Teaching & NET · Government Exams

CTET Exam Pattern

Every figure here is from the CTET September 2026 information bulletin, which governs the December 2026 examination.

CTET · checked 19 September 2026

The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.

Free CTET mock test CTET syllabus Today’s current affairs

19September 2026

Checked 19 September 2026

CTET: the facts that matter now

01
22nd edition — notified 8 May 2026 as CTET September 2026; applications 11 May – 10 June and a second window 25 August – 1 September 2026…
Current cycle
02
21st edition, 7–8 February 2026: 26,49,129 registered, 23,24,625 appeared, 5,97,061 qualified (25.68 per cent); result 30 March 2026
Last cycle
03
Central Board of Secondary Education (CTET Unit, Dwarka, New Delhi) on behalf of the Ministry of Education, twice a year, under the NCTE…
Conducted by
04
Paper I for classes I–V; Paper II for classes VI–VIII; both if you want eligibility for both stages
Papers

Pattern

CTET — CTET exam pattern 2026: Paper 1 and Paper 2, marking, qualifying marks and shifts

CTET is two pen-and-paper objective papers of 150 questions and 150 marks each, two and a half hours apiece, with one mark per question and no negative marking. Paper I is for classes I–V and Paper II for classes VI–VIII; a candidate may sit either or both.

Paper I — classes I to V.
Section	Questions	Marks
Child Development and Pedagogy	30	30
Language I	30	30
Language II	30	30
Mathematics	30	30
Environmental Studies	30	30
Total	150	150

Paper II — classes VI to VIII.
Section	Questions	Marks
Child Development and Pedagogy	30	30
Language I	30	30
Language II	30	30
Mathematics and Science, or Social Studies/Social Science	60	60
Total	150	150

Marking, qualifying and conduct.
Item	Detail
Marking	+1 per correct answer, 0 for wrong or blank
Qualifying	60 per cent (90/150); concessions for SC, ST, OBC and PwD at the school management’s discretion
Languages	Two chosen from 27; Language II must differ from Language I; the main paper is bilingual Hindi–English
Duration	2 hours 30 minutes per paper; PwBD candidates with a scribe get 50 extra minutes
Shifts	Paper II in the morning and Paper I in the afternoon on the September schedule; December shifts on the admit card
February 2026 pass rates	Paper I 33.69 per cent, Paper II 18.56 per cent, overall 25.68 per cent

Why Paper II passes fewer candidates

Paper II’s 60-mark subject block is a single specialisation — Mathematics and Science or Social Studies — tested with pedagogy, and candidates from a different graduation subject take it without the school-level depth it needs. The February 2026 figures, 18.56 per cent against 33.69 for Paper I, are typical.

Exam resources