CTET (Central Teacher Eligibility Test)

As per CBSE's public notices, the 22nd edition of CTET (the "CTET September 2026" cycle) will be held on 12 and 13 December 2026. It was first set for 6 September 2026. On 25 August 2026, in view of a Supreme Court judgment, CBSE re-opened applications from 25 August to 1 September 2026 and said the revised date would follow; the new dates were notified on 14 September 2026.

CTET has two papers: Paper I for those who intend to teach classes I–V and Paper II for classes VI–VIII (take both to teach both levels). Each paper has 150 multiple-choice questions for 150 marks in 2 hours 30 minutes, with no negative marking, on an OMR answer sheet. CBSE allots each candidate's exam date and city: the city and date appear on the CTET portal 15 days before the exam, and the e-admit card two days before.

Which paper is on which date, and the December shift timings, are awaiting official confirmation. Check ctet.nic.in for the city-intimation notice.

Applications for the 22nd edition are closed: the last window ran from 25 August to 1 September 2026. Use these steps for the next edition, and always follow that edition's Information Bulletin.

1. Apply online only, on ctet.nic.in (or cbse.gov.in).
2. Choose the paper: Paper I (classes I–V), Paper II (classes VI–VIII) or both. The fee for both papers is higher than for one (see the fee details below).
3. For Paper II, choose one subject: Mathematics & Science or Social Studies/Social Science. A Paper II application without a subject is rejected and the fee forfeited.
4. Choose Language I and a different Language II from the 27 languages offered. You must answer those sections in exactly these languages.
5. Upload your photo and signature as specified in the bulletin.
6. Pay the fee online (it is non-refundable) and save the confirmation page.

There is no exam-city choice: CBSE allots the city at random and does not accept requests to change it.

Common mistakes

• Name or date of birth that does not match your documents.
• Wrong category, paper, Paper II subject or language. In this edition a correction was allowed only once, in short notified windows.
• Leaving payment to the last day.
• Not saving the confirmation page.

The CBSE bulletin already fixes the section split and how many questions come from each part (for example content vs pedagogy), so weightage here is about topics within those parts. Counts come only from question papers CBSE itself released; each view shows how many papers were counted and how much a topic varies between them. Our editorial importance rating is a separate column, and none of this is a probability of what will be asked.

CBSE has published past CTET question papers on ctet.nic.in (Archive → Question Paper), from December 2018 to February 2026, and final answer keys on a separate page. We are adding these officially released papers as we verify them, with attribution and our own step-by-step solutions, so you can practice them as timed mocks.

We do not use memory-based papers or papers copied from other websites.

CTET is an eligibility test, not a recruitment exam. If you score 60% or more you get an eligibility certificate, issued digitally in DigiLocker and valid for life for all categories. Qualifying CTET does not give a right to a job: it is only one of the eligibility conditions for appointment.

Jobs come through separate recruitment by bodies that accept CTET: Central Government schools (such as KVS, NVS and Central Tibetan Schools) and schools of the Union Territories named in the bulletin; unaided private schools may also consider it. State Government, local body and aided schools consider the State TET, though a State may consider CTET if it does not hold its own. Each recruiter runs its own selection and verifies eligibility. There is no limit on CTET attempts, so you can sit again to improve your score.

CBSE shows your exam city and allotted date on the CTET portal 15 days before the exam. The e-admit card, with centre details, can be downloaded from the portal two days before. Log in with the details the portal asks for (usually your application number and password or date of birth).

Exam-day checklist

• Printed admit card.
• Your own blue or black ball-point pen; pencil is not allowed.
• Any photo ID or other document the admit card asks for.
• Report 120 minutes before the test starts: there is no entry after it begins.
• Only the items your admit card permits. Follow the instructions printed on your admit card.

OMR do's and don'ts

• Darken only one circle per question, fully. If more than one circle is darkened, no mark is awarded.
• Answers cannot be changed, and eraser or whitener is not allowed: decide first, then darken.
• Fill your roll number, booklet code and other details exactly as instructed.
• Answer Language I and Language II only in the languages you opted for (shown on your admit card). Attempting them in any other language cancels your candidature.
• No stray marks on the OMR sheet.

After the exam, CBSE displays the provisional answer keys and scanned OMR sheets on ctet.nic.in for a short period (likely 2–3 days, as per the public notice). Each correct answer earns 1 mark and there is no negative marking, so:

Your score = number of correct answers (out of 150). A question with more than one circle darkened gets no mark. You pass CTET with 60% or more, which is at least 90 of 150. Enter your responses in our score calculator to check them against the key.

Challenging a key

• Challenge only during the display window, following the steps in CBSE's notice.
• The fee is ₹1,000 per question. It is non-refundable, and refunded only if your challenge is accepted.
• Back each challenge with proof: CBSE refers candidates to the NCERT syllabus and textbooks for classes I–VIII for detailed content.
• The result is prepared on the final keys. No grievance about keys is entertained after the result, and there is no re-evaluation or re-checking.

60 days out

• Take a free mock for your paper (free practice) to find your weakest section.
• Start with Child Development & Pedagogy (30 questions in both papers), then work through the NCERT textbooks for your stage alongside the pedagogy of each subject.
• Pedagogy is a big share everywhere: 15 of 30 questions in each language section are on pedagogy of language development, and in Paper I, 15 of 30 in Maths and in EVS are on pedagogical issues.
• Every day: one daily sprint and Today's 3 tasks in your workspace.

30 days out

• One full 150-question mock a week in OMR mode, in one 2 h 30 min sitting.
• Practice comprehension passages in both your chosen languages.
• Log every wrong answer with its reason in your Mistake Notebook.

15 days out

• Two full mocks a week. With no negative marking, answer every question, then use spare minutes on the ones you marked doubtful.
• Revise pedagogy terms and your Mistake Notebook.

7 days out

• One last full mock, then light revision.
• Check your exam city and date on the CTET portal and download the admit card when it opens; plan to reach 120 minutes early.

This is a guide, not a promise of marks: adjust it to your mock results.