The Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) has postponed the Group 2 and Group 2A mains examinations that were scheduled to be held on February 8, 2026, following a major technical error in the allocation of examination centres. The decision was taken after large-scale complaints from candidates and protests reported at multiple exam venues across the state. TNPSC has stated that a revised examination date will be announced soon.
According to officials, the postponement was necessitated due to a software-related glitch that affected the centre allotment process for the descriptive mains examination. The technical issue reportedly impacted more than 9,000 candidates who were expected to appear for the Group 2 and Group 2A mains exams at various centres in Tamil Nadu. Candidates flagged problems such as incorrect centre mapping, missing registration numbers on attendance lists, and severe overcrowding at several venues.
The situation was particularly chaotic at examination centres in Chennai, where candidates faced confusion over hall ticket details. At centres located in areas such as Arumbakkam and Nandanam, several candidates claimed that their registration numbers were either not found or were linked to a different examination centre. In some instances, candidates were asked to report to alternate centres at the last minute, making it practically impossible for them to appear for the exam.
These last-minute disruptions led to protests by candidates, who expressed distress over being asked to change centres on the day of the examination despite having valid hall tickets. The unrest also resulted in traffic congestion and administrative difficulties around the affected centres, further complicating the situation.
Initially, TNPSC announced that the postponement would apply only to the Group 2 and Group 2A mains examinations scheduled in Chennai. However, as similar complaints emerged from other parts of the state, the commission decided to extend the postponement to all centres across Tamil Nadu. TNPSC officials later confirmed that the root cause of the disruption was a technical error in the examination software. In one reported case, nearly 1,000 candidates arrived at a centre that had the capacity to accommodate only around 300 candidates, underscoring the scale of the problem.
In an official communication issued on February 8, 2026, TNPSC informed candidates that those who had downloaded their hall tickets and reported to the examination centres would be notified about the revised examination schedule through SMS and email. The commission assured candidates that further instructions regarding the rescheduled mains examination would be shared shortly.
The Group 2 and Group 2A recruitment process aims to fill 828 vacancies across various departments of the Tamil Nadu state government. The mains examination is a critical stage of the selection process and is conducted in a descriptive format after the preliminary examination.
Several candidates have urged TNPSC to carry out thorough technical checks and improve coordination before announcing the new exam date. Many aspirants pointed out that they had travelled long distances and made prior logistical arrangements to appear for the examination, and stressed the need for measures to prevent a recurrence of such issues.