CTET 2021: Applications open, Know the syllabus and format

The Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) registrations have started at ctet.nic.in. The application window for the registration in the exam conducted by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will remain open till October 19.

Syllabus and Exam Format 

The question paper will be of the multiple-choice questions (MCQs) format. Each question will carry one mark and there will be no negative marking for wrong answers. This year the exam will be conducted in the online mode.

CTET consists of two papers - paper I for those who aspire to be a teacher for classes 1 to 5 and paper II for those who intend  to teach classes 6 to 8. Both papers will be held for a duration of two-and-a-half hours. The main question paper will be bilingual, that is, in Hindi and English. The NCERT syllabus needs to be followed for each of the papers — classes 1 to 5 syllabus for paper I and classes 6 to 8 syllabus for paper II. 

Paper I will consist of 30 MCQs each from child development and pedagogy, language I and II, mathematics, and environmental studies. Paper II will consist of 30 MCQs each from child development and pedagogy, language I and II, and 60 MCQs from either mathematics and science or social studies/sciences. Thus, the total of number of MCQs will be 150 for each paper.

The child development and pedagogy paper focus on the educational psychology of teaching and learning relevant to the age group of 6-11 years (for paper I) and 11 to 14 years (for paper II). It will "focus on understanding the characteristics and needs of diverse learners, interaction with learners and the attributes and qualities of a good facilitator of learning," the information brochure read.

For the language papers - candidates will have to choose two separate languages. The first language paper will focus on the proficiencies related to the medium of instruction and the second one will focus on the elements of language, communication, and comprehension abilities of the applicants. There are 20 available language options including English and Hindi.

For paper I - mathematics and environmental studies , the MCQs will be based on the concepts, problem-solving abilities, pedagogical understanding, and applications of the subjects.

For paper II -  mathematics and science, and social studies/science, it will feature questions from concepts, problem-solving abilities, and pedagogical understanding and applications of the subjects.