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CENTRAL TEACHING EXAMS · TEACHING

Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET): syllabus and eligibility

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CTET key facts
Conducting bodyCentral Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Official website ↗
PostsPrimary teacher eligibility, Classes 1 to 5 (Paper I), Elementary teacher eligibility, Classes 6 to 8 (Paper II)
QualificationThe CTET bulletin does not print a list of degrees. It says you must hold the minimum teacher qualifications notified by NCTE (see ncte.gov.in), or those in the recruitment rules of the government, KVS or NVS whose schools you want to teach in. SC, ST, OBC and differently abled candidates get up to 5% relaxation in the marks needed in that qualifying education. As an example of what employers ask, the KVS 2025 notification wants PRT applicants (who need CTET Paper I) to have Class 12 with 50% plus a two-year diploma in elementary education or a four-year B.El.Ed.
DomicileNot required
Selection stagesPaper I (for Classes 1 to 5) and/or Paper II (for Classes 6 to 8): 150 MCQs each, 2 hours 30 minutes, on an OMR sheet → Scoring 60% or more makes you CTET qualified → Jobs are filled separately through KVS, NVS, state or school recruitment notices that ask for CTET
Latest notificationCTET September 2026 Information Bulletin (22nd edition)

Last checked . Sources

We could not confirm every detail on this page against a current official notice. Check the CBSE website before you apply.

About CTET

CTET is an eligibility test that CBSE conducts for the Central Government. Passing it does not give you a job by itself; it makes you eligible to teach Classes 1 to 8 in central government schools such as KVS, NVS and Central Tibetan Schools, and in schools run by Delhi, Chandigarh and some other union territories. CBSE-affiliated schools also need CTET or a state TET for teachers of Classes 1 to 8 hired after 6 March 2012. The certificate is valid for life, and CBSE has fixed the 22nd edition for 12 and 13 December 2026.

Eligibility

Qualification

The CTET bulletin does not print a list of degrees. It says you must hold the minimum teacher qualifications notified by NCTE (see ncte.gov.in), or those in the recruitment rules of the government, KVS or NVS whose schools you want to teach in. SC, ST, OBC and differently abled candidates get up to 5% relaxation in the marks needed in that qualifying education. As an example of what employers ask, the KVS 2025 notification wants PRT applicants (who need CTET Paper I) to have Class 12 with 50% plus a two-year diploma in elementary education or a four-year B.El.Ed.

Other conditions

  • The September 2026 bulletin does not mention a minimum or maximum age. Age limits come from the recruitment notice of the job you apply for later.
  • Fee for the September 2026 edition: Rs 1,000 for one paper or Rs 1,200 for both (General and OBC-NCL); Rs 500 or Rs 600 for SC, ST and differently abled candidates. Bank GST is extra.
  • A score of 60% or more is a CTET pass. School managements may give concessions to SC, ST, OBC and differently abled candidates under their own reservation policy.
  • You cannot choose your exam city. CBSE allots it at random.

Selection process

  1. Paper I (for Classes 1 to 5) and/or Paper II (for Classes 6 to 8): 150 MCQs each, 2 hours 30 minutes, on an OMR sheet
  2. Scoring 60% or more makes you CTET qualified
  3. Jobs are filled separately through KVS, NVS, state or school recruitment notices that ask for CTET

Exam pattern

Paper I (Classes 1 to 5)

Mode: Pen and paper (OMR), main paper in Hindi and English · Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes · Negative marking: None

SUBJECTQUESTIONSMARKS
Child Development and Pedagogy3030
Mathematics3030
Environmental Studies3030
Language I3030
Language II3030

Paper II (Classes 6 to 8)

Mode: Pen and paper (OMR), main paper in Hindi and English · Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes · Negative marking: None

SUBJECTQUESTIONSMARKS
Child Development and Pedagogy3030
Mathematics and Science (for maths and science teachers) or Social Studies (for social studies teachers)6060
Language I3030
Language II3030

CTET syllabus

Child Development and Pedagogy (both papers)

  • Development and how it relates to learning, heredity and environment
  • Piaget, Kohlberg and Vygotsky
  • Inclusive education and children with special needs
  • How children think and learn, motivation, cognition and emotions
  • Assessment for learning and assessment of learning

Mathematics (Paper I)

  • Numbers and the four operations
  • Geometry, shapes and spatial understanding
  • Measurement, weight, time, volume and money
  • Data handling and patterns
  • Pedagogy: error analysis, diagnostic and remedial teaching

Environmental Studies (Paper I)

  • Family and friends, food, shelter, water and travel
  • Things we make and do
  • Pedagogy: scope of EVS, activities, experiments, CCE and teaching aids

Mathematics and Science (Paper II)

  • Number system, algebra, geometry, mensuration and data handling
  • Food, materials and the world of the living
  • Electric current, magnets, natural phenomena and natural resources
  • Pedagogy of mathematics and of science

Social Studies (Paper II)

  • History from the earliest societies to India after Independence
  • Geography: the Earth, environment, resources and agriculture
  • Social and political life: democracy, government, the Constitution and the judiciary
  • Pedagogy: sources, enquiry, projects and evaluation

Language I and Language II (both papers)

  • Unseen passages with comprehension, grammar and verbal ability questions
  • Pedagogy of language development and principles of language teaching
  • Language skills, errors and remedial teaching

What they ask

Each CTET paper has 150 one-mark MCQs in two and a half hours, and nothing is cut for a wrong answer. Pedagogy runs through every section: in Paper I maths, 15 of the 30 questions are about teaching method, and in Paper II social studies it is 20 of 60. Content questions follow the NCERT syllabus for the classes you want to teach, though Paper II questions can be set up to senior secondary difficulty. The language sections start with unseen passages and then ask how children learn a language.

How to prepare

  • Answer every question. CTET has no negative marking, so a blank scores the same as a wrong guess.
  • Give Child Development and Pedagogy steady time. It is 30 marks in both papers, and Piaget, Kohlberg and Vygotsky are named in the syllabus.
  • Study from the NCERT textbooks of the classes you want to teach, since the content questions follow that syllabus.
  • Pick Language I and Language II with care in the form. Both are compulsory, and Language II must be different from Language I.
  • Practise pedagogy and EVS questions with daily topic-wise quizzes on the free Improvam app.

CTET is one of the exams in the Improvam app. Open it to start a practice quiz.

Open in the Improvam app

How to apply

  1. Open ctet.nic.in or cbse.gov.in and use the Apply Online link during the application window.
  2. Fill in the form with your name and date of birth exactly as on your Class 10 certificate, and note the registration number.
  3. Upload your photo and signature, then pay the fee by debit card, credit card or net banking.
  4. Print the confirmation page for your records. You do not need to send it to CBSE.

Photo and signature

  • Photo: JPG/JPEG, 10 KB to 100 KB, 3.5 cm wide by 4.5 cm high
  • Signature: JPG/JPEG, 3 KB to 30 KB, 3.5 cm by 1.5 cm

Source: official instructions ↗

Resize your photo and signature for CTET

CTET FAQs

The September 2026 bulletin does not mention any minimum or maximum age. The age limit that matters is the one in the job notice you apply to after passing, such as KVS or NVS.

Sources

Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.

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