CTET (Central Teacher Eligibility Test) — Syllabus & Exam Pattern

Free preparation for CTET (Central Teacher Eligibility Test) — the official exam pattern and topic-wise syllabus are below. Start preparing from home, without books.

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Exam Pattern

Conducting body: Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Purpose: CTET is an eligibility test for appointment as a teacher for Classes I–VIII in Central Government schools (KVS, NVS, central Tibetan schools, schools under UT administrations, etc.) and is accepted by many State Government and private schools as well. Clearing CTET does not by itself guarantee a job — it only makes you eligible to apply. There are two papers: - Paper I — for candidates who intend to teach Classes I to V (primary stage). - Paper II — for candidates who intend to teach Classes VI to VIII (elementary stage). A candidate who wishes to teach both levels appears in both papers. STRUCTURE OF EACH PAPER: 150 multiple-choice questions, 150 marks, duration 2 hours 30 minutes. There is NO negative marking. Paper I sections (30 questions / 30 marks each): Child Development & Pedagogy; Language I; Language II; Mathematics; Environmental Studies. Paper II sections: Child Development & Pedagogy (30/30); Language I (30/30); Language II (30/30); and then EITHER Mathematics & Science (60/60) for a Maths/Science teacher OR Social Studies / Social Science (60/60) for a Social Studies teacher. QUALIFYING: a candidate must score at least 60% (i.e., 90 out of 150) to be declared CTET-qualified; CBSE allows relaxation for reserved categories as per its rules. The CTET certificate is valid for the candidate's lifetime. This pattern has been stable for years; confirm the fine print (fees, relaxations, language options) against the current CTET notification on ctet.nic.in.

Syllabus (topic-wise)

Child Development & Pedagogy (both papers): concept of development and its relation to learning; principles of the development of children; influence of heredity & environment; socialisation; Piaget, Kohlberg & Vygotsky; child-centred & progressive education; intelligence & multi-dimensional intelligence; language & thought; gender roles; individual differences among learners; assessment for and of learning; inclusive education & children with special needs; learning & pedagogy.
Language I (the medium of instruction): reading comprehension (prose / poetry) plus the pedagogy of language development — learning & acquisition, principles of language teaching, role of listening & speaking, remedial teaching and evaluation.
Language II (a language different from Language I): comprehension of two unseen passages plus the pedagogy of language development, as above.
Mathematics (Paper I): numbers, the four operations, measurement, weight, time, volume, data handling, patterns, money, geometry & shapes; plus pedagogical issues — nature of mathematics, its place in the curriculum, evaluation and remedial teaching.
Environmental Studies (Paper I): family & friends, food, shelter, water, travel, and things we make and do; plus pedagogy — significance of EVS, concept & scope, learning principles, activity, experimentation, discussion and continuous evaluation.
Mathematics & Science (Paper II, for Maths / Science teachers): number system, algebra, geometry, mensuration and data handling; and Science — food, materials, the world of the living, moving things, how things work, natural phenomena & resources; plus science pedagogy.
Social Studies / Social Science (Paper II, for Social Studies teachers): History, Geography, and Social & Political Life; plus pedagogical issues — concept & nature of social science, classroom processes, developing critical thinking, enquiry, evaluation, sources and projects.

Official source: https://ctet.nic.in/

⚠️ Always confirm against that year's official notification — the exam pattern and syllabus can change. This page is free guidance only.