CTET December 2026 Syllabus and Exam Pattern: Paper 1 and Paper 2 Sections, Exam on 12-13 December
CTET 2026 will be held on 12 and 13 December in offline OMR mode. Complete Paper 1 and Paper 2 pattern, section-wise syllabus including pedagogy, qualifying marks, lifetime certificate validity and a preparation strategy.
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CTET 2026: Exam on 12 and 13 December
The Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) 2026 will be held on 12 and 13 December 2026, rescheduled from the original September dates. The exam is conducted by CBSE in offline, pen-and-paper OMR mode.
The application window, including the reopened window from 25 August to 1 September 2026 and the correction window from 7 to 10 September, has closed. Candidates who have already applied do not need to apply again.
| Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam | CTET 2026 (December session) |
| Conducting body | CBSE |
| Exam dates | 12 and 13 December 2026 |
| Mode | Offline, OMR |
| Total marks | 150 per paper |
| Duration | 150 minutes per paper |
| Negative marking | None |
| Qualifying marks | 60% (90 out of 150) |
| Certificate validity | Lifetime |
| Official website | ctet.nic.in |
Which Paper Should You Take
- Paper I, for teaching Classes I to V
- Paper II, for teaching Classes VI to VIII
A candidate who intends to teach both levels appears in both papers.
Exam Pattern
Paper I
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Child Development & Pedagogy | 30 | 30 |
| Language I | 30 | 30 |
| Language II | 30 | 30 |
| Mathematics | 30 | 30 |
| Environmental Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Total | 150 | 150 |
Paper II
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Child Development & Pedagogy | 30 | 30 |
| Language I | 30 | 30 |
| Language II | 30 | 30 |
| Mathematics & Science or Social Studies | 60 | 60 |
| Total | 150 | 150 |
- MCQs with four options, 1 mark each
- No negative marking, attempt every question
- 150 minutes per paper
- Qualifying marks: 60%, that is 90 out of 150. Relaxation for reserved categories is as per the rules of the appointing authority.
- The certificate is valid for life, following the 2021 revision of the earlier 7-year validity.
Detailed Syllabus
Child Development & Pedagogy (both papers)
Concept of development and its relationship with learning; Piaget, Kohlberg and Vygotsky, constructs and critical perspectives; socialisation; heredity versus environment; individual differences; multi-dimensional intelligence; language and thought; gender as a social construct; assessment for and of learning, school-based assessment, CCE, constructing appropriate questions; inclusive education, children with special needs, disadvantaged and deprived learners, learning difficulties; how children think and learn, motivation, cognition and emotions.
Language I
Two unseen prose or drama passages plus one poem, tested for comprehension, inference, grammar and verbal ability (15 questions); and Language Pedagogy (15 questions), learning and acquisition, principles of language teaching, role of listening and speaking, challenges of a diverse classroom, language skills, evaluating comprehension and proficiency, teaching-learning materials and remedial teaching.
Language II
Two unseen discursive, narrative or scientific passages for comprehension, grammar and verbal ability (15 questions), plus Language Pedagogy on the same heads (15 questions).
Mathematics (Paper I)
Geometry, shapes and spatial understanding, solids around us, numbers, addition and subtraction, multiplication, division, measurement, weight, time, volume, data handling, patterns and money (15 questions); plus pedagogical issues (15 questions), nature of mathematics and logical thinking, its place in the curriculum, language of mathematics, community mathematics, evaluation, problems of teaching, error analysis and remedial teaching.
Environmental Studies (Paper I)
Family and friends (relationships, work and play, animals, plants), food, shelter, water, travel, and things we make and do (15 questions); plus pedagogical issues (15 questions), concept and scope of EVS, its significance, relation to Science and Social Science, approaches to presenting concepts, activities and experimentation, discussion, CCE, teaching material and aids.
Mathematics & Science (Paper II, 60 questions)
Mathematics (30): number system, algebra, geometry, mensuration, data handling, plus pedagogical issues. Science (30): food, materials, the world of the living, moving things, people and ideas, how things work, natural phenomena, natural resources, plus pedagogical issues including the nature and structure of science, approaches, innovation, teaching-learning material and evaluation.
Social Studies / Social Science (Paper II, 60 questions)
History: from hunter-gatherers to the national movement and India after independence. Geography: planet Earth, globe, environment, air, water, human environment, resources and agriculture. Social and Political Life: diversity, government, local government, livelihoods, democracy, state government, media, unpacking gender, the Constitution, parliamentary government, judiciary and social justice. Plus pedagogical issues, concept and nature of social science, classroom processes, developing critical thinking, enquiry and empirical evidence, sources, projects and evaluation.
Preparation Strategy
- No negative marking means attempt all 150 questions. A blank is always worse than a considered guess.
- Child Development & Pedagogy is the highest-yield section in both papers because the syllabus is finite and the questions are repetitive across years. Learn the theorists precisely.
- Pedagogy appears inside every subject section, not just in the first one, roughly half of the maths, EVS and science marks are pedagogy. Many candidates prepare only the content and lose those marks.
- Practise on OMR sheets under a 150-minute clock.
- Solve previous years' CTET papers; concept repetition is heavy.
What Is Not Announced Yet
The shift timings for 12 and 13 December, and therefore which paper falls on which day and session, were not published at the time of writing. These come with the admit card, expected about 2 to 3 days before the exam, with the city intimation slip roughly 15 days before.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. When is CTET 2026? 12 and 13 December 2026, rescheduled from September.
Q2. Can I still apply? No. The application window, including the reopened window and correction window, closed in early September 2026.
Q3. Is there negative marking? No.
Q4. What are the qualifying marks? 60%, that is 90 out of 150. Category relaxation follows the appointing authority's rules.
Q5. How long is the certificate valid? For life.
Q6. When will the admit card come? Expected about 2 to 3 days before the exam, with the city slip roughly 15 days earlier.
Q7. Do I have to take both papers? Only if you intend to teach both Classes I-V and Classes VI-VIII.
Conclusion
With CTET on 12 and 13 December 2026, candidates have close to three months. The scoring plan is straightforward: master Child Development & Pedagogy, prepare the pedagogy portion inside every subject section, and attempt all 150 questions since nothing is deducted for a wrong answer.
Disclaimer: Exam dates reflect CBSE's revised schedule for CTET 2026. Shift timings and the paper-wise day split had not been announced as of 20 September 2026. Verify the detailed syllabus against the official CTET information bulletin on ctet.nic.in.