How to Prepare for CTET Exams


FAST FACTS

Name of the exam: CTET (Central Teacher Eligibility Test)

Posts:
  • Primary Level Teachers - (For Class I to V)
  • Junior Level Teachers - (For Class VI to VIII)
Frequency of exam: Annually (once in a year)

Validity of CTET certificate:
Seven years

Examination type: Objective

No of papers: 2 - Paper I & Paper II

Negative marking: No

"True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their own."
- Nikos Kazantzakis

The role that a teacher plays in one's life cannot be denied and whatever we become, we owe a portion of it to our teachers. Hence, it comes as no wonder that teachers are one of the most respected people in society and one can never forget them. The teachers may forget their students at times because they teach so many of us but a student can never forget his or her teachers.

CTET (Central Teacher Eligibility Test) is a test conducted nationwide in India. This is a test that people aspiring to get into Central Schools as teachers have to clear.

A little bit about CTET

With the implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, there is a huge need to recruit teachers to fill the vacancies in various schools. Having said that, the recruitment process has to exhibit a certain amount of quality so that the right kind of teacher is recruited. To ensure this, the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) laid down the rule that a candidate aiming to join a school has to clear the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). This test will be conducted by appropriate government bodies. The responsibility of conducting CTET is entrusted with the Central Board of School Education.

Why was CTET introduced?

  • To ensure a nationwide benchmark in the quality of the teachers being recruited
  • Improve the standards of the teachers teaching in Central Government schools
Which schools are CTET applicable for?

  • CTET is applicable to Central Government Schools (KVS, Tibetan schools, NVS, etc)
  • Schools in the Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Chandigarh
  • Unaided private schools can also think of opting for CTET
  • Schools owned by state government can also think of opting for CTET, in case they do not opt for state conducted TET.
What is the examination pattern?

There will be two papers in all. The exam will be objective in nature and will have multiple choice questions.

Paper I: For teachers intending to teach Classes I to V.
Number of questions: 150
Total marks: 150

Details of Paper I are as under:

SubjectNumber of questionsTotal marks
Child Development and Pedagogy3030
Language I3030
Language II3030
Mathematics3030
Environmental Studies3030
Total150150


Paper II: For teachers intending to teach Classes VI to VIII.
Number of questions: 150
Total marks: 150

Details of Paper II are as under:

SubjectNumber of questionsTotal marks
Child Development and Pedagogy3030
Language I3030
Language II3030
*Mathematics & Science6060
* Social Studies & Social Science6060


*Mathematics & Science is compulsory for Maths and Science teachers

*Social Studies and Social Science is compulsory for Social Science teachers

*For any other subject teacher, they can opt for either Mathematics & Science or Social Studies & Social Science.

Eligibility for appearing for Paper - I

A person who fulfils any one of the criteria below can appear for the Paper - I exam
  • Graduation and passed or appearing in final year of two-year Diploma in Elementary Education
  • Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with at least 45% marks and passed or appearing two-year Diploma in Elementary Education
  • Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing two-year Diploma in Education (Special Education).
  • Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing two-year Diploma in Elementary Education
  • Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing four-year Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed).

Eligibility for appearing for Paper - II
  • Graduation and passed or appearing in the final year of 2-year Diploma in Elementary Education
  • Graduation with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing 1-year Bachelor in Education (B.Ed).
  • Graduation with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in 1-year B.Ed. (Special Education)
  • Graduation with at least 45% marks or 1-year Bachelor in Education (B.Ed), in accordance with the NCTE (Recognition Norms and Procedure) Regulations issued from time to time in this regard.
  • Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in final year of 4-year Bachelor in Elementary Education (B.El.Ed).
  • Senior Secondary (or its equivalent) with at least 50% marks and passed or appearing in final year of 4-year BA/ BSc.Ed or BA. Ed/BSc.Ed.

Preparing for CTET

While you are taking CTET, it is not enough that you clear the paper. What is more important is how much you score. So, while preparing, your constant endevaour will be how to score maximum marks. Here are some tips that will help you do so.

Knowing the syllabus

Understand the syllabus completely. This helps in prioritizing the topics that you would want to prepare first and then prepare thoroughly. Also, in the examination hall, you will know which topics to be handled first and which to be handled at the end.

Being confident of the subjects

Pick up first on the subjects that are your strength. Prepare to the best of your ability. Then, focus on subjects that you are not confident about. Then, in the end, you can pick up the subjects that you simply don't know anything about. Where there is an option of subjects for teachers from Class V to VIII, pick only subjects that you are confident about.

Refer to past question papers

Refer to as many past question papers as possible. That will give you an idea as to what to expect in the exam. There are question papers available online too, which you can easily download.

Attempt mock tests

There are many mock tests available online. Try to attempt them as much as possible. The more you solve them, the more confident you will get.

Time management

While preparing, try to time yourself. This will help you on the day of the examination and will enable you to complete all the questions.
Child Development and Pedagogy

Be thorough in this area as it concentrates on child development and your teaching methods. Learning a bit about child psychology also helps here. There are many books that will help you prepare for this topic.

Last but not the least, be confident of scoring good marks. You have chosen to be a teacher, that in itself is a noble profession and you deserve to do well. So, be confident.

Best of luck.

Useful link http://ctet.nic.in/ctetapp/welcome.aspx

Useful books
  • Child Development & Pedagogy: Paper 1 & 2 of CTET - By Shalini Punjabi
  • CTET Central Teacher Eligibility Test Success Master Paper - 2 with Solved Papers Maths & Science - By Arihant Experts
  • CTET Central Teacher Eligibility Test Practice Workbook Mathematics and Science by Disha Experts




Last Updated on : January 19, 2016