CTET December 2026: Exam Dates, Admit Card, Pattern and Passing Marks
The CTET December 2026 exam will be held on 12 and 13 December 2026. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) confirmed the dates for the 22nd edition of the Central Teacher Eligibility Test in a public notice dated 14 September 2026, after the exam originally set for 6 September was postponed. Here are the key dates still ahead, when to expect the city slip and admit card, the exam pattern, the passing marks and the exam-day rules to know now.
CTET December 2026: key dates
- Exam dates: 12 and 13 December 2026.
- Exam city and date intimation: on the CTET portal 15 days before the exam, which works out to around 27 November 2026.
- Admit card: on the CTET portal two days before the exam, which works out to around 10 December 2026.
- Applications: closed. The original window ran from 11 May to 10 June 2026, and a second window ran from 25 August to 1 September 2026. The correction window closed on 10 September.
The city slip and admit card dates above are calculated from the CBSE notice, which gives the gap in days rather than fixed dates. Watch the public notices on ctet.nic.in for the exact release.
Why the September exam was moved
CTET was first scheduled for 6 September 2026. CBSE postponed it following a Supreme Court judgment and reopened the application window from 25 August to 1 September, India Today reported. Candidates who had already registered did not need to apply again.
The background matters for many working teachers. In its 1 September 2025 judgment in the Anjuman Ishaat-e-Taleem Trust case, the Supreme Court held that TET is mandatory for in-service teachers who have more than five years of service left, and that TET is needed for promotion. In May 2026 the court refused to review that judgment but extended the deadline for in-service teachers to clear TET to 31 August 2028, as a one-time measure, LiveLaw reported. The court also directed that TET be held preferably twice a year.
CTET exam pattern
CTET has two papers. Paper I is for those who want to teach Classes I to V, and Paper II is for Classes VI to VIII. Candidates who want to teach at both levels take both papers. According to the information bulletin, each paper has 150 multiple-choice questions of one mark each, the duration is two and a half hours, and there is no negative marking.
Paper I (Classes I to V)
- Child Development and Pedagogy: 30 questions
- Language I: 30 questions
- Language II: 30 questions
- Mathematics: 30 questions
- Environmental Studies: 30 questions
Paper II (Classes VI to VIII)
- Child Development and Pedagogy: 30 questions
- Language I: 30 questions
- Language II: 30 questions
- Mathematics and Science (for Maths and Science teachers) or Social Studies/Social Science (for Social Studies teachers): 60 questions
The main question paper is bilingual, in Hindi and English. Language I and Language II can be chosen from the 27 languages listed in the bulletin, and Language II must be different from Language I.
How the exam is conducted
This is an important point, because some coaching sites describe CTET as a computer-based test. The September 2026 bulletin says answers are marked on an OMR answer sheet with the candidate’s own black or blue ballpoint pen. Pencils are not allowed. The exam city is allotted by CBSE on a random basis, and requests to change the allotted city or date are not accepted.
In the bulletin’s original schedule, Paper II was in the morning and Paper I in the afternoon, with reporting two hours before the start. The December shift timings and reporting times will be printed on the admit card, so check them there rather than relying on the September schedule.
Exam-day rules
- Carry your admit card and a valid photo ID.
- Stationery other than the admit card and pen, mobile phones, watches, wallets, calculators and other electronic devices are not allowed.
- Biometric verification may be carried out at the centre.
- Late entry is not permitted after the gate-closing time on the admit card.
CTET passing marks and certificate validity
Under the NCTE notification of 11 February 2011, a candidate who scores 60% or more is considered TET pass. On a 150-mark paper that is 90 marks. School managements may give concessions to SC, ST, OBC and differently abled candidates under their own reservation policies.
The CTET certificate is valid for life for all categories, and there is no limit on the number of attempts. Those who have already qualified may sit again to improve their score. Mark sheets and certificates are issued digitally through DigiLocker.
Where CTET is accepted
CTET applies to schools of the central government, such as Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and Central Tibetan Schools, and to schools run by the union territories named in the bulletin, including Chandigarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and the NCT of Delhi. Unaided private schools may also choose to consider CTET. Teachers in CBSE-affiliated schools for Classes I to VIII also need to have passed CTET or a TET. State governments may accept CTET if they decide not to hold their own TET.
Application fee (already paid)
- General and OBC (NCL): ₹1,000 for one paper, ₹1,200 for both.
- SC, ST and differently abled: ₹500 for one paper, ₹600 for both.
After the exam, CBSE displays the provisional answer key and scanned OMR sheets. Challenging an answer costs ₹1,000 per question, and there is no re-evaluation of the result.
A five-week plan
With about five weeks left, many candidates find it useful to split their time:
- Weeks 1 and 2: revise Child Development and Pedagogy, which is common to both papers, and your weaker subject.
- Weeks 3 and 4: take full-length timed tests on OMR sheets so that bubbling answers does not slow you down.
- Final week: revise notes, download the admit card as soon as it appears and check the centre address.
Other December exams to track include UGC NET December 2026 for postgraduates and the RRB NTPC 2026 graduate CBT. Students funding a B.Ed. or D.El.Ed. course should check the NSP scholarship verification dates, and teachers following school reforms can read our explainer on CBSE’s twice-a-year Class 10 board exams.
Frequently asked questions
When is the CTET December 2026 exam?
On 12 and 13 December 2026.
When will the CTET admit card be released?
Two days before the exam, according to the CBSE notice, so around 10 December 2026.
Is CTET December 2026 online or offline?
The bulletin describes a pen-and-paper exam on OMR sheets.
Is there negative marking in CTET?
No.
What are the CTET passing marks?
60%, or 90 out of 150.
Can I change my CTET exam city?
No. CBSE allots the city randomly and does not accept change requests.
Sources: CBSE public notice of 14 September 2026, the CTET September 2026 information bulletin, India Today and LiveLaw.
Featured image: Biswarup Ganguly / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (resized).
