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

> Part C, Aptitude and Mental Ability, has 25 questions, set in Tamil and English (Notification 11/2026, page 20, para 6.1). Parts B and C carry 150 marks together. The syllabus (code 496) has two units: aptitude and reasoning. Solving a few problems every day helps more than one long session.

Last updated: 2026-10-26 · By TNPSC Guide editorial team
URL: https://www.tnpscguide.com/guides/group-4-aptitude-part-c-guide

TNPSC Guide is not the official TNPSC website. Applications go only through the official portal.

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)](/en/exams/group-4#syllabus).

## 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](/en/guides/group-4-exam-pattern).

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.

**Table 1: the two units of Part C**

| Unit | Tamil name | Syllabus topics | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Aptitude | திறனறிவு | Simplification, percentage, HCF, LCM, ratio and proportion, simple interest, compound interest, area, volume, time and work | Syllabus (code 496), English page 2, Tamil page 6 |
| Reasoning | காரணவியல் | Logical reasoning, puzzles, dice, visual reasoning, alpha-numeric reasoning, number series | Syllabus (code 496), English page 2, Tamil page 6 |

### 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](https://tnpsc.gov.in/static_pdf/syllabus/496_Group%20IV%20Syllabus.pdf). To see [all 15 units at a glance](/en/guides/group-4-syllabus-explained) 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.

**Table 2: one week of practice (our suggestion, not a TNPSC rule)**

| Day | Topic | 15-20 minutes of practice (our suggestion) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Simplification, percentage | A few problems; note misses |
| 2 | HCF, LCM | A few problems; check both answers |
| 3 | Ratio and proportion | A few problems; note misses |
| 4 | Simple interest, compound interest | Write the formula, then a few problems |
| 5 | Area, volume, time and work | A few problems; note misses |
| 6 | Logical reasoning, puzzles, dice | A few questions; draw a sketch |
| 7 | Visual reasoning, alpha-numeric reasoning, number series | A few questions; redo the week's misses |

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](/en/guides/group-4-30-day-study-plan-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](/en/guides/group-4-tamil-part-a-guide).

## 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](/en/guides/group-4-common-mistakes).

## 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](/en/guides/group-4-previous-year-papers-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?](/en/guides/vao-vs-group-4)

## 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](/en/guides/group-4-previous-year-papers-answer-keys)
- [How to study Part A Tamil](/en/guides/group-4-tamil-part-a-guide)
- [A study plan for working people](/en/guides/group-4-30-day-study-plan-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](/en/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.

## Frequently asked questions

**Is Part C in English too?**

Yes. Part C questions are set in both Tamil and English. Only Part A, the Tamil test, is set in Tamil alone (Notification 11/2026, para 6.1, page 20).

**Does Part C have its own marks?**

The notification's table prints one 150-mark total for Parts B and C together (page 20). It gives no separate figure for Part C. Sites that print one are not giving an official number.

**How many questions are there per unit?**

The syllabus PDF prints a question count for each unit (English page 2, Tamil page 6). That count is only indicative: the Commission may marginally increase or decrease it (Notification 11/2026, para 6.3, page 21). So study both units.

**What if maths feels hard?**

The notification sets the paper at SSLC standard (page 20). Start with simplification and percentage. Solve a few problems every day. Write the ones you get wrong in a mistake notebook and solve them again. This is our advice only; we cannot promise any score from it.

**Is Part C the same for VAO?**

Yes. Village Administrative Officer is a post in this same exam, post code 2025 (Notification 11/2026, page 3). So the same paper and the same syllabus apply to it.

## Sources

- [TNPSC Notification 11/2026, English PDF: page 1 (para 1.2), page 3 (posts), page 20 (Scheme of Examination, paras 6 and 6.1), page 21 (para 6.3), pages 68 and 72 (Annexure IV)](https://tnpsc.gov.in/document/english/group_english.pdf)
- [TNPSC Notification 11/2026, Tamil PDF: page 23 (scheme of examination)](https://tnpsc.gov.in/document/tamil/group4_tamil.pdf)
- [TNPSC Group IV syllabus PDF, code 496 (dated 12.12.2024): aptitude and reasoning units, English page 2, Tamil page 6](https://tnpsc.gov.in/static_pdf/syllabus/496_Group%20IV%20Syllabus.pdf)
- [TNPSC syllabus page (viewed 24.10.2026)](https://www.tnpsc.gov.in/english/syllabus.html)
- [TNPSC Answer Keys page (viewed 24.10.2026)](https://www.tnpsc.gov.in/English/answerkeys.aspx)
- [TNPSC official website (viewed 24.10.2026; no addendum or corrigendum to this notification)](https://www.tnpsc.gov.in)