In-Service Candidate
A current government employee applying for another post, sometimes with earmarked quotas or age concessions, applying through proper channel.
Related terms
Appointment through open competitive examination (the TNPSC route), as opposed to promotion or transfer from existing service.
The 7th Pay Commission table of pay levels and cells that replaced pay bands and grade pay. Every post maps to a level; annual increments move you cell by cell.
A post's row in the pay matrix, fixing its starting basic pay and progression. Group 4 posts sit around Level 8; Group 1 posts start around Level 22.
The pay-matrix figure before any allowance. DA and HRA are calculated as percentages of it, and deductions come off the resulting gross.
The 6th Pay Commission add-on that indicated a post's seniority. Abolished by the 7th CPC and absorbed into pay-matrix levels; older notifications still mention it.
An inflation-linked allowance calculated as a percentage of basic pay and revised periodically by the government.
Preparing for TNPSC?
Daily quiz, every previous-year paper and an AI tutor in Tamil and English. Free to start.
This definition follows official TNPSC notifications and Tamil Nadu government orders. Sources: TNPSC official notifications. Figures are indicative and may change with each official notification. Data last reviewed: July 2026.
Upgrade
Unlock the full app, every paper and an AI tutor.
- Unlimited study, tests & mocks
- AI tutor in Tamil & English
- AI answers, top up anytime
- All PYQ + current affairs