TNPSC Group 4 eligibility: age limit, qualification, Tamil knowledge and PSTM

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Checked on: 26.10.2026. On that day tnpsc.gov.in listed no addendum or corrigendum to this notification.

"Can I apply for Group 4?" The answer is in TNPSC Notification No. 11/2026. This guide shows where to look. Page numbers are from the English PDF; the Tamil PDF numbers its pages differently. Only TNPSC decides who is eligible.

Is eligibility the same for every post?

No. One exam fills 46 posts (pages 3-4), and the age rule and qualification can differ from post to post. You may meet the rules for some posts and not others.

Each post has a post code; Village Administrative Officer (VAO) is 2025. Look for the codes of your posts in the age and qualification tables.

In the application, choose your post option with care (para 1.3.3, page 2). That is where you say whether you also want Forest Guard with Driving Licence and Forest Watcher; see how to apply. Para 4.5 (page 16) lists other restrictions on applying. A summary is on our Group 4 eligibility section.

How do I find my age limit?

What is your age on 01.07.2026?

Age is counted as on 01.07.2026 (para 4.1, page 5), not today or on the exam day. Count the full years from your date of birth to that date.

The person in the first row has completed 21 years on 01.07.2026, but not 22. Work out your own age the same way and compare it with the row for your post and community. The table shows arithmetic only, not who is eligible.

What is the age rule for Village Administrative Officer?

The notification uses two phrases: "should have completed" and "should not have completed". For Village Administrative Officer (post code 2025):

• Others: you should have completed 21 years on 01.07.2026, and should not have completed 30 years (para 4.1.1, page 5).
• SC, SC(A), ST, MBC/DC, BC(OBCM) and BCM: you should have completed 21 years, and should not have completed 40 years (para 4.1.2, page 6).

"Others" means candidates who do not belong to the communities in the second line (para 4.1.1).

Many people ask: "I am 36 and BC. Can I apply?" For Village Administrative Officer, BC(OBCM) and BCM candidates who have not completed 40 on 01.07.2026 are within the age limit (para 4.1.2, page 6). The qualification and Tamil-knowledge rules must also fit you. Other posts have different limits; find your post's row in the table on pages 6-8.

Many websites give Group 4 age limits that contradict each other, often without citing the notification. Only the tables on pages 5-8 are final; open them yourself, with the key pages of the notification as a map.

Where are the other posts and the age concessions?

For other posts the limits change by post and community, so we do not print them. Look up your post code on pages 5-8: para 4.1.1 is for Others, para 4.1.2 for the six communities above. The last columns give the age concessions for persons with benchmark disability, ex-servicemen and destitute widows; a claim needs the documents in Annexure II (para 4.1.6.2, page 8).

In many post rows a "#" follows the age figure. Page 8 explains it: there is no maximum age limit for BC(OBCM), BCM, MBC/DC, SC, SC(A) and ST candidates whose general educational qualification is higher than the minimum general educational qualification. "No maximum age limit" still means you must not have completed 60 years on 01.07.2026 or at the time of selection or appointment (para 4.1.4, page 8). Check whether your post's row carries the "#". Para 4.1.3 (page 8) adds that the maximum-age instructions in para 5A of the Instructions to Applicants do not apply to Village Administrative Officer, Forest Guard with Driving Licence and Forest Watcher.

Which certificate proves my date of birth?

Your SSLC (10th) or HSC (12th) mark sheet from the Tamil Nadu boards. If it does not show your date of birth, upload your birth certificate, transfer certificate or degree mark sheets. No other evidence is accepted (para 4.1.6.1, page 8).

What qualification do I need?

Village Administrative Officer needs the "Minimum General Educational Qualification" (para 4.2 table, row 1, page 9). That means a pass in the SSLC examination of Tamil Nadu (para 4.2.2, page 14). A 10th pass from the Board of Open School, Tamil Nadu counts as an SSLC pass (para 4.2.3).

Other posts differ: some need a degree, some a technical qualification such as typewriting or shorthand (pages 9-13). You must hold the qualification on the date of the notification (para 4.2.1, page 14).

What if I studied under another board?

Students from ICSE, CBSE or other state boards often ask this. Anyone who claims equivalence of qualification must upload a copy of the Government order; otherwise the candidature is rejected after due process. These orders are on the website of the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (para 4.2.6.10, page 15). We cannot say whether yours is equivalent; if unsure, ask the TNPSC helpline.

What proves knowledge of Tamil?

You must have adequate knowledge of Tamil on the date of the notification (para 4.4.1, page 15). Any one of these counts:

• You passed SSLC or an equivalent, HSC, a degree or similar with Tamil as one of the languages.
• You studied the high school course in Tamil medium.
• You passed SSLC or an equivalent examination in Tamil medium.
• You passed the Second Class Language Test (Full Test) in Tamil, conducted by TNPSC.

Upload the mark sheets or the test certificate when the Commission asks (para 4.4.2, page 16). Without that proof, you must pass the test within two years of appointment or be discharged from service (para 4.4.3, page 16).

This is separate from Part A of the paper (Tamil Eligibility-cum-Scoring Test), where you need at least 60 marks out of 150 (para 6.1, page 20). Para 6.2 gives an exemption for some differently abled candidates.

What is PSTM, and who does it apply to?

A Person Studied in Tamil Medium (PSTM) studied with Tamil as the medium of instruction up to the qualification prescribed for the post; for a degree post, from 1st standard to the degree (Annexure II, paras 4.1 and 4.1.1, page 47). Four key rules:

1. Candidates who passed through Tamil medium directly as private candidates, without going to school, are not eligible under PSTM (para 4.1.4, page 48).
2. Candidates who did not join 1st standard but joined school directly in standards 2 to 8 under the Right to Education Act on the basis of age, studied in Tamil medium and passed, and those who studied in Tamil medium in another state and then continued in Tamil Nadu, are also covered (para 4.1.2, page 48).
3. The PSTM Act 2010, as amended by Amendment Act No. 12 of 2026, applies to this recruitment (para 4.1.5, page 48).
4. You must upload Tamil-medium proof for every course from 1st standard up to the prescribed qualification. Proof for only part of a course is not accepted (paras 4.2.2 and 4.2.5, page 48). The certificate formats are on pages 49-50.

PSTM brings preferential treatment under the Act (page 50, certificate format). Writing the exam in Tamil does not make you PSTM; only the medium you studied in counts.

Who can answer my own case?

Ask TNPSC: toll-free 1800 419 0958, on working days from 10.00 A.M. to 5.45 P.M., or visit the office (para 9.1, page 21). Requests for exemption from the age limit or other qualifications will receive no attention (para 9.4, page 22). The rule in the table is final, and TNPSC Guide cannot decide your eligibility.

Practical steps

1. Download Notification 11/2026. From the tnpsc.gov.in home page a captcha may appear; the direct links in Sources below opened without one on 20.10.2026.
2. Note down the posts you want and their post codes (pages 3-4).
3. Work out your age on 01.07.2026, as in Table 2.
4. On pages 5-8, find the row for your post and community, and the concession column if you claim one.
5. Read the qualification for your post (pages 9-15) and the Tamil-knowledge rule (pages 15-16).
6. Keep your SSLC and HSC mark sheets ready. For PSTM, check you have a Tamil-medium certificate for each course.
7. If in doubt, call 1800 419 0958. Then apply before 11.59 P.M. on 05.11.2026 (page 1, para 1.2).

Read next

• How to apply, step by step
• How to read Notification 11/2026
• The Group 4 exam pattern

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