The Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) is a national-level exam conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). By qualifying the same, candidates can apply for teaching posts in various Central and State Government schools. Thus, the CTET selection process is a single-stage OMR-based test of 150 marks. Candidates willing take the year 2026 exam, must be confused about the CTET Selection process, no worries we got you covered! Here we have provided all the necessary details regarding the CTET Selection Process 2026 in the article below. Read on, for more details.

• The CTET Certificate will remain valid for a lifetime.
• Candidates who qualify for CTET Paper I will be eligible to teach classes 1-5 while those who qualify Paper II will be eligible to teach classes 6-8.
• The further selection process for final appointment to the teaching posts may include interview and/or document verification depending upon the school the candidate has applied to.

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CBSE CTET Selection Process 2026

The CBSE CTET Selection Process 2026 is designed to assess a candidate’s eligibility for teaching positions in primary and upper primary schools. The process mainly includes a written examination conducted in two papers—Paper I for Classes 1 to 5 and Paper II for Classes 6 to 8. Candidates can appear for one or both papers depending on their preference. After the exam, CBSE releases the qualifying marks and certificates for successful candidates. Those who clear the CTET become eligible to apply for various teaching jobs across government and private schools.

CTET Selection Process: Highlights

All those candidates who are willing to take the upcoming CBSE CTET 2026 exam on 6th September 2026 & are still confused about the selection process. No worries! We are here to help you with all your confusion. Check the highlights below of CTET selection process mentioned in the table below: 

CTET Selection Process 2026

The CTET is a qualifying examination to determine the eligibility of candidates for teaching posts in Government Schools of the country. Candidates can attempt CTET Paper I to teach classes I-V or CTET Paper II to teach classes VI-VIII. They may also attempt both papers.  After qualifying the exam, candidates can apply for the relevant teaching posts. Important details for same are given below.

• According to the CTET selection process, the candidate must secure a minimum of 60% in the OMR-based test. Once the candidate secures 60% or more, he/she will be eligible to become a teacher at Private or Central Government Schools.
• Candidates from SC/ST, OBC, PwD categories may get relaxations in terms of minimum marks depending upon the school’s reservation policies.
• Candidates will receive an eligibility certificate once he/she clears the CTET 2026 exam. 
• Once the certificate is received, the candidate can apply to schools for the post of Teacher. 
• The candidates will have to undergo the selection process as specified by the institute they are applying to.

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Step-by-step CTET Selection Process 2026

The Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) is conducted by CBSE twice a year, qualified aspirants can apply for the recruitment process of teachers in the central government schools. It is a very important exam for aspiring teachers who want to make a career in teaching. It is important to know the CTET selection process, as it helps the aspirants to prepare better for the exam. Knowing the selection process of CTET will also help the aspirants to make the best use of their time and resources available to them to suit the selection criteria. The selection process for the CTET involves a series of steps which are outlined below:

Know Eligibility Criteria

CTET is an important requirement to become a teacher in central government schools. It is important to know the eligibility criteria for CTET to know whether you are eligible to fill the application form or not. It also help candidates understand the expectations and other requirements for being appointed as a teacher. Minimum age to appear in the exam is 17 years and there is no maximum age limit. 

Check the CTET Eligibility Criteria in detail.

Fill Application Form

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has finally started the CTET application process on 27th November 2025. All the interested and eligible candidates are advised to carefully fill all the necessary details and upload all essential documents at the official CBSE website. The application process consists of three stages - registration, filling of the application form and payment of the application fee. Candidates must make sure that they submit the application form before the last date i.e., December 18, 2025.

Check all the details of CTET Application Form here.

Download Admit Card

Candidates preparing for the CTET exam need an admit card to enter the examination center. Without the admit card, candidates will not be allowed to enter the centre. The Board releases the admit card a few days before the exam. It is necessary to carry a hard copy of the admit card along with the original ID proof like Aadhar Card, Driving Licence, PAN Card.

Check all the details related to CTET Admit Card details here.

Follow Exam Details 

CTET exam is conducted by CBSE and candidates who qualifies the CTET exam can further appear for the teaching exams for central government schools. CTET exam consists of two papers i.e. paper 1 and paper 2. Paper is for those who wish to apply for teachers of class 1 to 5 and paper 2 is for those who want to teach students of class 6 to 8. Candidates who wants to be eligible to teach students of class 1 to 8, they need to qualify both the papers.

Check the complete CTET exam process.  

Check Answer Key

CTET answer key will be released by the board on the official website, a few days after the exam. Candidates can check the answer and calculate the marks they can get in the exam. After the release of the answer key, candidates are allowed to raise the objection for wrong answers given by the board. After that the final answer is released by CBSE. The contesting against the answer key can only be done in the allotted time frame and not before or after the timeline. 

Check the CTET Answer Key details.

Examination Results

After a few days of the release of CTET final answer key, the result is declared. Candidates can check the CTET result from the official website by entering the roll number or personal details like name and date of birth. Candidates who score more than 60% marks for general category and 55% for reserved category.

Candidate can check the result details here: CTET result 

Written Examination

The CTET exam consists of two papers: Paper-I for candidates aspiring to teach classes I to V and Paper-II for candidates aspiring to teach classes VI to VIII. The exam is conducted in multiple choice question (MCQ) format and is conducted offline (pen and paper-based) mode. Each paper consists of 150 questions and carries a total of 150 marks.

Check Cut Off Marks

The general category students have to score 60% marks in order to qualify for the exam. Given below in the table is the category-wise CTET cut-off marks.

If you are preparing for the exam then you can download CTET Previous Year Papers here!

Download Certificate

Candidates who qualify for CTET are issued a certificate that is valid for 7 years from the date of declaration of results. This certificate can be used to apply for teaching jobs in central and state government schools.

The CTET certificate validity for all the categories has now been increased from seven years to lifetime.

Get CTET Exam Books for preparation!

We hope you found this article informative and helpful and please do not hesitate to contact us for any doubts or queries. You can also download our PrepMe247 App which is free and start preparing for the CTET examination or any competitive examination by taking the mock tests before the examination and getting an extra edge of confidence.