TNPSC CTSE (Non-Interview) 2026
461 engineering, science and technical posts filled without an interview — Assistant Engineer, Assistant Geologist, Drug Inspector, Agriculture Officer and similar. Written examination only.
Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission · Notification No. 04/2026 · 2026
21 to 32 for the general category ; 60 for SC, SC(A), ST, MBC/DC and BC.
To be under the general ceiling of 32, the date of birth must be on or after 2 Jul 1994. The limit applies to the rounding of completed years, so a birthday falling on the cut-off date itself is outside it.
Can you apply?
Checked against this notification's own cut-off date (1 Jul 2026).
Age limit — Standard technical posts (Assistant Engineer, Assistant Geologist, Drug Inspector and most others)
Calculated as on 1 Jul 2026. A candidate must have completed 21 years by that date, and must not have completed the maximum shown for their community.
| Community | Minimum | Maximum | PwBD | Ex-servicemen | Destitute widow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General / Others | 21 | 32 | 42 | 50 | 37 |
| BC (OBCM) | 21 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| BC Muslim | 21 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| MBC / Denotified Community | 21 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| Scheduled Caste | 21 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| SC (Arunthathiyar) | 21 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| Scheduled Tribe | 21 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
The PwBD, ex-servicemen and destitute-widow columns are absolute ceilings printed in the notification, not years added to the community limit. A community ceiling can only be claimed with a valid Tamil Nadu community certificate.
The general-category ceiling is 32. For SC, SC(A), ST, MBC/DC, BC(OBCM) and BCM candidates most posts print ‘No maximum age limit’, defined in para 4.1.3 as not having completed 60 years. Only posts 3269 and 3606 carry numeric reserved limits (37, with PwBD 47, ex-servicemen 55 and destitute widow 39).
“The candidates should have completed the age of 21 years for all the posts.” — Notification 04/2026 , page 5 · table values 21, 32, 42, 50 re-checked
Age limit — Posts with a higher general ceiling (Junior Photographer, AE Industries, System Manager, agriculture officers)
Calculated as on 1 Jul 2026. A candidate must have completed 21 years by that date, and must not have completed the maximum shown for their community. Applies to: Junior Photographer, Assistant Engineer (Industries), System Manager, Agriculture Officer (Extension), Horticultural Officer.
| Community | Minimum | Maximum | PwBD | Ex-servicemen | Destitute widow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General / Others | 21 | 42 | 52 | 50 | 60 |
| BC (OBCM) | 21 | 60 | 60 | 50 | 60 |
| BC Muslim | 21 | 60 | 60 | 50 | 60 |
| MBC / Denotified Community | 21 | 60 | 60 | 50 | 60 |
| Scheduled Caste | 21 | 60 | 60 | 50 | 60 |
| SC (Arunthathiyar) | 21 | 60 | 60 | 50 | 60 |
| Scheduled Tribe | 21 | 60 | 60 | 50 | 60 |
The PwBD, ex-servicemen and destitute-widow columns are absolute ceilings printed in the notification, not years added to the community limit. A community ceiling can only be claimed with a valid Tamil Nadu community certificate.
Junior Photographer is 42 (PwBD 52). Assistant Engineer (Industries) is 37 and System Manager 35. Agriculture Officer (Extension) and Horticultural Officer are 32, raised to 34 for a relevant postgraduate degree or Ph.D.
“Age Concession” — Notification 04/2026 , page 6 · table values 42, 52 re-checked
Educational qualification
-
Every post requires a degree-level technical qualification — mostly B.E./B.Tech. in a named branch, or an M.Sc. in a named science subject. No post in this notification is open on a diploma alone. The exact branch matters and is printed against each post code.
Subject matters The degree must be in a specified discipline — check before applying.
“(i) Must possess the B.E degree in Civil Engineering or Civil and Structural Engineering;” — page 12
Other conditions
- Tamil language requirement
Tamil eligibility is tested in the written examination; candidates who did not study Tamil to SSLC must pass the Second Class Language Test.
- Some posts are not open to persons with benchmark disability
The notification marks PwBD as not applicable for several posts, including Librarian, Assistant Librarian, Translator, Statistical Assistant, Assistant Director (Industrial Safety and Health) and Assistant Engineer (Civil).
Dates & documents
- Notification
- 20 May 2026
- Applications
- 27 May 2026 to 25 Jun 2026
- Exam
- 16 Aug 2026
- Age cut-off
- 1 Jul 2026
- Fee
- ₹100 · ₹100 examination fee, plus ₹100 for each additional subject paper. The one-time registration fee is ₹150. Confirm in the notification.
Everything published for this exam
Mirrored from the board dashboard, newest first. Upload dates are the Commission’s.
- 7 Oct 2026 Tentative Answer Key Tentative Answer Key
- 6 Oct 2026 Question Papers Descriptive Type (Translation)
- 19 Aug 2026 Question Papers Without Tentative Answer keys
- 6 Aug 2026 Press Release Combined Technical Services Examination (Non Interview Posts) vide., Notification No.04/2026, dated: 20.05.2026. Computer Based Test (CBT), Objective Type (OMR) and Descriptive Type Examination for the said posts is scheduled to be held from 16.08.2026 FN to 20.08.2026 FN & AN, 07.09.2026 FN & AN to 12.09.2026 AN and 19.09.2026 FN & AN. Download Hall Ticket – Press release regarding.
- 6 Aug 2026 Hall Ticket Hall Ticket for Written Examination
- 16 Jul 2026 Addendum Addendum for Notification No. 04/2026 ADDENDUM (4B/2026)
- 11 Jun 2026 Press Release Press release regarding the publication of Addendum No.4A/2026 to the posts in Combined Technical Services Examination (Non-Interview Posts) (Notification No.4/2026).
- 11 Jun 2026 Addendum Addendum for Notification No. 04/2026 ADDENDUM (4A/2026)
- 20 May 2026 Notification Notification No. 04/2026
- 20 May 2026 Press Release Press release regarding the publication of Notification to the post in Combined Technical Services Examination (Non-Interview Posts ) (Notification No.4/2026).
Change history
All exams- · published · first logged 5 hours agoVacancies revised Vacancy count revised — 4B/2026
As per Para 3.1 of the Notification No.04/2026, dated 20.05.2026 the number of vacancies and distributions for the following post are revised as follows: S.
Source: Addendum for Notification No. 04/2026 ADDENDUM (4B/2026) - · published · first logged 5 hours agoVacancies revised Vacancy count revised — 4A/2026
As per Para 3.1 of the Notification No.04/2026, dated 20.05.2026 the number of vacancies for the following posts are revised as follows: S.
Source: Addendum for Notification No. 04/2026 ADDENDUM (4A/2026)
Common questions
What is the age limit for TNPSC CTSE (Non-Interview) 2026 (04/2026)?
As on 1 Jul 2026, the minimum age is 21. The maximum is 32 for the general category and 60 for SC/SC(A)/ST. Persons with benchmark disability get up to 42, ex-servicemen 50, and destitute widows 37. Source: Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission Notification No. 04/2026.
When is the TNPSC CTSE (Non-Interview) 2026 exam?
The exam date currently published is 16 Aug 2026. The official dashboard states: “16.08.2026 FN to 20.08.2026 FN & AN, 07.09.2026 FN & AN to 12.09.2026 AN and 19.09.2026 FN & AN”. Applications run 27 May 2026 to 25 Jun 2026.
Can I apply for TNPSC CTSE (Non-Interview) 2026 with a bachelor’s degree?
Every post requires a degree-level technical qualification — mostly B.E./B.Tech. in a named branch, or an M.Sc. in a named science subject. No post in this notification is open on a diploma alone. The exact branch matters and is printed against each post code. The exact subject of the degree matters for some posts — check the notification before paying the fee.
Sources & verification
- Notification No. 04/2026 — CTSE (Non-Interview Posts) Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission · Para 3 (vacancies), para 4.1 (age), para 4.2 (qualifications)
- Exam dashboard — application window and exam dates Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission
- Board exam dashboard Live dates and document list
Last successful source check 3 hours ago. Each citation quote is searched for in the freshly downloaded PDF; a mismatch hides the verdict behind a warning.