NEW DELHI: The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has announced to discontinue the Bihar Teacher Eligibility Test (BTET) for the recruitment of elementary school teachers in the state. The State will now lean on the national-level eligibility exam CTET, as per a statement by the board.
The decision to do away with the state-centric teacher recruitment framework is likely to pave the way for aligning the process with the national eligibility system.
Several states including Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal continue to conduct their State Teacher Eligibility Tests (STET/TET). These state-level exams often come with specific language requirements, particularly mandating proficiency in the regional language as a qualifying criterion for appointment in government schools.
The last Bihar Teacher Eligibility Test (BTET) was conducted on July 2017, for both primary (Classes 1–5) and upper primary (Classes 6–8) levels.
The Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET), conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), serves as a mandatory qualification for teaching posts in central government schools and has been adopted by several states.
In 2026, CTET was held in multiple shifts across the country, with lakhs of candidates appearing for Paper I (Classes 1–5) and Paper II (Classes 6–8). The examination witnessed participation from over 25 lakh aspirants nationwide, reflecting continued demand for teaching positions in government and aided schools.