| December 2021 CTET Updates |
| Link for Mock Test and List of Practice Centres (TPCs) |
The Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) is the test to certify the minimum qualification required in India for appointment as a teacher for Classes I to VIII. Both the central and state governments of India conduct this test. It is mandatory for teaching jobs. The test conducted by the central government is Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET). The CTET was established when, following the provisions of sub-section (1) of Section 23 of the RTE Act, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) received notifications dated 23 August 2010 and 29 July 2011 stipulating minimum qualifications for eligibility to teach Classes I to VIII. Passing the TET, conducted under NCTE Guidelines, is an essential requirement for appointment as a teacher in any schools referred to in clause (n) of section 2 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE Act).
In 2011, all the working teachers needed to pass the examination within two years. Students with professional teaching qualifications of B.T.C (D.El.Ed), B.Ed, and B.El.Ed are eligible to take the test. They must score over 60% to pass. The TET certificate is valid for a lifetime in appointment processes. The national Ministry of Human Resource Development entrusted responsibility for conducting the CTET to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Delhi, which conducts the CTET twice a year. CBSE maintains the TET database and guides government bodies on conducting the test. The CTET is held in 20 Indian languages. The TET was made a necessary prerequisite for appointment as a teacher to meet the following objectives:
- To establish a national benchmark and standards for teacher quality and recruitment
- To encourage further improvement in the performance standards of teacher education institutions and their students
- To communicate the Government’s particular focus on teacher quality
There is no restriction on the number of attempts a person can take for acquiring a CTET Certificate. A person who has qualified CTET may also appear again for improving his/her score. There are two papers: Paper 1, for teachers of Classes I to V, and Paper 2, for Classes VI to VIII.
As per NCTE Notification No. 76-4/2010/NCTE/Acad dated 11.02.2011: A person who scores 60% or more in the TET exam will be considered a TET pass.
School managements (Government, local bodies, government-aided and unaided) may
consider giving concessions to person belonging to SC/ST, OBC, differently-abled persons, etc.,
following their extant reservation policy.
Institutions should give weightage to the CTET scores in the recruitment process; however, qualifying the CTET would not confer a right on any person for recruitment/employment as it is only one of the
eligibility criteria for appointment.
The examination is demanding. The qualification rate is 1-14% in the exams held so far. Successful candidates are eligible for recruitment as teachers in schools under the purview of the Central Government (Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), Central Tibetan Schools, etc.), and schools under the administrative control of the union territories (UTs) of Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT).
Minimum Qualification (As per january 2021 Notification)
Minimum Qualifications for becoming Teacher for Classes I-V: Primary Stage:
Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in the final year of 2- year Diploma in Elementary Education (by whatever name known)
OR
Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with at least 45% marks and passed or appearing in the final year of 2- year Diploma in Elementary Education (by whatever name known), following the NCTE (Recognition Norms and Procedure), Regulations, 2002.
OR
Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in the final year of 4- year Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.EI.Ed).
OR
Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in the final year of 2- year Diploma in Education (Special Education)*.
OR
“Graduation with at least 50% marks and Bachelor of Education (B.Ed)”
“(a) who has acquired the qualification or Bachelor of Education from any NCTE recognized
institution shall be considered for appointment as a teacher in classes I to V provided the person
so appointed as a teacher shall mandatorily undergo a six month Bridge Course in Elementary
Education recognized by the NCTE, within two year of such appointment as primary teacher”.
Minimum Qualifications for becoming Teacher for Classes VI-VIII: Elementary Stage
Graduation and passed or appearing in the final year of 2-year Diploma in Elementary Education (by whatever name known).
OR
Graduation with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in 1-year Bachelor in Education (B.Ed).
OR
Graduation with at least 45% marks and passed or appearing in 1-year Bachelor in Education (B.Ed), following the NCTE (Recognition Norms and Procedure) Regulations issued from time to time in this regard.
OR
Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in the final year of 4- year Bachelor in Elementary Education (B.EI.Ed).
OR
Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in the final year of 4- year B.A/B.Sc.Ed or B.A.Ed/B.Sc.Ed.
OR
Graduation with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in 1-year B.Ed. (Special Education)*.
OR
Any candidate having a qualified B.Ed Programme recognized by the NCTE is eligible to appear in TET/CTET. Moreover, as per the existing TET guidelines, circulated vide NCTE letter dated 11-02-2011, a person who is pursuing any of the teacher education courses (recognized by the NCTE or the RCI, as the case may be) specified in the NCTE Notification dated 23 rd August 2010 is also qualified to appear in the TET/CTET.
- Relaxation up to 5% in the qualifying marks in the minimum Educational Qualification for eligibility shall be allowed to the candidates belonging to reserved categories, such as SC/ST/OBC/Differently abled.
- Diploma/Degree Course in Teacher Education: For the purposes of this Notification, a Diploma/Degree course in teacher education recognized by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) only shall be considered. However, in the case of Diploma in Education (Special Education) and B.ED (Special Education), a course recognized by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) only shall be considered.
- Training to be undergone: A person with D.Ed (Special Education) or qualification shall undergo, after appointment, an NCTE recognized 6-month Special Programme in Elementary Education.
- The minimum qualifications referred above apply to teachers of Languages, Social Studies/Social Science, Mathematics, Science etc. In respect of teachers for Physical Education, the minimum qualification norms for Physical Education teachers referred to in NCTE Regulation, dated 3 rd November 2001 (as amended from time to time) shall be applicable. For teachers of Art Education, Craft Education, Home Science, Work Education, etc. the existing eligibility norms prescribed by the State Governments and other school managements shall be applicable till such time the NCTE lays down the minimum qualifications in respect of such teachers.
- A person who is pursuing any of the teacher education courses (recognized by the NCTE or the RCI, as the case may be) specified in the NCTE Notification dated 29th July 2011 shall be eligible for appearing in the CTET.
CTET 2021
In a notice dated 30th July 2021 and in light of National Educational Policy 2020, CBSE said the following.
“Upholding the purpose of TET, CBSE is committed to enhancing the quality of the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) in order to reflect its core purpose of attracting and filtering candidates with the aptitude and passion to enter the teaching profession. CTET should reflect the core and critical competencies to enter the teaching profession and measure these identified competencies with a fair degree of validity, reliability and fairness.”
“Within the existing syllabus of CTET and structure of the question paper, the question papers will be developed to assess less of factual knowledge and more of conceptual understanding, application, problem-solving, reasoning, and critical thinking. The focus will be on assessing candidates’ understanding of teaching the subject, their pedagogic content knowledge, their knowledge relevance of the subject in the school curriculum, and other dimensions of teaching the subject- such as pedagogic content knowledge that includes questions assessing planning of teaching-learning experiences, strategies for developing conceptual clarity, usage of teaching-learning aids, and assessment methodologies specific to the concept. A detailed assessment framework with measurable competencies, sample blueprints and sample questions will be released by the CBSE to enable aspiring candidates to prepare for the CTET examination.”
Tentative Date of Examination: December 2021/January 2022
The pattern of the Examination for both papers.
STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF SYLLABUS
(As per January 2020 notification)
Paper I (for classes 1 to V) Primary Stage
- Examination will be held in Online mode (The CBSE will set up facilitation centres in the districts where the candidates will be provided (free of cost) facility of attempting online mock test.)
- Mulitiple Choice Questions
- Duration of Paper : 150 Minutes (2.5 Hours)
- Number of Question : 150
- Maximum Marks : 150
- There is no Negative Marking
Structure and Content (All Compulsory)
| Subjects | Number of Questions | Marks |
| i) Child Development and Pedagogy (compulsory) | 30 MCQs | 30 Marks |
| ii) Language I (compulsory) | 30 MCQs | 30 Marks |
| iii) Language II (compulsory) | 30 MCQs | 30 Marks |
| iv) Mathematics | 30 MCQs | 30 Marks |
| v) Environmental Studies | 30 MCQs | 30 Marks |
| Total | 150 MCQs | 150 Marks |
Nature and standard of questions
The test items on Child Development and Pedagogy will focus on educational psychology of teaching and learning relevant to the age group of 6-11 years. They will focus on understanding the characteristics and needs of diverse learners, interaction with learners and the attributes and qualities of a good facilitator of learning.
The Test items in Language-I will focus on the proficiencies related to the medium of instruction.
The Test items in Language II will focus on the elements of language, communication and comprehension abilities.
Language II will be a language other than Language I. A candidate may choose any one language as Language I and other as Language II from the available language options and will be required to specify the same in the Confirmation Page.
The Test items in Mathematics and Environmental Studies will focus on the subjects’ concepts, problem-solving abilities, and pedagogical understanding and applications. In all these subject areas, the test items will be evenly distributed over different divisions of the syllabus of that subject prescribed for classes I-V by the NCERT.
The questions in the test for Paper I will be based on the topics prescribed in the syllabus of the NCERT for classes I – V, but their difficulty standard and linkages could be up to the Secondary stage.
I. Child Development and Pedagogy (30 Questions)
- Child Development (Primary School Child) 15 Questions
• Concept of development and its relationship with learning
• Principles of the development of children
• Influence of Heredity & Environment
• Socialization processes: Social world & children (Teacher, Parents, Peers)
• Piaget, Kohlberg and Vygotsky: constructs and critical perspectives
• Concepts of child-centred and progressive education
• Critical perspective of the construct of Intelligence
• Multi-Dimensional Intelligence
• Language & Thought
• Gender as a social construct; gender roles, gender-bias and educational practice
• Individual differences among learners, understanding differences based on diversity of language, caste, gender, community, religion etc.
• Distinction between Assessment for learning and assessment of learning; School-Based Assessment, Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation: perspective and practice
• Formulating appropriate questions for assessing readiness levels of learners; for enhancing learning and critical thinking in the classroom and for assessing learner achievement. - Concept of Inclusive education and understanding children with special needs
(5 Questions)
• Addressing learners from diverse backgrounds including disadvantaged and deprived
• Addressing the needs of children with learning difficulties, ‘impairment’ etc.
• Addressing the Talented, Creative, Specially abled Learners - Learning and Pedagogy (10 Questions)
• How children think and learn; how and why children ‘fail’ to achieve success in school performance.
• Basic processes of teaching and learning; children’s strategies of learning; learning as a social activity; social context of learning.
• Child as a problem solver and a ‘scientific investigator’
• Alternative conceptions of learning in children, understanding children’s ‘errors’ as significant steps in the learning process.
• Cognition & Emotions
• Motivation and learning
• Factors contributing to learning – personal & environmental
II. Language I (30 Questions)
a) Language Comprehension (15 Questions)
- Reading unseen passages – two passages one prose or drama and one poem with questions on
- comprehension, inference, grammar and verbal ability (Prose passage may be literary,
- scientific, narrative or discursive)
b) Pedagogy of Language Development (15 Questions)
- Learning and acquisition
- Principles of language Teaching
- Role of listening and speaking; function of language and how children use it as a tool
- Critical perspective on the role of grammar in learning a language for communicating ideas verbally and in written form
- Challenges of teaching language in a diverse classroom; language difficulties, errors and disorders
- Language Skills
- Evaluating language comprehension and proficiency: speaking, listening, reading and writing
- Teaching- learning materials: Textbook, multi-media materials, multilingual resource of the classroom
- Remedial Teaching
III. Language – II (30 Questions)
a) Comprehension (15 Questions)
- Two unseen prose passages (discursive or literary or narrative or scientific) with question on
- comprehension, grammar and verbal ability
b) Pedagogy of Language Development (15 Questions)
- Learning and acquisition
- Principles of language Teaching
- Role of listening and speaking; function of language and how children use it as a tool
- Critical perspective on the role of grammar in learning a language for communicating ideas verbally and in written form;
- Challenges of teaching language in a diverse classroom; language difficulties, errors and disorders
- Language Skills
- Evaluating language comprehension and proficiency: speaking, listening, reading and writing
- Teaching – learning materials: Textbook, multi-media the classroom
- Remedial Teaching
IV Mathematics (30 Questions)
a) Content (15 Questions)
- Geometry
- Shapes & Spatial Understanding
- Solids around Us
- Numbers
- Addition and Subtraction
- Multiplication
- Division
- Measurement
- Weight
- Time
- Volume
- Data Handling
- Patterns
- Money
b) Pedagogical issues 15 Questions
- Nature of Mathematics/Logical thinking; understanding children’s thinking and reasoning patterns and strategies of making meaning and learning
- Place of Mathematics in Curriculum
- Language of Mathematics
- Community Mathematics
- Evaluation through formal and informal methods
- Problems of Teaching
- Error analysis and related aspects of learning and teaching
- Diagnostic and Remedial Teaching
Environmental Studies 30 Questions
a) Content (15 Questions)
i. Family and Friends:
- Relationships
- Work and Play
- Animals
- Plants
ii. Food
iii. Shelter
iv. Water
v. Travel
vi. Things We Make and Do
Paper-II (for Classes VI to VIII) Elementary Stage
Structure and Content
| Subjects | Number of Questions | Marks |
| i) Child Development and Pedagogy (compulsory) | 30 MCQs | 30 Marks |
| ii) Language I (compulsory) | 30 MCQs | 30 Marks |
| iii) Language II (compulsory) | 30 MCQs | 30 Marks |
| iv) Mathematics and Science (for Mathematics and Science teacher OR v) Social Studies/Social Science (for Social Studies/Social Science teacher) *For any other teacher – either (IV) or (V) | 60 MCQs | 60 Marks |
| Total | 150 MCQs | 150 Marks |
Nature and standard of questions
The test items on Child Development and Pedagogy will focus on the educational psychology of teaching and learning, relevant to the age group of 11-14 years. They will focus on understanding the characteristics, needs and psychology of diverse learners, interaction with learners and the attributes and qualities of a good facilitator of learning.
The Test items in Language-I will focus on the proficiencies related to the medium of instruction.
The Test items in Language II will focus on the elements of language, communication and comprehension abilities.
Language II will be a language other than Language I. A candidate may choose any one language as Language I and other as Language II from the available language options and will be required to specify the same in the Confirmation Page.
The Test items in Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies/Social Science will focus on the concepts, problem-solving abilities and pedagogical understanding and applications of
the subjects. The test items of Mathematics and Science will have 30 marks each. The test items will be evenly distributed over different divisions of the syllabus of that subject as prescribed for classes VI-Vlll by the NCERT.
The questions in the test for Paper-II will be based on the topics prescribed in the syllabus of the NCERT for classes VI-VIII, but their difficulty standard, as well as linkages, could be up to the Senior Secondary stage.
I. Child Development and Pedagogy (30 Questions)
a) Child Development (Elementary School Child) 15 Questions
- Concept of development and its relationship with learning
- Principles of the development of children
- Influence of Heredity & Environment
- Socialization processes: Social world & children (Teacher, Parents, Peers)
- Piaget, Kohlberg and Vygotsky: constructs and critical perspectives
- Concepts of child-centred and progressive education
- Critical perspective of the construct of Intelligence
- Multi-Dimensional Intelligence
- Language & Thought
- Gender as a social construct; gender roles, gender-bias and educational practice
- Individual differences among learners, understanding differences based on diversity of language, caste, gender, community, religion etc.
- Distinction between Assessment for learning and assessment of learning; School-Based Assessment, Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation: perspective and practice
- Formulating appropriate questions for assessing readiness levels of learners; for enhancing learning and critical thinking in the classroom and for assessing learner achievement.
b) Concept of Inclusive education and understanding children with special needs 5 Questions
- Addressing learners from diverse backgrounds including disadvantaged and deprived
- Addressing the needs of children with learning difficulties, ‘impairment’ etc.
- Addressing the Talented, Creative, Specially abled Learners
c) Learning and Pedagogy 10 Questions
- How children think and learn; how and why children ‘fail’ to achieve success in school performance.
- Basic processes of teaching and learning; children’s strategies of learning; learning as a social activity; social context of learning.
- Child as a problem solver and a ‘scientific investigator’
- Alternative conceptions of learning in children, understanding children’s ‘errors’ as significant steps in the learning process.
- Cognition & Emotions
- Motivation and learning
- Factors contributing to learning – personal & environmental
II. Language-I 30 Questions
a) Language Comprehension 15 Questions
Reading unseen passages – two passages, one prose or drama and one poem with questions on comprehension, inference, grammar and verbal ability (Prose passage may be literary, scientific, narrative or discursive)
b) Pedagogy of Language Development 15 Questions
- Learning and acquisition
- Principles of language Teaching
- Role of listening and speaking; function of language and how children use it as a tool
- Critical perspective on the role of grammar in learning a language for communicating ideas verbally and in written form;
- Challenges of teaching language in a diverse classroom; language difficulties, errors and disorders
- Language Skills
- Evaluating language comprehension and proficiency: speaking, listening, reading and writing
- Teaching- learning materials: Textbook, multi-media materials, multilingual resource of the classroom
- Remedial Teaching
III. Language-II 30 Questions
a) Comprehension 15 Questions
Two unseen prose passages (discursive or literary or narrative or scientific) with questions on comprehension, grammar and verbal ability
b) Pedagogy of Language Development 15 Questions
• Learning and acquisition
• Principles of language Teaching
• Role of listening and speaking; function of language and how children use it as a tool
• Critical perspective on the role of grammar in learning a language for communicating ideas verbally and in written form;
• Challenges of teaching language in a diverse classroom; language difficulties, errors and disorders
• Language Skills
• Evaluating language comprehension and proficiency: speaking, listening, reading and writing
• Teaching – learning materials: Textbook, multi-media materials, multilingual resource of the classroom
• Remedial Teaching
Language-II 30 Questions
a) Comprehension 15 Questions
- Two unseen prose passages (discursive or literary or narrative or scientific) with questions on comprehension, grammar and verbal ability
b) Pedagogy of Language Development 15 Questions
- Learning and acquisition
- Principles of language Teaching
- Role of listening and speaking; function of language and how children use it as a tool
- A critical perspective on the role of grammar in learning a language for communicating ideas verbally and in written form;
- Challenges of teaching language in a diverse classroom; language difficulties, errors and disorders Language Skills
- Evaluating language comprehension and proficiency: speaking, listening, reading and writing
- Teaching – learning materials: Textbook, multi-media materials, multilingual resource of the classroom
- Remedial Teaching
IV. Mathematics and Science 60 Questions
(i) Mathematics 30 Questions
a) Content 20 Questions
Number System
- Knowing our Numbers
- Playing with Numbers
- Whole Numbers
- Negative Numbers and Integers
- Fractions
Algebra
- Introduction to Algebra
- Ratio and Proportion
Geometry
- Basic geometrical ideas (2-D)
- Understanding Elementary Shapes (2-D and 3-D)
- Symmetry: (reflection)
- Construction (using Straight edge Scale, protractor, compasses)
Mensuration
Data handling
b) Pedagogical issues 10 Questions
- Nature of Mathematics/Logical thinking
- Place of Mathematics in Curriculum
- Language of Mathematics
- Community Mathematics
- Evaluation
- Remedial Teaching
- Problem of Teaching
Science 30 Questions
a) Content 20 Questions
Food
- Sources of food
- Components of food
- Cleaning food
Materials
- Materials of daily use
The World of the Living
Moving Things People and Ideas
How things work
- Electric current and circuits
- Magnets
Natural Phenomena
Natural Resources
b) Pedagogical issues 10 Questions
- Nature & Structure of Sciences
- Natural Science/Aims & objectives
- Understanding & Appreciating Science
- Approaches/Integrated Approach
- Observation/Experiment/Discovery (Method of Science)
- Innovation
- Text Material/Aids
- Evaluation – cognitive/psychomotor/affective
- Problems
- Remedial Teaching
V. Social Studies/Social Sciences 60 Questions
a) Content 40 Questions
History
- When, Where and How
- The Earliest Societies
- The First Farmers and Herders
- The First Cities
- Early States
- New Ideas
- The First Empire
- Contacts with Distant lands
- Political Developments
- Culture and Science
- New Kings and Kingdoms
- Sultans of Delhi
- Architecture
- Creation of an Empire
- Social Change
- Regional Cultures
- The Establishment of Company Power
- Rural Life and Society
- Colonialism and Tribal Societies
- The Revolt of 1857-58
- Women and reform
- Challenging the Caste System
- The Nationalist Movement
- India After Independence
Geography
- Geography as a social study and as a science
- Planet: Earth in the solar system
- Globe
- Environment in its totality: natural and human environment
- Air
- Water
- Human Environment: settlement, transport and communication
- Resources: Types-Natural and Human
- Agriculture
Social and Political Life
- Diversity
- Government
- Local Government
- Making a Living
- Democracy
- State Government
- Understanding Media
- Unpacking Gender
- The Constitution
- Parliamentary Government
- The Judiciary
- Social Justice and the Marginalised
b) Pedagogical issues 20 Questions
- Concept & Nature of Social Science/Social Studies
- Class Room Processes, activities and discourse
- Developing Critical thinking
- Enquiry/Empirical Evidence
- Problems of teaching Social Science/Social Studies
- Sources – Primary & Secondary
- Projects Work
- Evaluation
Note: For the Detailed syllabus of classes l-VIII, please refer to the NCERT syllabus and textbooks
| Year | Previous Year Question Paper (Download) |
| 2020 | January 2021 Paper 1 || January 2021 Paper 2 |
| 2019 | July 2019 Paper 1 || July 2019 Paper 2 || & || December 2019 Paper 1 || December 2019 Paper 2 |
| 2018 | December 2018 Paper 1 || December 2018 Paper 2 |
| 2016 | Sept 2016 Paper 1 || Sept 2016 Paper 2 |
| 2016 | Feb 2016 Paper 1 || Feb 2016 Paper 2 || & || May 2016 Paper 1 || May 2016 Paper 2 |
| 2015 | Feb 2015 Paper 1 || Feb 2015 Paper 2 || & || Sept 2915 Paper 1 || Sept 2015 Paper 2 |
| 2014 | Feb 2014 Paper 1 || Feb 2014 Paper 2 || & || Sept 2014 Paper 1 || Sept 2014 Paper 2 |
| 2013 | July 2013 Paper 1 || July 2013 Paper 2 |
| 2012 | Novermber 2012 Paper 1 || Novermber 2012 Paper 2 |
| 2012 | Jan 2012 Paper 1 || Jan 2012 Paper 2 || & || May 2012 Paper 1 || May 2012 Paper 2 |
| 2011 | June 2011 Paper 1 || June 2011 Paper 2 |
| Answer Keys: 2021 Paper 1 || 2021 Paper 2 || July 19 Paper 1 || July 19 Paper 2 || Dec 19 Paper 1 || Dec19 Paper 2 || 2018 Paper 1 || 2018 Paper 2 |