TSPSC Group 1 Exam Pattern 2026: Prelims and Mains

The TSPSC Group 1 exam pattern has two written stages: an objective Preliminary Test that screens candidates, and a descriptive Main Examination that decides the final rank. The exam is conducted by the Telangana Public Service Commission (TGPSC, earlier TSPSC), and the scheme in force is the one prescribed in G.O.Ms.No.55 of 2022 as amended by G.O.Ms.No.29 of 8 February 2024, and printed in Notification No. 02/2024.

No new Group 1 notification had been released as of 20 October 2026, so this page explains the 2024 scheme. It covers the marks, questions and time for each paper, how the shortlist and qualifying marks work, what the pattern means for your time, and how the final merit is built from 900 Mains marks.

Table of Contents

• Exam pattern at a glance

• Key changes to know

• Prelims exam pattern

• Mains exam pattern

• Marking scheme and qualifying marks

• What the pattern means for you

• Verification, web options and medical

• Final merit calculation

• Time management and exam-day strategy

TSPSC Group 1 Exam Pattern at a Glance

Key Changes to Know

• Current scheme: The scheme was prescribed in G.O.Ms.No.55 of 25 April 2022 and amended by G.O.Ms.No.29 of 8 February 2024. Notification No. 02/2024 follows it.

• No interview: Final selection is based on Mains merit alone, so pages that still show an interview stage are out of date.

• Computer-based option: The Commission can hold the Prelims as a computer-based test with normalisation, though the 2024 test was held in OMR mode.

• Digital evaluation: Mains answer scripts can be evaluated digitally as well as conventionally.

TSPSC Group 1 Prelims Exam Pattern

• Mode: The Commission can hold the test in OMR-based offline mode or as a Computer Based Recruitment Test. The 2024 test was held in OMR mode on 9 June 2024 across 31 districts.

• Normalisation: If a computer-based test runs in several sessions, scores are normalised to adjust for differences between papers.

• Medium: Questions are set in English and translated into Telugu and Urdu. The English version is treated as authentic for valuation.

• Shortlisting: Candidates are admitted to the Mains at 50 times the vacancies in each multi-zone. If a reserved category falls short, more candidates from that category are added beyond the 1:50 ratio.

• Marks not counted: Prelims marks are not added to the final rank. The notification describes the test as a screening test.

TSPSC Group 1 Mains Exam Pattern

• Paper I structure: Three essays, one from each of three sections, at 50 marks each.

• Language rule: Papers other than General English are answered in English, Telugu or Urdu, as chosen in the application. You cannot mix languages within a paper or switch medium between papers; doing so makes the candidature invalid.

• Attendance: You must appear in every Mains paper. Missing any paper disqualifies you.

• Evaluation: Answer scripts may be evaluated digitally, conventionally or both.

In the 2024 cycle, the Mains ran from 21 to 27 October 2024, one paper a day, starting with General English.

Marking Scheme and Qualifying Marks

The 2024 notification does not mention negative marking for the Preliminary Test. Instructions can change between cycles, so read the hall ticket and the cover page of the question booklet before you decide how to handle guesses.

If SC and ST candidates do not reach the minimum, the notification allows their selection on rank in the written examination. Reaching the minimum does not by itself guarantee selection; your rank against the vacancies does.

What the Pattern Means for You

• One mark per question in Prelims: With 150 questions in 150 minutes, you have about one minute per question, so reasoning and data questions must not eat into the time for factual ones.

• Prelims is a race to the shortlist: In 2024, about 3.02 lakh candidates appeared and 31,382 were admitted to the Mains, as reported. That is roughly one in ten, so clearing it comfortably needs a margin, not a pass mark.

• Every Mains paper carries equal weight: Paper VI and Paper V count as much as history or polity. A weak paper drags your total as much as a strong paper lifts it.

• English is a gate: General English is only qualifying, but failing it ends your candidature, so give it a few practice papers.

• Measure by section: Track section-wise scores in your Testkart mock analysis to see which syllabus areas cost you the most marks, then move study time there.

Verification, Web Options and Medical

There is no interview. Candidates who qualify in the Mains, in order of merit, are called for certificate verification multi-zone wise, community wise and category wise. At verification you must produce original documents and submit web options, which set your order of preference for posts and multi-zones. You are considered only for the posts and zones you choose. Appointment is subject to a medical examination, and DSP, Assistant Excise Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Jails have physical standards.

Final Merit Calculation

Your rank comes only from the total of Papers I to VI, out of 900. Here is a simple worked example with assumed marks:

If two candidates tie on total marks, the notification breaks the tie by local status, then age (the elder ranks higher), then marks in Paper I, Paper II and so on, and then qualifying examination details.

Time Management and Exam-Day Strategy

Preliminary Test

• Do a first pass for facts: Answer the questions you know quickly, mark the rest, and come back to reasoning and data sets in a second pass.

• Bubble carefully: A wrongly bubbled booklet series or hall ticket number invalidates the OMR sheet, and so does using whitener or an eraser on it.

• Reach early: The 2024 instructions asked candidates to report an hour early for biometric capture, and gates closed half an hour before the test.

Main Examination

• Budget time per mark: With 150 marks in 180 minutes, allow a little over a minute per mark and leave ten minutes to review.

• Structure every answer: A short introduction, a body with headings or points, and a conclusion reads better than a long paragraph.

• Use data and Telangana examples: State schemes, figures and case examples lift answers in Papers III, IV and VI.

Older pages may still show an interview stage or an earlier scheme. Follow the latest notification on the TGPSC notifications page.