CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Public Services Commission (TNPSC) has effected some more changes in its examination pattern for selection of candidates for Group-2 and Group 2-A posts in the state.
The changes will reflect the demands and suggestions from various quarters including secretary-level officers and departmental heads over a period of years that those working for the Tamil Nadu government should have a high level of proficiency in the Tamil language, particularly in translation and drafting notes and preparing files, an official release said.
Accordingly, some changes to Group-2 and Group-2A posts exams were made recently, which are being further fine-tuned. Though there is no change in the syllabi for the ‘Preliminary exams’, nonetheless units related to history and culture of TN, socio-political movements and Tamil development, will be given additional weightage, namely to units 8 and 9 in the preliminary exam.
The model question paper, reflecting these changes will be uploaded on the TNPSC website by the end of Nov, the press release said, adding, enough time will be given for candidates to assimilate this new pattern of exam.
As far as the ‘Main Written Examiniation’ is concerned, the TNPSC has made it into two parts. ‘Part-A’ (qualifying paper) of the main exam will be a one-and-a-half hours paper, for 100 marks and candidates should necessarily obtain at least 25 marks, for their ‘Part-B’ or Paper-2 to be evaluated.
The marks obtained in this preliminary exam will not be taken into consideration in assigning the position for candidates in the TNPSC ‘rank list’. In the interests of the Tamil medium students from the rural areas, the TNPSC will henceforth set the question papers on par with ‘SSLC standard’ to enable students who know to read and write Tamil to get a better chance to get into the state services.
The ‘Paper-2’ will be a three-hour exam, with 300 marks and the marks obtained in that alone will be considered for the purpose of rank. The rest of the syllabi already set for ‘Paper-2’ will remain. These have ensured that TNPSC examinees know history of Tamil language, literature and culture from Sangam Age to the present times, which will benefit Tamil-speaking students, it added.
