Tamil Nadu State Board (TN Board) 2026-27: Books, Syllabus and Exams
The Tamil Nadu State Board, often called the TN Board, is the school education system run by the School Education Department, Government of Tamil Nadu. It follows the Samacheer Kalvi (uniform) syllabus from Class 1 to 12. This page explains who does what in the TN Board and links to every Samacheer Kalvi book for 2026-27.
| Department | School Education Department, Government of Tamil Nadu (tnschools.gov.in) |
| Syllabus | Samacheer Kalvi (Uniform System of School Education) |
| Textbooks | Prepared by TNSCERT, free PDFs on tnschools.gov.in/scert-textbook |
| Public exams | SSLC (Class 10) and Higher Secondary (Class 12), conducted by the DGE (dge.tn.gov.in) |
| Languages | Tamil and English (two-language policy), with other mediums for linguistic minorities |
| Headquarters | Chennai |
Samacheer Kalvi Books: Choose Your Class
Every TN Board textbook for 2026-27, class by class, with all mediums:
- All classes on one page: Samacheer Kalvi Books Class 1 to 12
- Tamil and English medium for every class: Tamilnadu Samacheer Kalvi Books
- Class 12 by medium: English medium and Tamil medium
Who Runs the TN Board
- School Education Department: runs government schools and sets education policy for the state.
- TNSCERT (Tamil Nadu State Council of Educational Research and Training): writes the syllabus and the Samacheer Kalvi textbooks, and trains teachers.
- DGE (Directorate of Government Examinations): conducts the public exams, publishes timetables, hall tickets and results on dge.tn.gov.in.
- Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation: prints the textbooks, which students of government and government-aided schools get free.
Samacheer Kalvi Syllabus
Samacheer Kalvi means “equal education”. It brought the old State Board, Matriculation, Oriental and Anglo-Indian school streams under one syllabus from 2011, so every State Board school in Tamil Nadu uses the same books.
- Class 1 to 7: books are split into Term I, Term II and Term III.
- Class 8 to 10: one full-year book per subject: Tamil, English, Mathematics, Science and Social Science.
- Class 11 and 12: students choose a group (Science, Commerce, Arts or vocational) and study its subjects, with Tamil (or another language) and English.
- Tamil is compulsory in schools under the Tamil Nadu Tamil Learning Act, 2006.
TN Board Exams and Results
The DGE holds the SSLC (Class 10) and Higher Secondary (Class 12) public exams, usually in March and April, with results usually announced in May. Supplementary exams follow for students who need to improve or clear a subject. Check dge.tn.gov.in for the current timetable, hall tickets and results.
Questions in the public exams are set from the Samacheer Kalvi textbooks, so the books are the most important study material. Solve the book-back exercises first, then previous year question papers.
Other State Boards
Books for other states are on State Board Books.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the TN Board?
TN Board is the common name for the Tamil Nadu State Board of school education, which follows the Samacheer Kalvi syllabus from Class 1 to 12.
What is the full form of TNBSE?
TNBSE stands for Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education. It is a common short name for the Tamil Nadu State Board; the Class 10 (SSLC) and Class 12 public exams are conducted by the Directorate of Government Examinations (DGE), Tamil Nadu.
Who prepares Samacheer Kalvi books?
TNSCERT prepares them. The official PDFs are on tnschools.gov.in/scert-textbook, and every book is linked from our Samacheer Kalvi Books page.
Who conducts the Tamil Nadu 10th and 12th public exams?
The Directorate of Government Examinations (DGE), Tamil Nadu. Timetables and results are on dge.tn.gov.in.
What does TNSCERT stand for?
Tamil Nadu State Council of Educational Research and Training.
Is Tamil compulsory in Tamil Nadu schools?
Yes. Under the Tamil Nadu Tamil Learning Act, 2006, Tamil is taught as a compulsory subject.