Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) 2020–21 — Dates, Eligibility, Syllabus
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) organizes the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) for the recruitment of teachers for Primary (I to V) and Elementary (VI to VIII) level. CTET exam is conducted twice a year in July and December. As per the latest update released on March 23, 2020, over 30 lakh candidates applied for the CTET July session. The Central Teacher Eligibility Test exam is divided into two levels -
CBSE published the official brochure of CTET 2020 on January 23, 2020. The online application form was made available for the eligible candidates from January 24, 2020 to February 24, 2020. The last date to submit the same was further extended to March 2, 2020 and then again to March 9, 2020. The CTET registration window has now been closed.
Important Update: CBSE has delayed the CTET 2020 exam date due to COVID-19. The exam was earlier planned on July 5, 2020 and the admit card was slated to be issued in the third week of June 2020. The board will soon declare the official notification mentioning the updated schedule of these events along with the result date.
The Central Teacher Eligibility Test is conducted in two shifts — Paper I and Paper II. The time slot for Paper I is 9:30 AM to 12:00 noon and Paper II is 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM. The provisional and final answer keys of CTET are published online before the result declaration.
The board will announce the list of qualified candidates and release their marksheets and eligibility certificates. The qualifying score for CTET exam is 60% for general candidates. However, there is a certain relaxation in the qualifying score requirement for the reserved category candidates. CTET eligibility certificate holders can apply for the post of teacher at various Central and State Government schools across India. Stay on this page to get the latest updates on Central Teacher Eligibility Test 2020.
CBSE will declare the official notification for CTET exam date and other related events shortly. Refer to the below-given table for the schedule of CTET events:
Events Calendar for CTET 2020
Note: The above schedule of the CTET exam is applicable for both Paper I and Paper II.
CTET — Exam Timings (Paper I and II)
The examination timings of Paper I and Paper II along with other important slots are mentioned below:
CTET 2020 Time Slots
CTET — Eligibility Criteria
Aspirants who wish to apply for the CTET exam must check the eligibility criteria in advance. The eligibility requirements set by CBSE are as under:
Age Bar
No age limit is defined for the candidates applying for CTET
Nationality
Candidates must be citizens of India
Educational Qualification
The academic qualification for both Paper I and Paper II of CTET are mentioned below:
Paper-I (Primary Level)
According to the eligibility norms set by CBSE for Primary stage, candidates must fulfil any of the below-given conditions:
Aspirants must have passed class 12th with minimum aggregate score of 50% and posses or should be appearing in the last year of a two-year diploma course in Elementary Education as per the norms of NCTE (Recognition Norms and Procedure), Regulations, 2002
Aspirants should have obtained minimum 50% aggregate marks in class 12th and must also have cleared or must be appearing in the final year of a four-year Bachelor course in Elementary Education (B.El.Ed.)
Aspirants must have obtained 50% marks in class 12th and also completed a two-year diploma program in Special Education. The final year candidates are also eligible.
Candidates who’ve obtained a score of 50% or more in graduation and possess a Bachelor degree in Education (B.Ed.) can also apply
Paper-II (Elementary Stage)
Candidates applying for Paper II or Elementary Stage of CTET will have to meet any of the below given educational qualifications:
Aspirants must be a graduate in any stream and must have cleared a two-year diploma course in Elementary Education. Candidates in the last year of diploma are also eligible.
Those who have scored 45% marks in graduation and completed or appearing in one year B.Ed. course as per NCTE Regulations can apply
Candidates must have secured minimum aggregate marks of 50% in class 12th and completed or appearing in the final year of the four-year B.El.Ed programme
Aspirants must have obtained 50% marks or more in class 12th and completed or appearing in the final year of or B.A.Ed./B.Sc.Ed and B.A./B.Sc.Ed
Candidates who have obtained a 50% score in graduation and have completed or are appearing in one-year B.Ed. (Special Education) course can apply
CTET Application Form 2020
CTET 2020 application form was available online for the eligible candidates from January 24, 2020 till March 9, 2020. Candidates were also allowed to access the application correction window from March 19, 2020 to March 26, 2020. The registration process has now been closed.
The board expects candidates to complete the CTET application submission process with extreme perfection. For this, they must keep the below-mentioned important details and documents ready before filling the form:
- One valid photo identity proof, mark sheets and certificates of past academic records, Aadhaar Number, valid mobile number & email address, passport size photographs, bank account details like debit or credit card number and net banking credentials
- Scanned images of candidates’ photograph and signature in jpg/jpeg format
- Use Web browsers like Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and above, Google Chrome 3.0 and above, and Internet Explorer 8 and above for online registration to stay away from any technical glitch
- Follow the prescribed format while uploading photograph and signature
Steps to fill CTET Application Form 2020
The application process for CTET is as follows:
Step 1: Online Registration
Candidates must register online by visiting the website of CTET — ctet.nic.in and clicking on the given ‘Apply online’ link. The system will generate unique registration numbers and passwords for each of the applicants that they should retain for further use.
Step 2: Fill Application Form
Candidates must log into their registered account with their registration number and password that was created during the registration process. Details like name, address, contact number, date of birth, category, languages offered, test centre preferences, academic information etc must be properly filled in the specified boxes of the CTET application form. . The board officials scrutinize the information provided by the applicants during the recruitment process.
Step 3: Upload scanned images
In this step, candidates have to upload the scanned images of signature and photograph. The dimensions and format are predefined by the board. High quality scanned images (with no distortion) are accepted. The format of the documents must be in JPG or JPEG. The specifications are as under:
Step 4: Pay Application Fee
Once the applicants upload the scanned documents, they will be redirected to the payment window. For application fee payment, candidates can choose debit card/credit card/net banking/e challan mode. E-challan must be submitted at Canara or Syndicate Bank branches only. The challan receipt is required to be presented during the recruitment process.
Step 5: Take Printout of Confirmation Page
After application fee payment, candidates will be directed to the confirmation page where the download tab is given. Printouts of the application form submission acknowledgement page must be retained for further use.
CTET application fee amount is not the same for all the categories and papers. Candidates must pay the application fee before deadline through online or offline modes. The table given below states the category-wise application fee details:
Application Fee Details
CTET 2020 admit card is an important document that the test takers must carry while appearing for the exam. It contains exam related information such as date & time of test, name & address of exam centre, test duration and other crucial details. Any kind of discrepancy or error in the admit card shall be corrected by the concerned authority once candidates report the same before the examination date.
Candidates who complete the application process can access the hall ticket from the official website of CTET. Examinees can download the CTET admit card on the official website only. Test takers will not get entry inside the examination hall if they fail to bring the hard copy of CTET hall ticket along with two photographs and one valid photo identity proof. The admit card contains the following information:
Candidates will get the choice to enlist up to 3 exam centres in order of preference while applying for CTET. Find the complete list of test centres along with city codes in the table below.
List of CTET Test Cities
CTET exam takes place in two stages — Paper I and Paper II. The exam pattern of both the papers is mentioned below:
The highlights of Paper I exam pattern are:
Number of Sections — 5 (Child Development and Pedagogy, Language I (compulsory), Language II (compulsory), Mathematics and Environmental Studies)
Mode of Exam — Offline or pen and paper-based
Medium of Exam — English or Hindi
Number of Questions — 150
Test Duration — 150 minutes (2 hours 30 minutes)
Type of Questions — Multiple choice or objective type
Marking Scheme — One mark is awarded for every right answer. No negative marking is applicable on wrong/ unattempted answers
Sectional Distribution of Marks and Questions in CTET Paper I Exam Pattern of CTET Paper II
The major facts related to Paper II exam pattern are as follows:
Number of Sections — 4 (Child Development and Pedagogy, Language I (compulsory), Language II (compulsory) and Mathematics & Science or Social Studies)
Mode of Exam — Offline (pen and paper-based)
Medium of Exam — English or Hindi
Type of Questions — MCQs or objective type
Number of Questions — 150
Test Duration — 150 minutes (2 hours 30 minutes)
Marking Scheme — One mark is awarded for every right answer. No negative marking is applicable on wrong/unattempted answers
Sectional Distribution of Marks and Questions in CTET Paper II
Candidates must learn about the topics and sections covered under CTET syllabus. The tables given below contain CTET 2020 syllabus for Paper I and Paper II:
CTET 2020 Syllabus for Paper I CTET 2020 Syllabus for Paper II
Candidates can refer to the sample papers or previous years’ question papers of CTET to enhance their level of exam preparation. With the help of these papers, they can get clarity on various factors like the types of questions, the nature of paper, marking pattern, difficulty level of the test, etc. Not only this, they can also gain speed in the test by solving sample papers on a daily basis.
Click to download CTET previous years’ question papers.
CTET — Exam Day Guidelines
CBSE provides certain guidelines to the test takers while appearing for the eligibility test. CTET 2020 exam-related instructions (as mentioned in the admit card) are as under:
CTET — Preparation Tips
Below given tricks and tips will help the candidates to prepare well for the Central Teacher Eligibility Test:
- Go through the complete syllabus and exam pattern of CTET to devise an effective study plan
- Solve previous years’ questions papers to get a fair idea of questions
- Make notes to improvise your preparation level and revision
- Enhance your speed by solving mock tests which also help you understand the interface of the exam
- Mark and revise the important topics frequently to memorize them
- Do not skip any topic or part during exam preparation for a holistic preparation
CTET — Recommended Books
Candidates must refer to the books of most competent writers/publishers while preparing for the exam. The subject experts and teachers suggest below given books for Paper I and II of Central Teacher Eligibility Test:
Recommended Books for Paper I and Paper II
CBSE publishes the official answer key for the CTET exam on its website. Other than this, most of the coaching centres and subject experts also release unofficial answer keys of CTET. Candidates can visit ctet.nic.in to access the answer key in PDF form. With its help, candidates can calculate their tentative score much before the result announcement.
The board also provides the facility of raising objection/s, if any, against the provisional answer key. Candidates have to mention their objections in the given format and submit the same along with a challenge fee of Rs 500 (per challenge) to the Central Board of Secondary Education through post or courier. The final answer key is then released by the authority after ascertaining all the objections.
CBSE declares the result of CTET on its official portal. The authority is yet to release the official notification of its result schedule. Candidates have to log in to their registered account with CTET and enter their roll number to see the result. The applicants who obtain 60% or above marks in each paper are said to be qualified in this test. CTET marks statement contains sectional and overall marks of the candidates along with their qualifying status. CTET 2020 result contains below given useful information:
Steps to Check CTET Result 2020
- Visit the official web portal of CTET (ctet.nic.in)
- Click on the link ‘CTET July 2020 result’ and go to the login page
- Enter your roll number and click on submit button
- Download the result and take the print out for further use
CTET — Qualifying Marks
Candidates who score minimum qualifying marks, as set by CBSE, are eligible for the CTET certificate. The board prescribes category wise qualifying scores for the candidates. Category-wise qualifying marks for the Central Teacher Eligibility Test are stated in the below-given table:
Test takers have to attain the minimum qualifying marks in Paper I and Paper II to qualify both the papers. Candidates securing lesser marks than the minimum cut off will not be eligible for the certificate.
CTET — Scorecard and Certificate
Candidates who appear for the Central Teacher Eligibility Test are eligible to receive a scorecard and the board issues along with the result announcement. Details like section-wise marks, overall score, percentage, etc. are clearly stated in the scorecard along with CTET qualifying status. Only qualified candidates who obtain 60% or more (55% in case of reserved category) get eligibility certificate which is valid for the next 7 years from the date of result announcement. There is no restriction on the number of attempts for the CTET exam.
CNSE creates a Digilocker account for CTET aspirants and shares its credentials with the candidates. Also, the conducting body uploads the CTET scorecards and certificates on Digilocker. Printout of CTET certificate and mark sheet is required at the time of appointment.
Note: It is mandatory for all the teachers appointed after March 6, 2012 to clear the Central Teacher Eligibility Test to teach Class I to VIII.
CTET — Pass Percentage (Yearly Statistics)
Candidates can check the previous years’ data of appeared & qualified candidates in the below given table:
CTET Pass Percentage Statistics
CTET cut off is the minimum qualifying score that the applicants must attain to clear the eligibility test. For General category candidates, the cut off is 60%. On the other hand, reserved category candidates need to score 55% marks. However, the Central Board of Secondary Education reserves the right to modify the cutoff marks on the grounds of various factors like the number of appearing candidates, difficulty level of the exam etc. CBSE will release CTET 2020 July cut off after the result announcement. Candidates can refer to previous years’ cut off in below-given table:
Category-wise Cutoff (2019) Category-wise Cutoff (2018)
