Cut Off Marks
The mark of the last selected candidate in each category and gender. Not announced in advance, it emerges from vacancies, difficulty and competition.
Cut offs differ by category and gender and move year to year: the 2023 Group 4 written cut off was 150 of 300 for OC (male), while 2019 VAO allotments ran in the 160s. Treat past cut offs as a floor for your target score, not a promise; vacancies and paper difficulty rewrite them every cycle.
Related terms
Minimum Qualifying Marks
The fixed floor printed in the notification (90 of 300 for Group 4) that makes a paper eligible for evaluation. Selection happens at the much higher cut off.
Merit List
The rank order of qualified candidates by total marks, onto which communal rotation is applied to produce the selection list.
Prelims (Preliminary Examination)
The screening stage of multi-stage exams like Group 1 and 2: objective paper whose marks shortlist candidates for mains but don't count in final merit.
Mains (Main Written Examination)
The merit-deciding descriptive stage for Group 1 and Group 2 interview posts. Final selection lists are built from mains marks (plus interview where applicable).
Interview Post
A post whose selection includes an oral test after the written exam, Group 1 posts and Group 2 (CCSE-II) interview posts.
Non-Interview Post
A post filled purely on written marks plus certificate verification, all of Group 2A and Group 4. No oral test stage.
This definition follows official TNPSC notifications and Tamil Nadu government orders. Sources: TNPSC official notifications. Figures are indicative and may change with each official notification. Data last reviewed: July 2026.
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