CTET September 2026 Notification Out — Apply Online by June 10, Exam on September 6

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released the official notification for CTET September 2026 — the 22nd edition of the Central Teacher Eligibility Test. Online applications are now open.

Key dates: Online registration started May 11, 2026 and the last date to apply is June 10, 2026 (11:59 PM). The exam will be held on September 6, 2026 (Sunday) in offline pen-and-paper mode. If candidate numbers are high, an additional day — September 5 — may be used.

Who should apply: Anyone wanting to become a teacher in Classes 1-8 at central government schools (KVS, NVS, Central Tibetan Schools) and CBSE-affiliated schools. CTET is a mandatory eligibility requirement — without it, you cannot be appointed as a teacher in these institutions.

Two papers: Paper 1 is for candidates wanting to teach Classes 1 to 5 (primary level). Paper 2 is for Classes 6 to 8 (upper primary). You can apply for both papers simultaneously if you want to be eligible for both levels.

Eligibility for Paper 1: Senior Secondary (12th) with at least 50% marks AND 2-year Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed) — completed or appearing in final year. B.El.Ed (4-year) graduates are also eligible.

Eligibility for Paper 2: Graduation with B.Ed from an NCTE-recognized institution. Candidates appearing in the final year of B.Ed can also apply. Post-graduates with 55% marks and 3-year integrated B.Ed-M.Ed are eligible.

No age limit: There is no minimum or maximum age limit for CTET. Anyone meeting the educational qualification can appear, regardless of age. There is also no limit on the number of attempts.

Application fee: ₹1,200 for General/OBC (one paper), ₹2,400 (both papers). SC/ST/PwD pay ₹600 for one paper, ₹1,200 for both. Payment through debit/credit card, net banking, or UPI.

Exam pattern: Each paper has 150 multiple-choice questions worth 150 marks. Duration is 2.5 hours per paper. No negative marking — attempt every question. Qualifying score is 60% (90 out of 150). The CTET certificate is now valid for lifetime (changed from 7 years in 2021).

Exam cities: CTET September 2026 will be conducted across 132 cities. Note that you cannot choose your exam city — CBSE allots it randomly. No change requests are accepted. Apply early for better chances of getting a nearby city.

Important: The correction window for application forms will be open from June 15-18, 2026. Use this to fix any errors in your submitted form. Admit cards are expected 2-3 days before the exam date.

For detailed preparation strategy, syllabus breakdown, and previous year papers, check our competitive exam guides. If you're also considering other teaching exams, compare CTET with state TETs in our comparison section.

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Published: 2026-05-12 • Source: Official government press releases and notifications.