CTET December 2026 – Exam 12, 13 Dec, City Slip, Admit Card

About CTET and CBSE

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) runs the Central Teacher Eligibility Test for the Ministry of Education. Under the RTE Act, NCTE made a TET pass a minimum qualification for teachers of Classes I to VIII.

CTET applies to central government schools such as KVS, NVS and Central Tibetan Schools. It also covers schools run by several union territories, including Delhi.

CTET is an eligibility test. A pass lets employers consider you. The bulletin says plainly that it gives no right to a job.

This is the 22nd edition. CBSE first fixed it for 6 September 2026. In August it reopened applications after a Supreme Court review judgment on TET for teachers. It then moved the exam to December.

Key dates

Both windows have closed. If you applied in either window, you do not need to do anything until the city details appear. Counting back 15 days from 12 December gives 27 November (28 November if your exam is on the 13th). CBSE has not printed a calendar date, though.

Eligibility for Paper I and Paper II

Paper I is for anyone who wants to teach Classes I to V. Paper II is for Classes VI to VIII. To teach both levels, you sit both papers.

The bulletin does not list degrees itself. It says the minimum qualifications are those notified by NCTE. To check yours, it sends you to the NCTE website (ncte.gov.in). The recruitment rules of the state, KVS or NVS also apply. It prints no age limit.

Still, it prints a few rules:

• SC, ST, OBC and differently abled candidates get up to 5% relaxation in the marks of their minimum qualification.
• The form lets you mark your qualifying exam as “Appearing in Final Exam”, so final-year students could apply.
• CBSE does not verify eligibility at the exam. The recruiting agency checks it later, and you are responsible if you are not eligible.

Fee

The bank adds GST on top. Payment was online only, by debit card, credit card or net banking. CBSE does not refund the fee or carry it over to a later test.

How to download the city slip and admit card

1. Open ctet.nic.in and look for the CTET 2026 login.
2. Log in with your Registration No./Application No. and the password you chose. The bulletin names these as your login for every later visit.
3. About 15 days before the exam, check your exam city and your allotted date (12 or 13 December).
4. Two days before the exam, download the admit card. It carries the centre address.
5. Match the name, photo, signature and other details with your confirmation page. If anything differs, contact the CTET Unit at once (011-24050477, ctet.cbse@nic.in).

You cannot pick or change the city. CBSE allots it at random and rejects every change request. A question on Careers360 came up in November 2025, during the previous cycle. It asked how a student from Assam living in another state could pick a city:

“This year ctet examination centre choosing option isn’t showing ?” (Careers360, Nov 2025)

CTET has no such option (an answer on that page says you can; CBSE’s bulletin says you cannot). Plan your travel as soon as the city appears. CBSE allots each candidate one of the two days, so a friend may get a different day.

Exam pattern

Every question is a multiple choice question with four options and one best answer. Each carries one mark, and there is no negative marking. Each paper lasts two and a half hours. The main question paper is bilingual (Hindi and English). You answer on an OMR sheet.

In Paper II, Mathematics and Science carry 30 marks each. Maths and Science is for Maths and Science teachers. Social Studies is for Social Studies teachers, and any other teacher may choose either.

Language II must differ from Language I, and you pick both from 27 languages. Answer only in the languages on your admit card, or CBSE cancels your candidature.

CBSE’s bulletin put Paper II in the morning, 9:30 am to 12 noon. Paper I had the evening slot, 2:30 pm to 5 pm. That timetable was for the September date. The December notice does not repeat it, so go by your admit card.

Passing marks

You pass with 60% or more, which means 90 of 150. School managements may give concessions to SC, ST, OBC and differently abled candidates under their reservation policy. CBSE does not re-check or re-evaluate results.

After the exam, CBSE will publish the answer key and OMR images. The keys usually stay up for two to three days.

To challenge an answer, you pay a non-refundable processing charge of ₹1,000 per question. CBSE returns it after the result only if the experts accept your challenge. CBSE counts only paid challenges made online in time. The Board’s decision is final.

Certificate validity

The CTET certificate stays valid for life for all categories. You can take CTET any number of times, and you may sit again to raise your score. CBSE issues the mark sheet and certificate in DigiLocker, with an encrypted QR code.

Documents for exam day

• The admit card downloaded from the CTET website. Without it, the Centre Superintendent will not let you in.
• Carry a photo ID too. The bulletin lists pressing the invigilator to seat you without the admit card or photo ID as unfair means. Follow the instructions on your admit card.
• Your own black or blue ballpoint pen. CBSE will not supply one, and it rejects OMR sheets filled in pencil.
• For a scribe or 50 minutes of extra time: your original disability certificate or UDID card. Some candidates also need the Appendix V certificate (see below).

Scribe and extra time

CBSE offers a scribe, reader or lab assistant, 50 minutes of extra time, or both. Candidates with blindness, locomotor disability (both arms affected) or cerebral palsy qualify. They show the original disability certificate or UDID card.

Other benchmark disabilities qualify only with a limitation in writing, including speed. These candidates also bring the Appendix V certificate. A competent medical authority of a government healthcare institution must issue it.

Show these documents to the Centre Superintendent on exam day. Without them, you get none of these facilities.

The exam centre provides the scribe. You can meet the scribe for 20 minutes, one hour before the exam starts. Visually impaired candidates can ask for a large-font question paper.

Important instructions

• Reach the centre early. In the September schedule, gates opened 120 minutes before the test and closed at its start time.
• Leave behind phones, watches, wallets, calculators, geometry boxes, erasers, whitener and jewellery.
• You cannot change an answer once marked. Using an eraser or whitener on the OMR sheet is not allowed.
• Sign the attendance sheet twice. If you skip the second signature, CBSE treats it as an unfair means case.
• CBSE may compare answer patterns across candidates. If it finds the answers were not genuine, it may cancel the candidature of those candidates.

Aiming at Bihar’s BPSC TRE 4.0 teacher posts? Read our note there on whether this CTET counts. For college teaching and JRF, see the UGC NET December 2026 schedule.

For teacher vacancies that ask for a TET pass, see our teaching jobs and TET updates. Hall tickets for other exams sit in our admit card news.