Any Plans for the CTET Exam? Take a sneak peek on Exam Pattern and Prep Tips to study better

The CTET exam for 2020 was scheduled to be held on July 5 and has now been postponed seeing the COVID-19 situation in our country. This was first announced by the Union HRD Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal on his official Twitter account. Later, the information and the official notice was made available on the official website, also. A total number of Covid-19 cases stands at 15.2 million worldwide, with 1.24 million only in India, the highest after the USA and Brazil. The data on the morning of July 23, 2020, has shown the highest 1-day leap in the number of cases in India. So, it is no surprise that CBSE could anticipate the situation in prior and thus has postponed the CTET exam.

What is the CTET Exam?
Central Teaching Eligibility Test or CTET Exam is a test conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for the selection of teachers for primary & upper primary levels. This exam is conducted twice a year on a national level and consists of two papers - Paper I and Paper II. Paper I has to be taken for teaching the classes I-V and Paper II for classes VI- VIII. The aspirants who want to teach classes of both the groups, i.e. from I-VIII may appear for both the papers.

CTET Exam Pattern
The mode of the CTET exam is offline and is conducted in 112 cities across India in two languages - English and Hindi. The students have to report the centre allotted to them with their admit cards and other documents specified to them earlier. The questions are MCQ based, and there is no negative marking. The number of questions and marks in Paper I & Paper II are 150 each, and the duration of the exam is 2 hours and 30 mins each.

Eligibility for CTET Exam
Anyone who is appearing for the CTET exam must know the eligibility criteria first. For primary (I-V) classes, the individual must have a minimum of 45% or 50 % in 10+2 and must have passed at least a 2 year Diploma in Elementary Education or 4 years of Bachelor in Elementary Education.

For VI-VIII classes, the candidates must have a minimum of 50% and must have passed 1 or 4 years of Bachelor in Elementary Education. Somebody with 45% aggregate in 10+2 and passing 1 year of Bachelor in Elementary Education in tandem with NCTE Regulations is eligible as well. Final year BA, B.Sc students can also apply for upper primary classes. For more details related to eligibility, please check here.

There is no age limit or restrictions to the number of attempts to take this exam. More details regarding the eligibility are available on the official website, and the students are directed to check them before applying for the CTET exam. Scoring a minimum of 60% for General and 55% for SC/ST/OBC in the test will be considered as a pass for receiving the CTET certificates.
The certificates are valid for 7 years from the date of the announcement of the result. However, the passing of the examination does not guarantee any job as CBSE is only the exam-conducting body and cannot provide any employment. The purpose of these examinations is only to shortlist the number of candidates applying for the positions of a teacher in the country.

CTET Exam - Application Fee
The fee for one paper is 1000 INR for General/OBC (NCL) and 500 INR for SC/ST/Diff. Abled Person. The fee for both the papers is 1200 INR for General/OBC (NCL) and 600 INR for SC/ST/Differently Abled Person. The mode for the submission of application is online through the official website. If any candidate loses his/her certificate, he may apply for a duplicate copy on the official website and pay a sum of 200 INR in favour of CBSE.

CTET Exam Preparation Tips
Previous year’s question papers are also made available on the website for the perusal and preparation of the candidates. Along with that, a detailed syllabus and list of books approved by NCTE for the CTET exam are provided on the official website to assist students with the preparation. So, students must stay clear from other materials available both online and offline which are not authentic. NCERT books for class I-VIII includes the prescribed syllabus for both the papers.

Preparing for the Language Papers
A lot of practice and reading is needed to be proficient and to master this section. Inference based and grammar and verbal ability testing questions need to be practised thoroughly. Candidates must learn from the grammar books, take online tests and practice the teaching methods in order to think of answers innovatively.

Preparing for Child Development and Pedagogy
Go through the previous years’ question papers to understand the pattern and questions.Theories and principles under and related to Child Development shall be studied thoroughly.The understanding of gifted children and those with special needs in relation to inclusive education is very important.

Preparing for Mathematics paper I and II
Students must practice and excel on the NCERT Maths book for classes I-VIII before moving on to the sample papers and mock tests. Join online groups and forums in order to practice more questions and evaluate yourself.

Preparing for Science, Social Science and Environmental Studies
Students appearing for the exam must read the newspaper every day and stay updated with global news. Study from the NCERT books. For Environmental Science, read articles and take quizzes on general environmental awareness. For History, make notes on different eras and periods of History. Find and join online test groups to find your weak spots and also learn time management. A lot of blogs and data is available for these sections, thus providing an opportunity to work hard and prepare better. So, this extra time available is not to worry, and it is the time to focus on additional preparation
and stay relaxed. Utilize the time with family, stay calm and take care of your health. This will help you to be fresh before the CTET Exam.