COA Question Papers & One Mark Questions
Model question papers, a one mark question bank drawn from previous years, and 1,000 practical exercises for the Computer on Office Automation examination — with what each question type is actually worth.
What the COA question paper looks like
The theory paper is entirely objective — 40 questions in one hour, for 50 marks, with 20 needed to pass. There is no descriptive writing. Knowing the shape of the paper is most of the preparation:
10 simple multiple choice at 1 mark — 10 marks.
10 multiple choice with two statements of logical thinking at 2 marks —
20 marks, the largest single block on the paper.
10 match the following at 1 mark — 10 marks.
10 true or false at 1 mark — 10 marks.
The two-statement logical thinking questions are worth double and carry 40% of the paper on their own. They are the ones to practise hardest.
The practical paper is one office-package task plus submission of its output as a draft document in e-Office, weighted 50 / 50. Full detail on the COA exam page.
What to revise, unit by unit
- Unit 1 — Basics of Computer: generations of computers and what defined each, memory types and which are volatile, primary versus secondary storage, CPU components, and input versus output devices. This unit produces the largest share of straight one-mark recall questions.
- Unit 2 — Operating Systems: the types of OS and what distinguishes them, Windows file systems, user accounts, backup and restore, and Linux basics. Remember the 30% open source weighting — Linux questions are not optional.
- Unit 3 — Word Processing: formatting, styles, sections, breaks, tables, mail merge, table of contents, track changes. Shortcut keys are explicitly in the syllabus and are common one-mark questions.
- Unit 4 — Calculations and Data Sheets: cell addressing and references, the arithmetic operators, common functions, sorting, filtering, validation, consolidation, subtotal, pivot tables and charts.
- Unit 5 — Presentations: layouts, masters, backgrounds, animation and transition, handouts, and the standalone presentation viewer.
- Unit 6 — e-Office Applications: receipts and tapals, file creation, noting and quick noting, draft, template, referencing, signing, draft approval, dispatch, link file, park file, close and reopen, volume creation. Worth half the practical paper, so learn the vocabulary exactly.
- Unit 7 — Digital Communication: LAN and WAN, connection types, browsers and search, email including cc and bcc and attachments, and the Google Forms / Docs / Sheets / Slides applications.
Question papers and practice material
COA one mark question bank — previous-year one mark questions with four choices and the answer, compiled by Creative Computer Education.
COA model paper 2026 — Tamil and COA model paper 2026 — English — full-length model papers in the current pattern.
1,000 practical exercises — worked office-package exercises for the practical paper.
Official DOTE syllabus — the document the questions are set from. Also read out unit by unit on the syllabus page.
All of these and more are on the downloads page. Printed theory and practical books are listed under COA books and study material.
Working through the papers
Do the one marks first, in bulk. Thirty of the fifty theory marks are single-mark recall. They are the cheapest marks on the paper and the question bank is the fastest way to find the gaps.
Then the two-statement questions. Twenty marks — 40% of the paper — come from ten questions that give two statements and ask which hold. They cannot be answered by recognition alone, so leave time for them.
Sit at least one model paper against the clock. Forty questions in sixty minutes is ninety seconds each. Candidates who know the material and still fail usually ran out of time.
Practise the practical on both packages. The syllabus sets MS Office and LibreOffice / OpenOffice as examinable, and requires the output to be submitted through e-Office.
Why these materials
Written by an examiner
The books and question banks are compiled by CCE India, a TNGTE-approved centre that has been preparing COA candidates since 2003.
Free to download
No signup, no email address, no account. The PDFs are on this site.
Tamil and English
Model papers in both languages, matching the language you will sit the exam in.
Current pattern
Model papers follow the pattern in force from the June 2025 examination notification.
COA question paper FAQ
How many questions are in the COA theory paper?
Forty, in one hour, for 50 marks: 10 simple multiple choice at 1 mark, 10 multiple choice with two statements of logical thinking at 2 marks, 10 match the following at 1 mark, and 10 true or false at 1 mark.
Are COA previous year question papers available?
Yes. The one mark question bank on this page is compiled from previous year questions, and full-length model papers in the current pattern are available in Tamil and English.
Which question type carries the most marks?
The multiple choice questions with two statements of logical thinking. Ten questions at 2 marks each is 20 of the 50 theory marks — 40% of the paper.
Are the COA question papers free?
Yes. Every PDF linked on this page downloads directly with no signup or account.
What is asked in the COA practical exam?
One MS Office or open source office package task to execute, and submission of the output as a draft document in the e-Office application, with relevant screenshots uploaded in the web application portal where applicable. Each half is worth 50%.