CTET — Central Teacher Eligibility Test

Status checked: 15 Oct 2026. Official site: ctet.nic.in

Quick Facts

2027 Status

• The last confirmed session was 8 February 2026 (21st edition). Registration for it ran 27 Nov – 18 Dec 2025.
• No official CBSE notice for the next session was found as of mid-October 2026. Third-party sites mention a September 2026 session, but it couldn't be verified.
• Expected pattern: a notice about 2–3 months before the exam. One session is usually around Dec–Feb and another around Jul–Sep. Check ctet.nic.in → Public Notices regularly.

Eligibility

• Paper I (Classes 1–5, Primary): Class 12 with at least 50% + a 2-year D.El.Ed (passed or final year), or 4-year B.El.Ed, or 2-year Diploma in Special Education.
• Paper II (Classes 6–8, Upper Primary): Graduation with at least 50% + B.Ed (passed or final year), or 4-year integrated B.A./B.Sc.Ed.
• You can take both papers. There's no age limit or attempt limit.

Exam Pattern

Paper I — 150 questions, 150 marks, 2.5 hours

Paper II — 150 questions, 150 marks, 2.5 hours

• No negative marking.
• Qualifying marks: 60% (90/150) for General. 55% (82.5, usually given as 82/150) for OBC (non-creamy layer), SC, ST and PwD.
• No limit on attempts. The certificate is valid for life (it used to be 7 years).

Syllabus — Topics

• Child Development & Pedagogy: concepts of development and learning, principles of child development, heredity and environment, socialisation, the theories of Piaget, Kohlberg and Vygotsky, progressive education, multiple intelligences (Gardner), gender as a social construct, inclusive education, children with special needs, learning and pedagogy, motivation, assessment (CCE).
• Languages: unseen passages (prose and poetry) plus language pedagogy: language acquisition, LSRW skills, grammar teaching, remedial teaching, assessment.
• Mathematics (Paper I): geometry, shapes, measurement, numbers, addition & subtraction, multiplication, division, data handling, patterns, money, time. Also maths pedagogy.
• Mathematics (Paper II): number system, algebra, geometry, mensuration, data handling. Also pedagogy.
• Science (Paper II): food, materials, the world of the living, moving things, natural phenomena, natural resources. Also science pedagogy.
• EVS (Paper I): family and friends, food, shelter, water, travel, things we make and do. Also EVS pedagogy.
• Social Studies (Paper II): history, geography, social and political life. Also pedagogy.

Preparation Timeline

• Start 3–4 months before the exam. Most candidates are B.Ed or D.El.Ed students preparing alongside their course.
• CDP is the most important section. It's common to both papers and theory-heavy.
• About 50% of each subject section is pedagogy, so learn the teaching methods, not just the content.
• Use the NCERT textbooks for Classes 1–8 for the content sections.

Tips: Solve CTET past papers (2011–2026), since they repeat themes. There's no negative marking, so attempt all 150 questions.

Recommended

• Child Development & Pedagogy (Arihant / Pearson)
• NCERT textbooks for Classes 3–8
• Previous CTET solved papers (Disha / Arihant)