TNPSC Group 4 Eligibility 2026: Age Limit and Qualification

TNPSC Group 4 is open to a very wide pool of candidates, because most of its posts need only an SSLC (Class 10) pass. The details still differ sharply by post: a Village Administrative Officer (VAO) aspirant faces a different age window from a Typist, and some Junior Assistant posts in state corporations need a degree. The TNPSC Group 4 eligibility 2026 rules come from Notification No. 11/2026, issued on 6 October 2026 for 6,574 tentative vacancies.

Two dates fix your eligibility this cycle. Age is counted as on 1 July 2026, and every educational, technical and experience qualification must be held on the date of notification, 6 October 2026. This page explains the age limits and concessions, post-wise qualifications, the typewriting and shorthand rules, the Tamil knowledge requirement, physical standards for forest posts and the conditions that make a candidate ineligible.

Table of Contents

TNPSC Group 4 Eligibility at a Glance

TNPSC Group 4 Age Limit 2026

The notification gives the minimum age a candidate "should have completed" and the maximum age a candidate "should not have completed" on 1 July 2026. So for a maximum of 30, you are eligible if you have not turned 30 by that date.

*No maximum age limit applies to BC(OBCM), BCM, MBC/DC, SC, SC(A) and ST candidates who hold a general educational qualification higher than the minimum prescribed (for example, HSC or a degree for an SSLC-level post). This benefit does not extend to the VAO and forest posts.

Posts with no maximum age limit for any category

The age table shows no upper limit, for all communities, for these posts:

• Corporation Junior Assistant posts: Post codes 3521 (TANSIDCO), 3788 (Handloom Weavers Co-operative), 3816 (Police Housing Corporation), 3520 (Power Finance) and 3321 (Medicinal Plant Farms), plus Junior Assistant (Accounts), post code 3848.

• Selected Typist and Steno posts: Typist, post code 3817, and Steno Typist (Grade III) in CMDA, post code 3672.

• Laboratory and sales posts: Senior Laboratory Assistant (3746), Laboratory Assistant (3103) and Sales Assistant (3806).

"No maximum age limit" still means you must not have completed 60 years on 1 July 2026 or at the time of selection or appointment.

Older pages may still show upper limits of 32, 34 and 37 years from earlier cycles. The 2026 notification uses the limits above, so check your date of birth against them, not against last year's figures.

Age Concessions for Special Categories

The figures below are the upper age limits after concession, as given in the notification.

• Forest posts: Persons with benchmark disability cannot apply for Forest Guard with Driving Licence or Forest Watcher. A discharged defence service member is eligible if, after deducting the period of service, he has not completed 35 years. Destitute widows get an upper limit of 35.

• Ex-Servicemen already re-employed: The concession does not apply to Ex-Servicemen who have already been recruited to a post in any class, service or category.

• Destitute widow definition: A widow whose total monthly income from all sources does not exceed Rs. 8,000, judged as on the date of notification. A divorcee or a woman deserted by her husband does not count.

Educational Qualification by Post

The minimum general educational qualification means a pass in the SSLC examination of Tamil Nadu. A pass in the 10th Standard examination of the Board of Open School, Tamil Nadu is treated as an SSLC pass. Where a degree is needed, it must be earned in the order 10th, then HSC or Diploma, then UG degree.

Posts with special conditions

• Junior Inspector of Co-operative Societies (1095): Reserved-category candidates need the SSLC or a certificate of eligibility for a college course. Candidates in the Others category need a pass in the Intermediate or Pre-University examination. A Commerce degree, then a Higher Diploma in Co-operative Management, gets preference.

• Telephone Operator (3822): SSLC plus a certificate of training in operating a telephone board from the Telephone Department or a recognised telephone institute.

• Forest Guard with Driving Licence (3318): HSC with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Zoology or Botany; a valid driving licence; at least three years of experience driving light or heavy motor vehicles after getting the licence; basic knowledge of automobile mechanism; and a first aid certificate from a recognised organisation in Tamil Nadu.

• Matriculate Ex-Servicemen: Those with at least 15 years of service in the Armed Forces are treated as eligible for posts that need graduation.

Typewriting, Shorthand and Computer Qualifications

Typist and Steno posts need the Government Technical Examination certificates in addition to the SSLC. Many also ask for the Certificate Course in Computer on Office Automation (COA) conducted by the Directorate of Technical Education, Tamil Nadu.

Your typewriting and shorthand certificates must be in hand, or their results published, on or before 6 October 2026. Where a choice of grades is allowed, candidates with Higher grade in both Tamil and English are selected first, then those with Higher in Tamil and Lower in English, and then the reverse. A Higher grade also helps you in a tie on marks, because typewriting grade (for Typist) and shorthand grade (for Steno) are checked before educational qualification.

Knowledge of Tamil

Every candidate must have adequate knowledge of Tamil on the date of notification. You meet this rule if any one of these applies to you:

• Tamil as a language: You passed SSLC or its equivalent, HSC or a degree with Tamil as one of the languages.

• Tamil medium: You studied the high school course in Tamil medium, or passed SSLC or its equivalent in Tamil medium.

• Language test: You passed the Second Class Language Test (Full Test) in Tamil conducted by TNPSC.

If you cannot upload proof when asked, you must pass the Second Class Language Test within two years of appointment or be discharged from service. This rule is separate from Part A of the exam, the Tamil Eligibility-cum-Scoring Test, in which you need at least 60 out of 150.

Physical and Medical Standards

For all posts other than the forest posts, selected candidates submit a physical fitness certificate at joining, and visual acuity must be Standard III or better. Forest Guard with Driving Licence and Forest Watcher candidates must meet these minimum standards to be eligible to apply:

Forest Guard with Driving Licence also needs 6/6 distance vision and 0.5 (Snellen) near vision in each eye without glasses. Colour blindness, squint and any Lasik or laser eye surgery are disqualifications. Shortlisted forest candidates then take an endurance walk of 25 km (men) or 16 km (women and third gender) in four hours.

Who Cannot Apply: Restrictions to Check

• Five years of government service (Others category): Candidates not belonging to the reserved communities who have put in five years or more of service under the Government of India or a State or Union Territory cannot apply, even within the age limit.

• Religion-specific posts: Only Hindus can apply for posts in the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, such as Executive Officer (Grade IV). Only Muslims can apply for Typist (3846) and Steno Typist Grade III (3847) in the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board.

• Disability restrictions: Persons with blindness and low vision are not eligible for posts in the Judicial Department and the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority. Benchmark-disability reservation applies only to the posts and disability categories listed in the notification.

• Qualification after the notification date: A degree, typewriting or shorthand result published after 6 October 2026 does not count for this cycle.

• Posting conditions: Junior Assistant (3788) appointees must be ready for posting anywhere in India, and Sales Assistant (3806) appointees in New Delhi, Kolkata or anywhere in Tamil Nadu.

Employed candidates must inform TNPSC of their employment while applying and produce a No Objection Certificate when asked.

Documents That Prove Your Eligibility

TNPSC admits everyone to the exam on the basis of the claims in the online application, then checks them during certificate verification. A wrong claim leads to rejection at any stage.

The application fee is Rs. 100, plus Rs. 150 for One Time Registration if you have not registered in the last five years. Applications close on 5 November 2026 at 11:59 PM, with a correction window from 9 to 11 November 2026.

Once you have confirmed your TNPSC Group 4 eligibility for a specific post, plan your preparation around the single written paper.and read the full notification on the official TNPSC website before you apply.