CTET Eligibility 2026

CTET Eligibility

CTET eligibility follows the minimum qualifications set by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). You must be an Indian citizen. There is no upper age limit for CTET. Candidates who are appearing in the final year of the required teacher-training course can also apply.

Paper I (Primary teacher, Classes 1 to 5)

Senior Secondary (Class 12) with at least 50% marks (45% under the NCTE 2002 norms) and passed or appearing in the final year of a 2-year Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed); or
Senior Secondary with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in the final year of a 4-year Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed); or
Graduation and passed or appearing in the final year of a 2-year D.El.Ed.

Paper II (Upper primary teacher, Classes 6 to 8)

Graduation and passed or appearing in the final year of a 2-year D.El.Ed; or
Graduation with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in B.Ed; or
Senior Secondary with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in the final year of a 4-year B.El.Ed; or
Senior Secondary with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in the final year of a 4-year B.A./B.Sc.Ed or B.A.Ed/B.Sc.Ed.

Quick summary

Item	Paper I	Paper II
Classes	1 to 5	6 to 8
Base qualification	Class 12 (50%) or Graduation	Graduation or Class 12 (50%)
Teacher training	D.El.Ed / B.El.Ed	D.El.Ed / B.Ed / B.El.Ed / integrated B.A./B.Sc.Ed
Age limit	No upper age limit for CTET
Nationality	Indian

Relaxation and notes

Reserved categories (SC, ST, OBC, differently abled) get a relaxation of up to 5% in the minimum marks required in the qualifying examination.
Whether B.Ed holders are eligible for Paper I has been affected by court rulings, and news summaries differ. Read the eligibility clause in the official bulletin on ctet.nic.in before you apply for Paper I with a B.Ed.
CTET only gives eligibility. Age limits, extra qualifications and other rules for actual jobs are set by the recruiting body (for example KVS or NVS).

Source: CBSE Guidance Web (CTET Sept 2026 notification summary), Careers360 News (CTET Feb 2026 registration), Careers360 (CTET notification and pattern)