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CTET Eligibility Criteria 2026 - Age Limit, Minimum Qualifications & Reservation
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CTET Eligibility Criteria 2026 - The Central Board of Secondary Education has specified the CTET 2026 eligibility criteria in the official notification. Candidates can check the CTET eligibility criteria 2026 at ctet.nic.in. The CTET eligibility criteria demand that the candidates attempting the CTET exam must have passed class 12th and must be a diploma holder or graduate.
This Story also Contains
- CTET Eligibility Criteria Overview
- CTET Eligibility Criteria 2026
- CTET Eligibility Criteria 2026 – Important Points
- CTET Qualifying Marks 2026
- CTET Eligibility Criteria - Application Form
- CTET Exam Centres 2026
The CTET eligibility criteria 2026 take into account a candidate’s nationality, academic qualifications, percentage of marks secured in academics and other details. Candidates meeting the eligibility criteria will be eligible to fill out the CTET 2026 application form. The CTET exam is held twice annually. For more details regarding the CTET eligibility criteria 2026, candidates can consult the material below.
CTET Eligibility Criteria Overview
Exam Name | Central Teacher Eligibility Test 2026 |
Examination Body | Central Board of Secondary Education |
Official website | ctet.nic.in |
Exam level | National |
CTET Eligibility criteria 2026 | Nationality - Indian |
CTET Eligibility Criteria 2026
To be eligible to attempt the CTET February 2026 exam, candidates must satisfy the minimum qualifications in accordance with
The NCTE Regulations (As per the amendments made from time to time)
The recruitment rules for the teachers of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangthan or Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, or the government where the school is situated.
The authorities determined the CTET eligibility on the basis of:
Nationality
Educational Qualification
How to crack CTET Exam?
Know all about the analysis and preparation tips to crack the CTET exam without any difficulty.
Check NowCTET Eligibility Criteria on the basis of Age
There are no age restrictions on applicants applying for the CTET exam.
CTET Educational Qualifications – CTET Paper-I (Primary Stage)
As per the CTET eligibility criteria 2026, candidates who wish to become government school teachers of classes I to V must at least fulfill one of the following educational requirements.
A candidate must have passed class 12th with at least 50% marks and must have passed or must be appearing in the final year of a 2-year diploma in Elementary Education
OR
Passed class 12th with at least 50% marks and must have passed or appeared in the final year of a 2-year diploma in Elementary Education, in accordance with NCTE (Recognition Norms and Procedure) Regulations, 2002.
OR
At least 50% marks in class 12th and must have passed or must be appearing in the last year of a 4-year Bachelor’s in Elementary Education (B.El.Ed.)
OR
50% marks in class 12th and passed or appearing in the final year of a 2-year diploma in education (Special Education)
OR
Graduation with 50% marks or more and a Bachelor’s in Education (B.Ed.) degree.
Note - A candidate who has a B.Ed. from any NCTE recognized institute will be considered for appointment as a primary school teacher provided that they undergo a bridge course in Elementary Education within 2 years of his/her appointment.
Check Here List of Other Government Exams
CTET Educational Qualifications – CTET Paper-II (Elementary Stage)
Those who wish to appear for the CTET February 2026 paper-II must at least fulfill one of the academic qualifications as listed below to become teachers for classes VI to VIII in government schools.
As part of CTET eligibility criteria 2026, candidates must have completed graduation in any discipline and the candidate must have passed or must be appearing in the final year of a 2-year diploma in Elementary Education
OR
50% marks in graduation and passed or appearing in 1-year B.Ed. course
OR
At least 45% marks in graduation and passed or appearing in 1 year B.Ed. in accordance with NCTE Regulations issued from time to time in this regard.
OR
At least 50% marks in class 12th and passed or appearing in the final year of a 4-year B.El.Ed.
OR
50% marks or more in class 12th and passed or appearing in the final year of B.A./ B.Sc.Ed. or B.A.Ed./ B.Sc.Ed
OR
At least 50% marks in graduation (BA, B.Com, B.Sc, BBA, BCA, B.Tech) and passed or appearing in 1-year B.Ed. (Special Education).
OR
Any candidate who has qualified a B.Ed. programme recognised by NCTE are eligible to appear for the exam. Moreover, anybody who’s pursuing a teachers’ education programme that is NCTE recognised can appear for the CTET exam.
CTET Eligibility Criteria 2026 – Important Points
The CTET 2026 exam is conducted to test the eligibility of candidates as teachers for classes I to VIII. Candidates who wish to teach classes I to V have to appear for CTET paper-I exam, while those who want to teach classes VI to VIII have to take CTET paper-II exam.
Candidates who meet the CTET eligibility criteria for both the papers are eligible to appear for both the papers if they wish to. Candidates who apply for the CTET exam 2026 successfully will be issued CTET admit card 2026. Given below are some important points related to CTET eligibility criteria:
Reserved category candidates (SC, ST, OBC and PWD) will get upto 5% relaxation in the minimum qualifying marks of the educational qualifications mentioned above.
Diploma and degree courses recognised by the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) will only be considered.
In the case of Diploma in Education (Special Education) and B.Ed. (Special Education) courses, those recognised by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) will only be considered.
A candidate with a Diploma in Education (Special Education) must undergo a 6-month NCTE recognised special programme in Elementary Education.
Educational qualifications mentioned in CTET eligibility criteria are applicable to teachers of Languages, Social Studies/ Social Science, Mathematics, Science, etc.
For physical education teachers, minimum qualification norms for these teachers as per NCTE regulations will be applicable.
For teachers of Art Education, Craft Education, Home Science, Work Education, etc. norms set by the State Government or other managements will be applicable.
If found out that a candidate does not fulfil the required CTET eligibility criteria 2026 and is still appearing for the exam will be rejected at any stage.
Post-Graduation with a minimum 55% marks or equivalent grade and three-year integrated B.Ed.-M.Ed as per the gazette notifications No. 459 and 462 issued by National Council for Teacher Education, New Delhi.
Also read: Basic Information about category-wise career exams
CTET Qualifying Marks 2026
Applicants who appear for the CTET exam must secure a certain minimum percentage of marks as per their category to clear the CTET cutoff 2026. The CTET 2026 minimum qualifying marks have been tabulated below.
CTET Qualifying Marks
Category | Cutoff percentage (out of 150) | Cutoff marks (out of 150) |
General | 60% | 90 |
OBC, SC, ST | 55% | 82 |
CTET Eligibility Criteria - Application Form
The Central Board of Secondary Education releases the CTET application form 2026 online at ctet.nic.in. The last CTET 2026 application form date will be mentioned in the notification. Before proceeding to fill out the CTET application form, applicants should check if they meet the CTET 2026 eligibility criteria. After checking the CTET eligibility norms, candidates need to first register themselves for the CTET 2026 exam and then proceed to fill out the applications.
While filling the CTET online form, candidates have to upload scanned images of their photograph and signature. Once the CTET application form 2026 is filled out, applicants can pay the CTET application fees depending upon their category via credit card, debit card, net banking, or UPI. Candidates who wish to appear for both the papers of CTET have to pay more than those who just want to appear for just one paper. The category-wise CTET 2026 application fee is provided below in the table below.
Other Teaching Exams:
CTET Application Fee
Categories | Fee for Paper-I or Paper-II | Fee for both Paper-I & II |
General/OBC (NCL) | Rs. 1000 | Rs. 1200 |
SC/ST/Diff. Abled Person | Rs. 500 | Rs. 600 |
CTET Exam Centres 2026
Candidates can select CTET 2026 exam centre cities while filling the CTET 2026 application form. The CTET exam will be conducted in about 184 cities spread across various states and Union territories of the country. The CTET exam centre venue and address will be mentioned in the CTET 2026 admit card.
The details mentioned in the admit card will include the state and city that candidates have selected, exam centre codes, and the address where the exam centre will be located. Applicants will be allotted CTET 2026 exam centres on a first-come, first-served basis. If all the seats in a particular centre are filled, candidates will be allotted the next nearest CTET exam centres 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: When will the CTET application form 2026 be released?
A:
The CTET 2026 application form link has been activated on November 27, 2025, on the official website.
Q: Is there any change in CTET eligibility criteria 2026?
A:
Yes, CBSE has added Post-Graduation with a minimum 55% marks or equivalent grade and three-year integrated B.Ed.-M.Ed as one of the CTET eligibility criteria 2026.
Q: Will the CTET 2026 exam be conducted twice this time?
A:
As of now, the CTET exam is conducted twice a year. In case, there is a change in the CTET exam cycle and schedule, the exam conducting body will inform the aspirants.
Q: What is the age limit of the CTET 2026 exam?
A:
There is no age limit to appear in the CTET 2026 exam. However, one has to attain the age of 17 years to be able to apply for the CTET exam. There is no upper age limit for the CTET exam.
Q: Who prescribes the CTET 2026 eligibility criteria?
A:
The CTET eligibility criteria is mentioned in the notification by the CBSE.
Q: Is it essential to have a B.Ed degree to apply for CTET?
A:
Yes, it is important to have the B.Ed degree to be eligible to apply for the CTET exam.
Q: In which paper will I have to appear if I wish to teach the students of Class 1 to 5?
A:
If you want to teach the students of class 1 to 5, then you will have to appear in paper 1 of CTET 2025.
Q: What are the minimum qualifying marks for the CTET exam?
A:
One needs to score at least 50 percent to be able to qualify the CTET exam.
Q: Is B.Ed compulsory for CTET exam?
A:
While a B. Ed degree is not mandatory for appearing in the CTET exam, It is a mandatory qualification required for teaching in all Government Schools, Kendriya Vidyalayas, DSSSB and Army/Air force Schools.
Q: What is the pass qualification for CTET?
A:
General category candidates must score at least 60% to pass the CTET exam, while reserved category candidates must score at least 55%, according to the CBSE qualifying criteria.
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Hello there,
Only a B.Tech degree is not enough to appear for CTET Paper 2. In order to become eligible you should enroll in a B.ED degree or D.EL.ED Degree. Even if you are in the first year of the required degree, you become eligible for the CTET Paper 2.
The CTET 2024 Level 2 (Paper 2) Sanskrit question paper and answer key for the December session are available for download. The exam was conducted on December 14, 2024.
As per the Careers360 page you provided, the provisional answer key was released on December 31, 2024. You can use the
Hello,
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) releases the CTET 2026 mock test in online mode on the official website.
You can access the mock test from official website in following way :
-
Visit the CTET official website.
-
Look for the mock test link on the homepage or in the
Hello,
The Institute code simply means that it's a postal code of the college you pursued your B.Ed or Teacher training degree.
Don't mention your college code. It is certainly different from the mentioned postal code.
You can find them on the marksheet, college website Transfer Certificate or Bonafide.
Hope
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