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Among the various competitive exam recruitment exams for government jobs in India, Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exams and TNPSC exams have a stature of their own. While SSC exams are applicable across India, the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) exams, as its name suggests, are regionally-held examinations in the state of Tamil Nadu.
In terms of versatility, the exams conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) are more advantageous as successful candidates passing these examinations can choose what organisation they want to work for. The best part of SSC exams is that there are multiple options to choose from. You can choose to work in an administrative position, income tax department and more central government departments and premier organisations.
On the other hand, TNPSC exams have the great benefits of job roles distributed across different groups. Therefore, candidates will have to appear for different group exams in order to qualify for the particular job role that they aim for.
We will discuss all the technicalities of both the SSC exams and TNPSC exams. We’ll inform you of the important things you need to know before deciding which is better: SSC exams or TNPSC exams.
In a Nutshell: SSC & TNPSC Exams
These two recruitment examinations are conducted by two different governing bodies. The SSC exams are conducted by the governing body, the Staff Selection Commission (SSC). The TNPSC exams are conducted by the governing body, the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC).
In most SSC exams, you will have to clear a total of four stages or tiers in order to get the appointment letter from any department or organisation, but the evaluation process of TNPSC exams differs according to the category or groups of the particular examination. For example, in the TNPSC Group I examination, candidates will have to clear a total of three stages to land their dream TNPSC Group 1 job.
If you know the Tamil language, then candidates will get some advantage as the questions in the TNPSC question papers will also be available in Tamil as well as English languages except for the language part (English/Tamil). Candidates can either choose English or Tamil for the language part as preferred by them.
To know more about SSC and TNPSC exams, refer to the table below.
Exams | SSC Exams | TNPSC Exams |
Governing Body | Staff Selection Commission (SSC) | Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) |
Job Category | Group B and Group C | There are different group exams in TNPSC and each offer different job positions with different salaries. Some of these positions are:
and various other government-related jobs |
Selection Procedure | Candidates need to go through four separate stages in most SSC exams, but it depends on the SSC exam | Depending upon the group of TNPSC exams, the selection procedure tends to differ.
For example, the TNPSC Group 1 Exam has three stages of the recruitment process, whereas the TNPSC Group 4 Exam has only a single stage. |
Official Website | https://ssc.nic.in/ | https://www.tnpsc.gov.in/ |
Eligibility Criteria for SSC and TNPSC Exams
Both SSC and TNPSC exams have specific eligibility criteria for their applicants and without meeting these particular conditions, candidates will not be able to appear for these examinations.
The documents that the candidates provide while furnishing the application form will be verified with the government data in order to find the legitimacy of the documents of the respective candidates and give them the required approval to appear for these SSC or TNPSC exams.
There are also minimum and maximum age requirements for both SSC and TNPSC examinations, which you can find in the table below.
Eligibility | SSC Exams | TNPSC Exams |
Nationality | Indian | Indian |
Age Limit | Minimum Age: 18 years
Maximum Age: 30 years |
Minimum Age: 18 years (except for TNPSC Group 1 Exam, where the minimum age limit is 21 years)
Maximum Age: 30 years (For differently-abled candidates, the maximum age limit is 10 years more than the normal.) |
Minimum Qualification Requirement | Bachelor’s Degree in any subject for all posts | Depending on the group of TNPSC examinations, the minimum qualification requirements change.
|
Candidates need to remember that there are exceptions in the age limit for candidates who belong to Scheduled Tribes (STs), Scheduled Caste (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) categories.
Selection Process in SSC and TNPSC Exams
Both SSC and TNPSC exams have different selection processes and after successfully clearing each and every stage of these selection processes, candidates can become eligible for a job in central government (for SSC) or Tamil Nadu state government departments (for TNPSC). Although the candidate selection process is almost the same for all exams conducted by the Staff Selection Commission, the selection process handled by TNPSC is different from everyone else in this matter for different groups of examinations.
For each group examination conducted by the TNPSC, the candidate selection process tends to be different. For example, if candidates wish to appear for the TNPSC Group 1 examination, then they will have to go through three different stages of examination, whereas for the TNPSC Group 4 examination. Candidates need to go through a single stage of examination, i.e. the TNPSC Group 4 Prelims Exam. To get a clearer idea about these exams, refer to the below table.
Exams | SSC Exams | TNPSC Exams |
Total Stages of the Selection Process | Four | Stages differ according to the groups of TNPSC Exams |
Name & Particulars of the Stages | Tier 1: A computer-based test where candidates will have to solve objective-based questions.
Tier 2: A computer-based test where candidates will have to solve objective-based questions. Tier 3: A descriptive test where the candidates will be asked questions based on their respective subjects. Tier 4: Computer Literacy Test or Data Entry Skill Test. |
TNPSC Group 1 Exam: Prelims, Mains and Interview
TNPSC Group 2 Exam: Prelims, Mains and Interview TNPSC Group 2A Exam: Prelims and Mains TNPSC Group 3 Exam: Prelims and Interview TNPSC Group 4 Exam: Prelims |
Question Patterns & Subjects to Cover in SSC and TNPSC Exams
After going through the above-mentioned details, it is time for the candidates to understand the question pattern of the SSC and TNPSC exams in order to prepare for these exams more appropriately.
Moreover, the candidates will also need to know what subjects or sections they need to study and the respective syllabus they need to cover in order to ace the SSC and TNPSC examinations.
Candidates also need to note that in SSC exams, there is a negative marking of 0.5 marks for each wrong answer, but in TNPSC exams, there is no negative marking. So, while answering questions in the SSC exams, candidates need to be more careful about getting negative markings for wrong answers.
On the other hand, TNPSC exams have different exam patterns. So candidates also need to be mindful of it while preparing for specific group stages of different TNPSC exams. The table below will give the candidates a more comprehensive idea of the different exam patterns.
Exams | SSC Exams | TNPSC Exams |
Subjects Included in the Examination Paper |
|
|
Negative Markings for Every Wrong Answer | 0.50 marks for each wrong answer | No negative marking |
Total Number of Questions in Each Stage of the Examination | First Stage – 100 marks
Second Stage – 100 marks Third Stage – Interview |
TNPSC Group 1 Exam:
Prelims – 300 marks Mains – A total of 3 papers with 300 marks each TNPSC Group 2/2A Exam: Prelims – 300 marks Mains – 300 marks TNPSC Group 3 Exam: Prelims – 200 marks TNPSC Group 4 Exam: Prelims – 300 marks |
Ending Note:
If you have read this article from top to bottom, then candidates must have understood that the question ‘which is better: SSC Exams or TNPSC Exams’ cannot be answered with certainty.
Both SSC exams and TNPSC exams have lots of dissimilarities that make it harder to determine which one is better.
Nevertheless, preparing for both SSC exams and TNPSC exams is not a walk in the park. If candidates are opting for any of these exams, then they will have to be extremely serious about their studies and mindful of time management.
To help candidates prepare for these exams, we can recommend the candidates to take classes for SSC exams or TNPSC exams that will definitely help them to save a lot of time while getting things done right. If you are an aspirant preparing for any of the SSC exams or TNPSC exams and want to get your dream job, then you should start early and remember all the above-mentioned information while preparing for the same.
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