but the syllabus lists these topics clearly, and daily practice eases the fear.

The exam facts come from TNPSC Notification 11/2026 and the Group IV syllabus (code 496, dated 12.12.2024). Notification page numbers follow the English PDF; the Tamil PDF numbers its pages differently. For a short summary on our Group 4 page, see the Group 4 syllabus (exam page).

What is in Part C?

The full name of Part C is Aptitude and Mental Ability. The scheme table in the notification (page 20, para 6) says:

• Part C has 25 questions. The whole paper has 200 questions for 300 marks.
• The questions are set in both Tamil and English (para 6.1).
• Part B, General Studies, and Part C carry 150 marks together. The table gives no separate marks for Part C.
• Standard: SSLC (Class 10).
• The exam is marked on an OMR sheet, and the questions are objective.

One key rule: Parts B and C are evaluated only if you score at least 60 of 150 in Part A, Tamil (para 6.1, page 20). Read more in the exam pattern and the 60/150 rule.

A note on part letters: the syllabus PDF calls General Studies "Part A", Aptitude "Part B" and Tamil "Part C" (English pages 1-2). Our guides follow the notification's letters (para 6, page 20). If in doubt, go by the part's name.

Which topics are in the two units?

The syllabus gives Part C two units.

Aptitude

Ten topics, as in Table 1, from simplification to time and work. The syllabus spells out HCF as Highest Common Factor and LCM as Lowest Common Multiple.

Reasoning

Six topics, as in Table 1, from logical reasoning to number series. In number-series and alpha-numeric questions, you find the rule by which the numbers or letters change.

The syllabus prints a question count for each unit, which is only indicative (Notification, para 6.3, page 21). Read the counts in the official syllabus PDF. To see all 15 units at a glance across the three parts, read our syllabus guide.

How should I practise every day?

This is our advice, not a TNPSC rule.

Fifteen to twenty minutes of problems every day works better than three hours on one day: the working becomes familiar and the methods stay fresh.

Spread the topics over the week, one a day. As the paper is at SSLC standard, school maths textbooks are a good source of problems. The table is only a model.

Keep a mistake notebook: write each problem you got wrong with the correct method, and solve it again at the end of the week.

In the last week, practise against the clock: the whole paper is 3 hours (page 20).

If you work, combine this with our study plan for working people.

Three practice questions

We wrote these questions for this page. They are not TNPSC questions, and the methods are ours.

Practice question (ours) 1, simple interest: What is the simple interest on ₹2,000 at 5% a year for 3 years?

Answer: ₹300. Quick way: 10% of 2,000 is 200, so 5% is 100, one year's interest. For 3 years, 100 × 3 = 300. Formula check: 2,000 × 3 × 5 ÷ 100 = 300.

Practice question (ours) 2, HCF and LCM: What are the HCF and the LCM of 12 and 18?

Answer: HCF 6, LCM 36. Quick way: factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12; factors of 18 are 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 18. The largest common one is 6. Multiples of 18 are 18, 36; the first that 12 divides is 36. Check: for two numbers, HCF × LCM equals their product, and 6 × 36 = 216 = 12 × 18.

Practice question (ours) 3, alpha-numeric reasoning: A, C, F, J, ... Which letter comes next?

Answer: O. Number the letters: A = 1, C = 3, F = 6, J = 10. The gaps are 2, 3, 4, so the next gap is 5: 10 + 5 = 15, and the 15th letter is O.

How should I split my time between Part A and Part C?

First, the facts. Part A, Tamil, is 150 of the 300 marks. If you score under 60 there, Parts B and C are not evaluated (para 6.1, page 20). Part C is 25 of the 200 questions. The written exam is on 10.01.2027 (Notification, page 1, para 1.2), about 11 weeks from today (24.10.2026).

Now our advice, not a TNPSC rule: put Tamil first, then give Part C a small, steady slot every day. Do not drop maths, but do not take time from Tamil for it either.

We have a separate guide on how to study Part A Tamil.

What do I do with a problem I cannot solve?

The OMR answer sheet rules are in Annexure IV of the notification. If you cannot solve a problem, remember two rules.

1. Do not leave any question blank. If you do not know the answer, darken option E (para 1.6.2.5, page 68).
2. For each question left blank, 0.5 mark is deducted from your total (para 1.10.2.2, page 72).

Is there a deduction for a wrong answer? When we read the English version of Notification 11/2026 on 19.10.2026, we found no such rule. A blank answer, however, does cost marks.

Our advice: if a problem holds you up, move on and come back if there is time. At the end, check that no bubble is blank. See also 10 mistakes to avoid.

How do I find Part C questions in past papers?

TNPSC publishes past question papers and answer keys on its Answer Keys page. We have gathered the year-wise links in official papers and answer keys.

You can use them like this (our advice):

• Mark the aptitude and reasoning questions in an official paper.
• Solve them first, without looking at the answers.
• Compare with that year's final answer key.
• Note your misses in the mistake notebook.

We copy no official question here. A previous-year question, if we ever show one, carries its year, paper, question number and answer-key status.

Preparing for VAO? It is a post in this same exam (post code 2025, Notification page 3), so the same Part C and past papers apply. Read VAO: is it the same exam?

Practical steps

1. Open the syllabus PDF (English page 2 or Tamil page 6) and note the Part C topics.
2. Put Tamil first; then one maths topic for 15-20 minutes a day.
3. Start a mistake notebook and redo it every week.
4. Once a week, solve an official paper's Part C questions and check them with the final answer key.
5. In the last week, practise the whole paper in 3 hours.
6. Never leave a question blank on the OMR sheet. If unsure, darken E.

Read next

• Official papers and answer keys
• How to study Part A Tamil
• A study plan for working people

You do not need our app to use this guide. If you would like a daily lesson to follow, read about our 30-day programme. The TNPSC Guide app has a free 3-day period in which the plan's Day 1–3 lessons, the full question bank and one sectional test are open. After that, the free parts stay open.