CTET Paper I assesses eligibility to teach Classes I–V. It has 150 multiple-choice questions across five compulsory sections and lasts two and a half hours, with no negative marking. Prepare both the primary-school subject content and the teaching-and-learning topics in Appendix I of the official bulletin.
Check that Paper I matches your teaching route
Paper I covers Classes I–V; Paper II covers Classes VI–VIII. Passing CTET is one eligibility condition and does not guarantee a teaching appointment.
Confirm your qualifications against the current NCTE regulations and the recruitment rules of your intended employer before applying. Permission to take CTET does not mean that CBSE has verified your eligibility; the recruiting agency makes that final check.
The bulletin allows up to 5% relaxation in the marks of the minimum educational qualification for specified reserved categories. This is distinct from concessions in the CTET qualifying score. Check which rule applies to your category and intended recruitment.
Sources: CBSE CTET September 2026 official information bulletin — Information Bulletin, CTET-September 2026, including Appendix I (structure and syllabus) and Appendix II (conduct of examination); Eligibility Criteria | Central Teacher Eligibility Test | India — Eligibility Criteria page
What should you expect in Paper I?
Each of the five sections contains 30 questions worth 30 marks. Each question has four options with one most appropriate answer.
The main question paper is bilingual in Hindi and English. The language sections follow your selected Language I and Language II options.
Questions draw on the NCERT syllabus for Classes I–V, although their difficulty and connections can extend to the Secondary stage. Use the detailed CTET syllabus to identify what you need to review.
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Child Development and Pedagogy | 30 | 30 |
| Mathematics | 30 | 30 |
| Environmental Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Language I | 30 | 30 |
| Language II | 30 | 30 |
| Total | 150 | 150 |
Use the exact syllabus breakdown
Mathematics, Environmental Studies and each language section divide equally between content or comprehension and pedagogy. Child Development and Pedagogy has its own 15/5/10 breakdown.
Appendix I lists the individual topics. The summary below gives you a preparation map; use the full appendix to check coverage.
- Child Development and Pedagogy (30 questions): 15 on child development — the concept of development and its relationship with learning, heredity and environment, socialization, Piaget, Kohlberg and Vygotsky with critical perspectives, intelligence, language and thought, gender, individual differences, and the distinction between assessment for learning and assessment of learning; 5 on inclusive education and children with special needs; 10 on learning and pedagogy.
- Mathematics (30 questions): 15 content questions spanning geometry, shapes and spatial understanding, solids around us, numbers, addition and subtraction, multiplication, division, measurement, weight, time, volume, data handling, patterns and money; 15 on pedagogical issues such as the nature of mathematics, error analysis, and diagnostic and remedial teaching.
- Environmental Studies (30 questions): 15 content questions across the themes Family and Friends, Food, Shelter, Water, Travel, and Things We Make and Do; 15 on pedagogical issues, including the concept and scope of EVS and integrated EVS.
- Language I (30 questions): 15 comprehension questions on two unseen passages — one prose or drama and one poem — covering comprehension, inference, grammar and verbal ability; 15 on pedagogy of language development.
- Language II (30 questions): 15 comprehension questions on two unseen prose passages; 15 on pedagogy of language development, mirroring the Language I pedagogy topics.
Choose two different languages
Language I assesses proficiency related to the medium of instruction. Language II assesses language, communication and comprehension, and must differ from Language I.
The September 2026 bulletin lists 27 language options. Select both in the application and check the choices shown on your admit card. Follow the bulletin’s instructions for answering in those languages; choosing a different language in the exam can lead to cancellation.
Study content together with how children learn it
For each subject, pair revision of the listed content with its teaching and learning topics.
- Child development: cover the named theories and their critical perspectives, inclusive education, and assessment for learning versus assessment of learning.
- Mathematics: practise the listed operations and concepts, then examine error patterns and the diagnostic and remedial teaching topics.
- Environmental Studies: review all six themes and the syllabus’s integrated approach, including its links with Science and Social Science.
- Languages: practise the specified passage types and language-development topics. Language I includes poetry; Language II uses unseen prose.
- Use CBSE’s archived papers and final answer keys for timed practice. After marking, classify errors as content, pedagogy, comprehension or exam technique and revisit the relevant syllabus topic.
Sources: CBSE CTET September 2026 official information bulletin — Information Bulletin, CTET-September 2026, including Appendix I (structure and syllabus) and Appendix II (conduct of examination); Archive | Central Teacher Eligibility Test | India — Previous year question papers and final answer keys
Practice: interpret a calculation pattern
This original exercise practises the syllabus topic of error analysis. It asks for a procedure consistent with the written answers.
Practice task
Assume these are a pupil’s final answers for the stated sums: 23 + 45 = 68; 25 + 47 = 612; 31 + 29 = 510; 46 + 38 = 714. Describe one procedure that produces all four responses, then calculate 25 + 47 correctly.
Show answer
One consistent procedure adds the tens digits and the ones digits separately, then writes the two results side by side without regrouping. The correct sum of 25 + 47 is 72.
For 25 + 47, the separate digit sums are 6 and 12, producing 612 when joined. The other responses follow the same pattern: 6 and 8 become 68; 5 and 10 become 510; 7 and 14 become 714. Correct regrouping gives 6 tens plus 12 ones = 7 tens plus 2 ones = 72. The pattern supports this possible procedure; the answers alone do not prove the pupil’s reasoning. Asking the pupil to explain their work would help test that interpretation.
Understand the qualifying score and certificate
The bulletin states that a score of 60% or more is a TET pass. School managements may consider concessions for specified categories under their reservation policies.
The certificate is valid for life for all categories. Attempts are not limited, and qualified candidates may retake the test to improve their score.
CBSE provides digitally signed mark sheets and successful candidates’ eligibility certificates through DigiLocker. Qualifying does not confer a right to employment; the relevant recruitment requirements still apply.
Check the revised schedule before making plans
The original September 6, 2026 date was superseded by a reopening notice. Use CBSE’s current notices and your admit card for the confirmed arrangements.
CBSE reopened applications from August 25 to September 1, 2026. Its August 25 notice said a revised examination date would be announced after the portal closed; candidates who had already applied successfully did not need to reapply. The later correction window closed on September 10.
Those application and correction windows have passed. Do not use the original September timetable, arrival time or tentative result month to book travel for the revised examination.
For this edition, the bulletin lists one-paper fees of Rs.1000 for General/OBC-NCL candidates and Rs.500 for SC/ST/differently-abled candidates. Both papers cost Rs.1200 or Rs.600 respectively, with applicable GST extra. Check a future edition’s own bulletin before paying.
Sources: CBSE CTET September 2026 official information bulletin — Information Bulletin, CTET-September 2026, including Appendix I (structure and syllabus) and Appendix II (conduct of examination); CBSE CTET September 2026 reopening of applications notice — Public notice dated 25 August 2026; Central Teacher Eligibility Test | CTET | India — Homepage public notices, including CTET SEP 2026 correction window
Your exam-day checklist
Read the OMR answer-sheet instructions and follow the arrival time and identification requirements in your current admit-card instructions.
- Bring your downloaded admit card and the required identification; verify the venue and reporting time.
- Use a good-quality black or blue ballpoint pen. Pencil-filled OMR sheets are rejected.
- Darken one answer circle completely. Multiple marks do not earn credit, and erasers and correction fluid are prohibited.
- Enter the booklet number correctly, keep rough work in the test booklet, and avoid stray marks or folding the OMR sheet.
- Follow the attendance-signature and OMR hand-in instructions, and check the list of prohibited belongings.
- If you require disability-related arrangements, check the current eligibility, documentation and application procedure in the official notices.
Sources: CBSE CTET September 2026 official information bulletin — Information Bulletin, CTET-September 2026, including Appendix I (structure and syllabus) and Appendix II (conduct of examination); Central Teacher Eligibility Test | CTET | India — Homepage public notices, including CTET SEP 2026 correction window
Sources
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