TNPSC Group 4 Notification 2026: 6,574 VAO, Junior Assistant and Typist Posts

Tamil Nadu has put 6,574 posts into one written exam on 10 January 2027. The TNPSC Group 4 Notification 2026 is No. 11/2026 (Advertisement No. 747), dated 6 October 2026. Its 46 rows of posts include Village Administrative Officer (VAO), Junior Assistant, Typist, Steno Typist, Bill Collector and Forest Watcher. The online form runs from 6 October to 5 November 2026, until 11:59 PM. A pass in SSLC (Class 10) is enough for most of the posts. Nearly everyone must also clear a Tamil test inside the same paper.

Office posts 3,798, Typist 1,572, VAO 291: the TNPSC Group 4 Notification 2026 split

The vacancy table on pages 3 and 4 has 46 rows. We have grouped them by type of work. The totals below add up to the 6,574 printed in the notice.

Four rows hold nearly 65% of the seats:

• Junior Assistant (Non Security), Tamil Nadu Ministerial Service, post code 2600: 2,610 posts;
• Typist, Tamil Nadu Ministerial, Legislative Assembly Secretariat and Secretariat Service, post code 2200: 856 posts;
• Junior Assistant (Accounts), Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation, post code 3848: 422 posts;
• Typist, Tamil Nadu Judicial Ministerial Service, post code 4200: 377 posts.

The count is not final and can change before counselling (page 5). TNPSC will announce the department and unit-wise split later. Some rows include backlog vacancies (posts left unfilled in earlier years), and seats for outstanding sportspersons are taken out of the figures where they apply (page 4). Forest Watcher is the exception: its 40 posts include the sportsperson seats.

SSLC is enough for most 11/2026 seats, but not for typists

For most rows the qualification is the “minimum general educational qualification”, which page 14 defines as a pass in the Tamil Nadu SSLC examination. A Class 10 pass from the Board of Open School, Tamil Nadu also counts. You must hold every qualification on 6 October 2026, the date of the notification (page 14).

Some rows ask for more (pages 9 to 13):

• A degree: some Junior Assistant posts need one. The state small industries corporation (TNSIDCO) and Police Housing Corporation accept any degree, and Power Finance Corporation wants a B.Com. The Medicinal Plant Farms corporation adds a computer course, and the Handloom Weavers’ societies want a diploma in co-operative management or co-operation as a degree subject. Junior Assistant (Accounts) in the power distribution company needs a B.Com. Sales Assistant needs any degree. The Steno Typist post in the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) needs a three-year degree after Class 12.
• Class 12 (HSC): Typist in Police Housing Corporation, Laboratory Assistant (with Science), Senior Laboratory Assistant (with a science subject) and Forest Guard with Driving Licence. Junior Inspector of Co-operative Societies needs an Intermediate or Pre-University pass for “Others”; reserved categories need SSLC.
• Other trade papers: Telephone Operator needs a telephone board training certificate. Executive Officer (Grade IV) also accepts the “Tamil Pulavar” title in place of SSLC (page 12).
• Typewriting: every Typist post needs the Government Technical Examination in typewriting. The grade differs by row. Many rows want Higher (Senior) grade in both Tamil and English. Some accept Higher in one language and Lower (Junior) in the other.
• Shorthand: Steno Typist, Personal Clerk and Shorthand Typist posts need both typewriting and shorthand, again by grade.
• Computer on Office Automation: many typist and steno rows also ask for this Directorate of Technical Education certificate. For several of them, you can apply without it and pass it during probation or within two years of joining. Check your row on pages 10 to 12.

Two more rules apply to your certificates. A degree must follow the order 10th, then HSC or diploma, then the degree (page 14). If you passed SSLC or HSC in more than one attempt, you must upload the mark sheets of every attempt.

No Group 4 age ceiling for many BC, MBC, SC and ST applicants with more than SSLC

Age is counted on 1 July 2026 (page 5). In the table, BC means Backward Class (other than Muslims), BCM is Backward Class (Muslim), MBC/DC is Most Backward Class and Denotified Communities, and SC(A) is Scheduled Caste (Arunthathiyar). The notice uses the words “should have completed” for the minimum and “should not have completed” for the maximum.

The notice prints ages only, not birth dates. Check your age on 1 July 2026 against both words: you must have completed the minimum and not completed the maximum.

For 11 rows, BC, BCM, MBC/DC, SC, SC(A) and ST candidates have no maximum age limit at all (pages 7 and 8). Six of them are Junior Assistant rows in corporations, with post codes 3521, 3788, 3816, 3520, 3321 and 3848. The others are Typist 3817, Steno Typist 3672, Senior Laboratory Assistant, Laboratory Assistant and Sales Assistant.

Page 8 adds a wider rule. It covers most posts other than VAO and the forest posts. There, BC, BCM, MBC/DC, SC, SC(A) and ST candidates have no maximum age limit if they hold a qualification higher than SSLC. Page 8 explains that “no maximum age limit” still means you must not have completed 60 years on 1 July 2026 or at selection.

Persons with benchmark disability (PwBD), ex-servicemen and destitute widows have their own limits, which change by post and category (pages 5 to 8). For “Others”, the PwBD limit is 40 for most posts and the ex-servicemen limit is 48. The ex-servicemen concession does not apply to anyone already recruited to a post (page 8). Persons with benchmark disability cannot apply for the two forest posts.

Part A Tamil test: 60 of 150 marks or the rest is not checked

Group 4 is a “single stage Written Examination” (page 17), with a single paper (page 20). It is an OMR (bubble sheet) test of 200 questions and 300 marks in three hours, from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM on 10 January 2027.

Part A is set in Tamil only. Parts B and C come in Tamil and English. TNPSC checks Parts B and C only if you score at least 60 marks (40%) in Part A. The minimum qualifying mark for the whole paper is 90 for all communities. Part A marks still count towards your rank.

Differently abled candidates who studied only English at school or university can take General English (SSLC standard) in place of Part A (pages 20 and 21). They also need 60 marks (40%) in it, and must claim this in the form and upload the disability certificate at that time.

The notice lists no deduction for a wrong answer. It does list one for a blank. Page 68 says no bubble should be left empty, and you must darken option [E] if you do not know the answer. Page 72 says 0.5 mark is deducted from the total if a question is left blank. Another 0.5 mark goes if you forget your left thumb impression on the OMR sheet.

When two people score the same, the higher qualification ranks first, then the older candidate (pages 17 and 18). For typist and steno posts, the higher typing or shorthand grade comes before the educational qualification.

The typing grade matters even more than that for many rows (pages 18 and 19). For most Typist and Steno Typist posts, candidates with Higher (Senior) grade in both Tamil and English are selected first. Those with Higher grade in one language and Lower grade in the other are taken only if the first group runs out, Higher in Tamil before Higher in English. A few rows take only Higher grade in both, and a few rank the mixed grades differently (pages 18 and 19).

Forest Guard and Forest Watcher: height, chest and a 25 km walk

Only those who choose “All the Posts” in the form are considered for Forest Guard with Driving Licence (1 post) and Forest Watcher (40 posts) (page 2). You must already meet these physical standards to apply (page 15):

• men: height 163 cm (152 cm for ST), chest 79 cm with 5 cm expansion;
• women and third gender: height 150 cm (145 cm for ST), chest 74 cm with 5 cm expansion.

After certificate checks, shortlisted candidates take an endurance test in Chennai. Men walk 25 km and women and third gender candidates walk 16 km, each within four hours (page 18). Forest Guard also needs Class 12 with a science subject and a driving licence (page 13). Add three years of driving experience after getting the licence, basic knowledge of how vehicles work and a first aid certificate. For Forest Guard, vision must be 6/6 in each eye without glasses, and LASIK surgery disqualifies (page 15). For the forest posts, TNPSC checks certificates online in a 1:6 ratio before the physical tests (page 18).

Hindu-only, Muslim-only and Delhi postings among the Group 4 rows

• Government servants: some “Others” candidates cannot apply even within the age limit (page 16). This applies if they have five years or more of service under the central government or any state or UT government.
• Executive Officer (Grade IV): posts in the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department are open only to Hindus.
• Tamil Nadu Waqf Board: Typist (3846) and Steno Typist (3847) are open only to Muslims.
• Judicial posts: persons with blindness or low vision cannot apply for posts in the Judicial Department or the State Legal Services Authority.
• Posting outside Tamil Nadu: Sales Assistant can be posted in New Delhi, Kolkata or anywhere in Tamil Nadu. Junior Assistant (3788) in the Handloom Weavers’ societies can be posted anywhere in India (page 4).

You also need adequate knowledge of Tamil on 6 October 2026 (pages 15 and 16). SSLC, HSC or a degree with Tamil as a language counts, and so does schooling in Tamil medium. So does a pass in TNPSC’s Second Class Language Test (Full Test) in Tamil. If you cannot upload proof of Tamil knowledge when asked, you must pass that test within two years of joining, or you will be discharged from service (page 16).

SC, ST and PwBD pay no Group 4 exam fee; BC and MBC get three free tries

New users first make a One Time Registration (OTR) on the TNPSC apply portal for Rs 150. It stays valid for five years, and Aadhaar must be linked to it (page 23). The examination fee for Group 4 is Rs 100, paid online with service charges (pages 28 and 29).

• SC, SC(A) and ST, PwBD candidates and destitute widows: full fee exemption.
• BC, BC(Muslim) and MBC/DC candidates: three free chances.
• Ex-servicemen: two free chances.

Each application where you claim the concession uses up one free chance. A false claim leads to rejection and a one-year ban from TNPSC exams (page 28).

Photos must come from a studio, dated after 6 October

The photo must be taken on or after 6 October 2026, in a studio, in colour, against a white background (pages 24 and 25). Your name and the date of the photo must be printed at the bottom. The size is 4.5 cm by 3.5 cm (170 by 130 pixels), with 3.0 cm for your face and 1.5 cm for the name and date. Save it as a 20 to 50 KB file. Selfies, phone photos and photocopies are not accepted.

Sign inside a 6.0 cm by 2.0 cm box drawn on white paper, in blue or black ink, and scan it to 10 to 20 KB. You can pick two exam centres. PwBD candidates pick one.

After 5 November, an application correction window runs from 12:01 AM on 9 November to 11:59 PM on 11 November 2026 (page 1). No change is allowed after it closes.

Which TNPSC Group 4 rows pay at Level 3, 5, 8 and 10

The table on pages 3 and 4 gives a pay level for each row. Most posts, including VAO, Junior Assistant and Typist, are at Level 8. Most steno rows, Junior Inspector of Co-operative Societies and Senior Laboratory Assistant are at Level 10. Forest Watcher and Record Clerk are at Level 3, and Forest Guard at Level 5. A few rows print a scale instead:

• Junior Assistant (Accounts), power distribution company: Level 3 (Rs 19,500 to Rs 62,000);
• Bill Collector, Urban Habitat Development Board: Level 3 (Rs 16,600 to Rs 52,400);
• Junior Assistant, Handloom Weavers’ societies: Rs 17,000 to Rs 54,060.

Several rows, mostly in state corporations, are marked EPF (Employees’ Provident Fund). Apart from the three rows above, TNPSC prints only the level on the Tamil Nadu pay scale, not the rupee amount or allowances.

Onscreen certificate checks in a 1:3 ratio after the Group 4 exam

After the exam, TNPSC calls candidates for onscreen certificate verification from the marks list (page 18). For VAO, Junior Assistant, Typist and Steno posts it calls three candidates per post (1:3) in the general list and two (1:2) in reserved lists. Physical certificate verification and counselling follow, and candidates pick posts by rank. Reservation applies to each post separately (page 21). Women get at least 30% of the seats in each category (page 53).

RRB NTPC UG and TNPSC Group 1: more exams for Tamil Nadu applicants

More openings in the state are on our Tamil Nadu government jobs page, and other commission exams are on state public service commission jobs. See jobs for 10th pass and jobs for 12th pass for more. Class 12 pass candidates can also look at the RRB NTPC Under Graduate posts. Our earlier TNPSC Group 1 page covers the Commission’s senior exam.

Row number, typing grade, studio photo: the Group 4 form in order

1. Look up your row and post code on pages 3 to 13. Check the qualification, the typing or shorthand grade and the age limit for that row.
2. Make or update your OTR, link Aadhaar and get a studio photo with your name and date printed on it.
3. Choose “All the Posts” only if you want the forest posts too, then submit and pay before 11:59 PM on 5 November 2026.

✍️ Published byLokesh Rathore

Lokesh Rathore is a content writer with over 4 years of experience covering Government Jobs, Sarkari Result, Admit Card and Sarkari Yojana. He turns complex official notifications into clear, accurate and easy-to-follow updates for job seekers across India - with every post cross-checked against official government sources.

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