CTET vs TET exam: Check Difference & Similarities

CTET vs TET Exams: Are you confused about the differences between CTET and TET exams? Here's all you need to know about the difference between CTET and TET, their eligibility criteria, exam pattern, syllabus and career prospects. 

Difference Between TET & CTET

One of the most frequent queries among teaching aspirants is whether the CTET and TET exams are the same. Though both the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) exams, share the same objective of determining the eligibility of candidates for primary and upper-primary level teachers, there are a lot of differences between the two in terms of the exam conducting body, mode of exam, frequency of exam, medium of language, applicability and eligibility. To begin with, CTET is a central government exam, while TET exams are conducted by different states and UTs.

Let's have a look at the differences between CTET and TET exams in detail below, along with the similarities between them. However, before proceeding towards the differences, let us first understand what CTET is and what TET is.

Latest Updates Regarding TET Exams:

• TET Qualification Mandatory for Teachers to Remain in Service: The Supreme Court of India has ruled that the TET is compulsory for aspiring teachers and in-service teachers. The court has given two years to in-service teachers to clear the CTET or TET exam to continue to serve. Also Read: TET Mandatory for Teachers; In-service Teachers get two years to clear test: Supreme Court
• No TET OR CTET for Classes 9 to 12 until 2027: The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has clarified that there will be no CTET exam for Classes 9-12 before 2027. Read here - CTET 2025 Update: No Exam for Classes 9 to 12 before 2027; NCTE scraps four-level test

What is CTET?

CTET is an eligibility test conducted at the central level by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) twice a year. Candidates who want to obtain eligibility as primary and elementary teachers in central government schools such as Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) appear for the CTET exam. 

The CBSE has been entrusted by the Union Ministry of Education with the responsibility of conducting the CTET exam. The entire CTET selection process is open, fair and transparent. Qualifying the CTET exam is purely based on merit, capability and sincere preparation of candidates.

Also Read: CTET 2025 Exam

What is TET?

TET exam is also in line with the CTET; however, the exam is conducted at the state level. Several State Governments hold the TET exam every year, such as MAHA TET, REET, Bihar STET, PSTET, MP TET, KTET, TNTET, UPTET, and others. After qualifying the TET exam, candidates become eligible for teaching jobs in the schools run by the respective state governments only.

Candidates are not eligible to apply for a teaching job in central schools like KVS and NVS after clearing a respective state TET exam. For instance, if a candidate clears the UPTET exam, he or she will become eligible for a teaching job in the schools of Uttar Pradesh only.

CTET vs TET: Difference in Terms of Exam Conducting Bodies

One of the major differences in the TET and CTET exams is the exam-conducting body. Each and every TET exam is conducted by a different agency or authority or board. Have a look at the details below.

Also Read: What is TET? List of popular teacher eligibility tests including CTET, UPTET, OTET & more

Difference between CTET & TET Exams

Check out the major differences between CTET and TET examinations below:

• Conducting body: CTET is conducted by CBSE on behalf of the central government. TETs are conducted by the education boards of different state governments.
• Exam notification: CTET notification is released twice every year. TET notifications are released once or twice a year as per the decision of the respective State Government.
• Age limit: There is no upper age limit to apply for the CTET exam. However, for TET exams, different state governments might have different age criteria.
• Medium of paper: Candidates appearing for CTET can choose any combination of language. Candidates appearing for TETs need to be fluent in the native language.
• Teaching jobs: Through CTET, candidates can secure teaching jobs in centrally-run government schools. Through TETs, candidates can secure teaching jobs in the respective state-run government schools.
• Certificate validity: All the TET and CTET exams are now valid for a lifetime. The NCTE in 2021 extended the TET validity to lifetime.
• Application fee: The CTET application fee for candidates planning to appear in a single paper (primary or elementary) is INR 1,000 and for candidates planning to give both the papers is INR 1,200. The application fee for TET exams varies from state to state. Usually, the application fee for the general candidate is INR 400-500 and for reserved category candidates is INR 200-250.

Similarities between CTET & TETs

The CTET and TET exams do share a few similarities. Let us also have a look at some of their similarities below:

TET and CTET eligibility criteria 

The TETs and CTET eligibility criteria in terms of educational qualification are usually the same. Candidates aspiring to join the primary and elementary schools as teachers must fulfil the following criteria:

• Education qualification for primary teacher: Must have passed Class 12 examination securing 50 per cent marks and have completed or appeared for a two-year Diploma in Elementary Education (D.EL.ED) programme or completed a four-year Bachelor's in Elementary Education programme (B.El.Ed) or BEd. Candidates belonging to reserved categories must have passed the Class 12 examination with 45 per cent marks and have completed or appeared for the two-year Diploma in Elementary Education (D.EL.ED) programme.
• Education qualification for an elementary teacher: Must have completed graduation with 50 per cent marks in a relevant discipline (Science/Humanities/Commerce) and done a two-year D.EL.ED or completed a one-year Bachelor's in Education (B.Ed) programme. The reserved category candidates must have completed their graduation in a relevant discipline, securing 45 per cent marks in aggregate, and completing a one-year B.Ed programme. Must have passed Class 12 examination with 50 per cent marks in aggregate and completed a four-year B.El.Ed programme. 

Note: The educational criteria mentioned above might vary a little as per the exam for which a candidate is appearing.

Also Read: UPTET Eligibility Criteria 2025

CTET and TET exam pattern

Both TET and CTET follow almost the same exam pattern. CTET and TET exam patterns consist of two papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2. The aspirants can appear for both papers or for a single paper. Those who only want to secure a job in the primary schools (Classes 1 to 5) should appear for Paper 1 and those who want to join the elementary schools (Classes 6 to 8) should sit for Paper 2. However, candidates appearing for both papers are considered eligible for Classes 1 to 8. The duration of the examination for both TET and CTET is 150 minutes for each paper. In the table below, we have provided the information regarding the CTET exam pattern and TET exam pattern:

CTET and TET question papers

We have already discussed that in CTET and TETs MCQs are asked. Each question contains four options. The candidates are required to choose the correct answer from the given four options and circle that in OMR Sheet.

Paper 1 contains five sections namely:

• Child Development and Pedagogy (compulsory)
• Language 1 (compulsory)
• Language 2 (compulsory)
• Mathematics
• Environmental Science

Each section contains 30 questions of 1 mark each.

Paper 2 contains four sections namely:

• Child Development and Pedagogy (compulsory)
• Language 1 (compulsory)
• Language 2 (compulsory)
• Mathematics and Science or Social Studies

The first three sections of Paper 2 contain 30 questions each, while the fourth section contains 60 questions on the specific subjects.

CTET and TET syllabus

CTET and TET typically follow the same syllabus. In the table below, we have pointed out the subject-wise contents of the TET and CTET syllabus along with the marks:

CTET & TET syllabus for Paper 1

 CTET & TET Syllabus for Paper 2

Note: The TET exam pattern, question paper and syllabus vary as per the syllabus and pattern prescribed by the respective state government.

CTET and TET salary and career prospects

The TET and CTET qualifying marks are 60 per cent for general category candidates. The qualifying marks are relaxed by 5 to 10 per cent for reserved categories such as SC, ST, OBC and PwD. Those who secure the TET qualifying marks can apply for jobs in Central government-run schools or the state-run schools. The primary teachers receive about INR 1.50 lakh per annum salary while the elementary school teachers receive about INR 2.30 lakh per annum as salary.

The salary of the teachers increases with years as they accumulate experience and expertise as teachers.

Note: The per annum salaries mentioned above vary from school to school. 

Which One to Choose: TET or CTET?

Here are the quick pointers to help you decide on the CTET exam or TET exam wisely:

• Are you Ready to migrate? While making the choice, the first and foremost question one should answer is whether he or she is ready to move out of the comfort zone and migrate to places across India to teach in central schools. After clearing the CTET exam, candidates who will qualify the KVS or NVS recruitment may be posted anywhere in the country.
• Targeted Schools: If you want to fetch a teaching job in central schools such as KVS, NVS, etc., you need to appear for the CBSE CTET exam; otherwise, you can opt for the TET exam to get a job in your respective state.
• Know your Language & Domain: If you are comfortable with teaching in state-specific language, you should choose to appear for the State TET exams. Moreover, TET exam should be the choice if you are aiming for a specific State Government school.

Read More:

• CTET Maths (Paper 2) Solved Questions with Answers
• TET Result 2025: Check UPTET/CTET/MAHA TET/REET/PSTET Results Here
• TET Child Development & Pedagogy
• Teaching Exams Calendar 2025
• CTET Pedagogy (CDP) Previous Years Questions & Answers
• CTET Science (Paper 2) Previous Year Questions with Answers
• Last 5 Years CTET Solved Question Papers with Answers