CTET Exam Date 2026: 12–13 December, and an 8-Week Plan to Prepare

If you applied for the CTET this year, the date is now fixed. CBSE's CTET unit has announced that the 22nd edition of the Central Teacher Eligibility Test will be held on 12 and 13 December 2026, and this time it is a computer-based test. That gives you about eight weeks from today.

Many of you are already teaching, with periods, copies and duties filling your day. This guide gives you the key dates, the paper pattern, and a realistic eight-week plan built for working teachers.

CTET exam date 2026: what has been announced

According to Free Press Journal's report on the CBSE public notice of 14 September 2026:

• Exam dates: 12 and 13 December 2026.
• Mode: Computer-based test (CBT).
• Exam city and date: You can check your allotted city and date on the CTET portal about 15 days before the exam.
• Admit card: Available two days before the exam, with your centre details.
• Shift timings: To be shared on the CTET portal.

Working backwards, expect the city slip around the last week of November and the admit card around 10 December. Keep checking ctet.nic.in for the exact dates, as these are estimates from the notice, not announced dates.

What changes with a computer-based test

Earlier sessions, such as CTET February 2026, used OMR sheets. A CBT means you read on a screen, click to answer and move between questions with buttons. The questions are the same kind, but the feel is different. If you rarely take tests on a computer, practise that from week three onwards.

CTET paper pattern: Paper I and Paper II

Both papers have 150 multiple-choice questions for 150 marks, last 2 hours 30 minutes, and have no negative marking.

The February 2026 information bulletin says a candidate who scores 60% or more passes, reserved-category candidates may get up to 5% relaxation in qualifying marks, and the certificate is valid for life with no limit on attempts. Check the December notice on the CTET site to confirm these rules apply to your session too.

Since there is no negative marking, never leave a question blank. If you are unsure, eliminate what you can and choose.

An 8-week CTET plan for working teachers

The plan assumes about 90 minutes on weekdays and three hours on Sundays. Adjust it, but keep the order.

Weeks 1–2: Child Development and Pedagogy first

CDP appears in both papers and carries 30 marks. Start here because it also improves the way you read every other pedagogy question. Cover theories of learning and development, inclusive education, and assessment. After each topic, solve 20 previous-year questions on it. The point is to learn how CTET frames a question, which is often a classroom situation, not a definition.

Weeks 3–4: Your content subject

Paper I candidates: Maths and EVS. Paper II candidates: Maths and Science or Social Studies. Use NCERT textbooks of the classes you will teach as the base. Then do the pedagogy part of the subject, such as how children learn fractions or common misconceptions in science. These questions carry real weight and are often skipped by candidates who only revise content.

In week three, also take your first full mock on a computer, even if you are not ready. It shows you how long 150 questions on a screen really takes.

Week 5: Language I and Language II

Language sections test comprehension and language pedagogy. Practise one unseen passage a day and revise topics such as language acquisition, the four skills and remedial teaching. These marks are steady if you practise regularly.

Weeks 6–7: Full mocks and error review

Take two timed full mocks a week on a computer, at the same time of day as your expected shift. After each mock, spend as long reviewing as you spent writing it. Sort every wrong answer into three groups: concept gap, misread question, or time pressure. Fix the concept gaps first.

Week 8: Light revision and logistics

No new topics. Revise your short notes, solve one sectional test a day, and sleep properly. Download your city slip and admit card the day they open, check your ID matches your application, and visit the centre a day early if it is in an unfamiliar area.

Fitting CTET prep around a teaching job

• Use your free periods for MCQs. Ten questions in a free period adds up to 300 a month.
• Teach what you study. If you are revising CDP theories, use one idea in class that week. It sticks better.
• Batch your checking. Fix two days a week for copy checking so the other evenings stay free for study.
• Find one study partner. A colleague taking the same paper can quiz you in the staff room.

If you missed the December session

The next notification has not been announced. Careers360's CTET notification page lists all CTET 2027 dates as "to be announced", with the notice to appear only on ctet.nic.in. Start the same plan now and you will be ahead when it opens.

How SeekhoSmart helps teachers during CTET season

The hardest part of preparing for CTET while teaching is time. One thing that eats into it is answering the same doubts again and again. SeekhoSmart can take some of that load off for your Class 9–12 students. It gives them NCERT-aligned practice chapter by chapter, and an AI explanation for every answer, including the wrong ones, so they can work through routine doubts on their own before they reach you. Their adaptive daily study plan keeps them practising regularly without you making a new worksheet each week. You get back time for your own preparation, and your students keep moving. It is free to start.

Share SeekhoSmart with your students → seekhosmart.in