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.
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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
CTET Eligibility Criteria 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 Age limit - No restriction Educational Qualification - Passed class 12th, diploma or graduation.
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.
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.
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
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.
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: 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.
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 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: 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: 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 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: 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 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: Who prescribes the CTET 2026 eligibility criteria?
A:
The CTET eligibility criteria is mentioned in the notification by the CBSE.
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.
If you have qualified CTET under the OBC-NCL category but applied for the EMRS TGT post as a General category candidate, your candidature is generally not rejected only because the categories are different. What matters for EMRS recruitment is the category you selected at the time of filling the EMRS application form, since that is the category under which you will be considered for merit, cut-off and reservation benefits.
Your CTET certificate remains valid for all categories as long as you have scored above the qualifying marks. CTET does not restrict you from applying to any recruitment under a different category. Many candidates qualify CTET under one category but apply to different teaching recruitments under another category based on their preference or documents.
The only important point is that at the time of EMRS document verification, you must be able to provide valid proof for the category you selected in the EMRS form. If you applied as General, you will be treated as a General candidate during the entire recruitment process, and no OBC-NCL benefit will be given. Since your CTET marks are above the UR cut-off, there is usually no issue.
So, your candidature is unlikely to be rejected just because your CTET category and EMRS application category do not match. Make sure your documents for the category you selected in EMRS are clear and valid. All the best.
To check your CTET 2011 result without the roll number, you'll need to use the CBSE Duplicate Document System, searching for details like name, father's name, mother's name, and DOB on the CBSE Academic Document System portal, or try the older CBSEResults Archive with other info.
If you cleared CTET in 2018 under the OBC-NCL category, that certificate remains valid for eligibility as long as CTET validity rules allow it. However, for KVS PRT recruitment, your category is decided based on your
current
OBC-NCL status, not the one you had in 2018. Since you mentioned that in 2025 you no longer fall under OBC-NCL due to your father’s income, you will be treated as a
General category candidate
for KVS recruitment. You can still apply for the PRT post, but you must apply under the General category and will not get OBC-NCL reservation benefits. The CTET certificate is still usable; only the reservation category will change as per your present income and eligibility. All the best!
Your form will likely not be rejected if you can correct the error during the correction window, which CTET has provided in the past. If you miss the correction window, your form may not be rejected, as the institute PIN code is a detail that is less critical than your name or marks. You can also mention the error at the time of document verification.
