Revised Exam Pattern & Syllabus PDF

Unit I: General Science

Scientific knowledge and scientific temper; Power of reasoning; Rote learning vs conceptual learning; Science as a tool to understand the past, present, and future; Nature of universe; General scientific laws; Mechanics; Properties of matter, force, motion, and energy; Everyday application of mechanics, electricity, magnetism, light, sound, heat, nuclear physics, laser, electronics, and communications; Elements and compounds, acids, bases, salts, petroleum products, fertilizers, pesticides; Main concepts of life science; Classification of living organisms; Evolution; Genetics; Physiology; Nutrition; Health and hygiene; Human diseases; Environment and ecology; Latest inventions in science and technology; Current affairs.

Unit II: Geography of India

Location; Physical features; Monsoon, rainfall, weather and climate; Water resources; Rivers in India; Soil; Minerals and natural resources; Forest and wildlife; Agricultural pattern; Transport; Communication; Social geography; Population density and distribution; Racial and linguistic groups; Major tribes; Natural calamity; Disaster management; Environmental pollution; Reasons and preventive measures; Climate change; Green energy; Geographical landmarks; Current affairs.

Unit III: History, Culture of India, and Indian National Movement

Indus Valley Civilization; Guptas; Delhi Sultans; Mughals; Marathas; Age of Vijayanagaram and Bahmani Kingdoms; South Indian history; National Renaissance; Early uprisings against British rule; Indian National Congress; Emergence of leaders – B.R. Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, Bharathiar, V.O. Chidambaranar, Jawaharlal Nehru, Kamaraj, Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Thanthai Periyar, Rajaji, Subash Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore; Different modes of agitation; Satyagraha and militant movements; Communalism and Partition; Change and continuity in socio-cultural history; Characteristics of Indian culture; Unity in diversity – Race, language, custom; India as a secular state; Social harmony; Prominent personalities in arts, science, literature, philosophy.

Unit IV: Indian Polity

Constitution of India; Preamble; Salient features; Union, State and Union Territory; Citizenship; Fundamental Rights; Fundamental Duties; Directive Principles of State Policy; Union Executive; Union Legislature; State Executive; State Legislature; Local governments; Panchayat Raj; Spirit of federalism; Centre–State relationships; Election; Judiciary; Rule of law; Corruption in public life; Anti-corruption measures; Lokpal and Lok Ayukta; Right to Information; Empowerment of women; Consumer Protection Forums; Human Rights Charter; Political parties and political system; Current affairs.

Unit V: Indian Economy and Development Administration in Tamil Nadu

Nature of Indian economy; Five-year plan models; NITI Aayog; Sources of revenue; Reserve Bank of India; Fiscal policy; Finance Commission; Resource sharing; Goods and Services Tax; Structure of Indian economy; Employment generation; Land reforms; Agriculture; Industrial growth; Rural welfare-oriented programmes; Social problems; Education; Health; Geography of Tamil Nadu; Achievements of Tamil Nadu; e-Governance; Public awareness; Welfare-oriented government schemes and their utility; Problems in public delivery systems; Current socio-economic issues; Current affairs.

Unit VI: History, Culture, Heritage, and Socio-Political Movements in Tamil Nadu

History of Tamil society; Archaeological discoveries; Tamil literature from Sangam age to contemporary times; Thirukkural – significance as a secular literature; Relevance to everyday life; Impact on humanity; Universal values; Socio-political and economic relevance; Philosophical content; Role of Tamil Nadu in freedom struggle; Early agitations against British rule; Role of women in freedom struggle; Evolution of 19th and 20th century socio-political movements – Justice Party, Rationalism, Self-Respect Movement, Dravidian Movement; Contributions of Thanthai Periyar and Peraringar Anna.

Part B: Aptitude and Mental Ability (SSLC Standard – 25 Questions)

Unit I: Aptitude (15 Questions)

Simplification – Percentage – Highest Common Factor (HCF) – Lowest Common Multiple (LCM) – Ratio and Proportion – Simple interest – Compound interest – Area – Volume – Time and Work.

Unit II: Reasoning (10 Questions)

Logical reasoning – Puzzles – Dice – Visual reasoning – Alpha numeric reasoning – Number series.

Part C: Language – General Tamil / General English

(Full General Tamil includes Grammar, Literature, Proverbs, Poetry, and Tamil Nadu-specific language usage – candidates can choose either Tamil or English.)

General English (SSLC Standard)

Grammar

Parts of speech, Tenses, Voice, Sentence types, Articles, Prepositions, Conjunctions, Sentence correction, Direct and Indirect speech, Punctuation, Degrees of comparison, Synonyms, Antonyms, Homophones, Fill in the blanks, Error spotting, Phrasal verbs, One-word substitution.

Vocabulary & Writing Skills

Synonyms, Antonyms, Idioms & Phrases, Rearrangement of jumbled sentences, Paragraph formation, Precis writing, Letter writing (official correspondence).

Reading Comprehension & Literature

Unseen passages, Poetry appreciation, Figures of speech, Important lines from poems, Biographies of famous personalities (Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, etc.), Motivational essays, British vs American English, Literary works, Authors and their contributions.

Unit I: Modern History of India with specific reference to Tamil Nadu (40 marks)

Advent of Europeans: The Portuguese, the Dutch, the English, the Danish and the French; Expansion of British rule: Carnatic Wars; Early uprisings against British rule: Revolt of Poligars, South Indian Rebellion, Vellore Mutiny, Indian National Congress -Moderates, Extremists and British response -Leaders from Tamil Nadu -role of Pulithevan, Veerapandia Kattabomman, Maruthu Brothers, Dheeran Chinnamalai, Velluchami, Kuyili and others; Role of Tamil Nadu in freedom struggle -V.O. Chidambaranar, Bharathiyar, V.V. Subramaniam, Thanikachalam, Subramania Siva, T.S.S. Rajan, Rajaji, Sathyamurthy, Kamaraj, Rukmani Lakshmi Pathi, Ambujammal and others; Types of freedom struggle -Sacrifices -Magazines -Literature -Plays/Drama -Songs -Films etc.; Contribution of women in the freedom struggle and social work: Dr. Muthulakshmi Ammayar, Muthuramalinga Thevar, Cuddalore Azhagammal, Thillaiyadi Valliammai and others; Impact of British Rule: Christian Missionaries, Development of Education, Judiciary, Local Self Governance System, Police, Transport and Communication; Disappearance of Indigenous Industries -Spread of Western Culture; Origin and Growth of “Social -Justice” ideology, Socio-Religious Movements, Political Parties and Achievements.

Unit II: Tamil Society – Culture and Heritage (30 marks)

Ancient Tamil Society -Archaeological excavation evidence -Arikamedu, Adichanallur, Keezhadi -Sangam Literature -Classical Tamil; Thirukkural -Guidance for way of life to human elevation -Guidelines given by Thirukkural in the field of administration, judiciary and day-to-day life; Philosophical thoughts laid down by Thirukkural for betterment and integration of the whole of humanity; Social changes in Tamil Nadu in 19th and 20th centuries, Vallalar’s Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga Sathya Sangam; Origin and development of Justice Party -Impact of Rationalism Movement, Self-Respect Movement, Role and contribution of Dravidian Movement, Tamil Iyakkam (Pure Tamil Movement); Tamil Society Reforms personalities -Thanthai Periyar, Arignar Anna, and other scholars; Arts -Cultural contributions of Tamilians -Ancient cultural linkage of Tamilians -Conventional thoughts of Tamilians; Cultural elements: Tamil Nadu State Government Symbols -Experts in Cultural Fields -Folk Music, Folk Drama, Folk and World Tamil Conferences.

Unit III: Social Issues in India with specific reference to Tamil Nadu (50 marks)

Population Explosion: Fertility -Mortality -Migration -Morbidity -Census 2011 -Population control measures -National Population Policy 2000 -Family planning and its achievements; Health: Care for senior citizens -Health problems -Poor nutrition; Health indicators; Issues related to public health: Rural and Urban Development Agencies -Health policy in India -Health care services -Panachayat Raj and Urban Development Agencies -School dropouts -Child Labour -Child Care -Issues of children and women; Media and its role -Communal violence -Law and order situation -Violence against women -Alcoholism -Drug addiction -Environmental issues: Climate change -Floods -Earthquakes -Tsunami -Drought -Pesticides and their impact -Pollution control; Socio-economic issues -Unemployment -Welfare schemes -Poverty eradication programmes -Rural Development -Women Empowerment -Religious violence -Terrorism and Communal Violence -Causes and remedies; Current Affairs.

Unit IV: Science and Technology in Development (40 marks)

Robotics and Applications; Atomic and Nuclear Physics -Applications of nuclear energy; Diodes and Transistors and their Applications; Broadcasting Technology; Electrochemical cells -Types of electrodes -Batteries -Lithium-ion Battery; Fuel cells; Gaseous fuels -LPG, Natural gas and water gas; Polymers: Thermoplastics and Thermosetting plastics, PVC, PET, Nylon 66, Teflon; Medicinal chemistry -Applications -Paracetamol and aspirin; Nanoscience -Fundamentals -Applications -Nano Biotechnology; Applications of Biotechnology -Plant Genetic Engineering -concepts -transgenic plants; Tissue culture; Stem cell technology; BT Cotton, Golden Rice, Flavr Savr tomato, Salt tolerant rice; Applications of genetically modified crops; Biotechnology in food crop improvement -Application of plant tissue culture in Forestry, Horticulture; Recombinant DNA Technology -DNA Cloning -DNA fingerprinting -applications of PCR and ELISA in disease diagnosis -hybridoma techniques in the production of Mono Clonal Antibodies (MCA) -Animal cell culture techniques -stem cells and its applications; Applications of GIS; Nanotechnology -Fundamentals -Applications; Nano Fertilizer, Nano Pesticides, Green Nanotechnology and Nano-farming; Advanced reproductive techniques: In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) -Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI) -Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) -Gamete Intra-Fallopian Transfer (GIFT) -cryopreservation; Computer -Computer Organisation and Architecture -System Software and Application Software -Data Communication Networks -Cryptography -Computer Graphics and Multimedia -Mobile Computing and Communication -Web Technology and applications -E-Commerce -Cloud Computing Architecture -IOT -Artificial Intelligence Applications -Machine learning -Cyber Security -Digital Technology -Biotechnology, Current Affairs.

Unit V: Constitution, Polity, and Governance in India with specific reference to Tamil Nadu (60 marks)

Constitution of India: Preamble and Philosophical features -salient features and Sources -Union and its Union Territories; Citizenship -Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties, Directive Principles of State Policy; Union Executive: President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Council of Ministers -Cabinet -Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) -Parliament Committees -Major Constitutional Amendments; State Government: Chief Minister and Council of Ministers -Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Structure, Powers and Functions; Local Government: Three-tier system -73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments -Tamil Nadu Panchayat Act 1994 -Gram Sabha -Work of PRIs in Tamil Nadu -District Collector’s role in Development Administration; Dynamics of Indian Federalism -Centre-State relations; State Finance Commission; Union Finance Commission; Judiciary in India: Supreme Court, High Courts, District Courts -Subordinate Courts (Structure and Functions) -Judicial Review -Judicial Activism; Public Interest Litigation; Electoral System in India -Election Commission -State Election Commission; Political Parties and Political System in India -Regional and National Political Parties in India and Tamil Nadu; Integrity in Public Administration -Anti-Corruption measures -Lokpal and Lokayukta; Right to Information Act; E-Governance initiatives in Tamil Nadu and India; Current Affairs.

Unit VI: Geography of India, Environment, Biodiversity and Disaster Management in India with specific reference to Tamil Nadu (40 marks)

Location and Physical features of India; Monsoon, Rainfall, Climate; Major Rivers, Lakes, Water Resources; Soil types, Minerals and Natural Resources; Forest and Wildlife; Agricultural patterns and Irrigation; Transport and Communication; Population distribution and density; Environmental issues -Pollution, Climate Change, Global Warming; Biodiversity and its conservation; Disaster Management -Types of disasters, Mitigation measures; Natural calamities in Tamil Nadu -Floods, Cyclones, Drought; Environmental policies and programmes; Current Affairs related to Geography and Environment.

Unit VII: Indian Economy with specific reference to Tamil Nadu (40 marks)

Nature of Indian Economy -Five Year Plans -NITI Aayog; Sources of Revenue -Reserve Bank of India -Fiscal and Monetary Policy; Goods and Services Tax (GST); Structure of Indian Economy -Agriculture, Industry, Service Sector; Employment Generation -Land Reforms; Rural Development Programmes; Social Problems -Poverty, Unemployment, Education, Health; Human Development Indicators; Economic trends and achievements in Tamil Nadu; Welfare Schemes of Tamil Nadu Government; Industrial development in Tamil Nadu; Role of Agriculture in Tamil Nadu Economy; e-Governance in Economic Development; Current socio-economic issues and Current Affairs.