Employment Seniority
Priority given to candidates registered longer with the employment exchange, used in some Tamil Nadu recruitments outside competitive exams.
Under this route candidates are ranked by how long they have been registered with the employment exchange, so the registration date effectively is the merit list. TNPSC's competitive exams do not use employment seniority; it applies to certain Tamil Nadu recruitments conducted outside the Commission's exam process. An exchange registration adds nothing to a TNPSC application.
Related terms
Direct Recruitment
Appointment through open competitive examination (the TNPSC route), as opposed to promotion or transfer from existing service.
Compassionate Appointment
Appointment offered to a family member of a government servant who dies in service, outside the normal competitive process, under strict eligibility rules.
Cadre
The sanctioned set of posts in a service or department into which you are appointed, determining seniority, transfers and promotion lines.
Pay Matrix
The 7th Pay Commission table of pay levels and cells that replaced pay bands and grade pay. Every post maps to a level; annual increments move you cell by cell.
Pay Level
A post's row in the pay matrix, fixing its starting basic pay and progression. Group 4 posts sit around Level 8; Group 1 posts start around Level 22.
Basic Pay
The pay-matrix figure before any allowance. DA and HRA are calculated as percentages of it, and deductions come off the resulting gross.
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.
Unlock the full app, every paper and an AI tutor.
Study, tests, all PYQ & current affairs · no auto-renew · starting at ₹199