NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced the exam date for the 21st edition of the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET).
The CTET February 2026 examination will be conducted on February 8, 2026 in 132 cities across India, an official notification said.
Candidates can choose from 20 different languages while appearing for the test.
To view the detailed notification, click here.
“The Central Board of Secondary Education will conduct the 21st Edition of Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) on 8th February, 2026 (Sunday). The detailed Information Bulletin containing details of examination, syllabus, eligibility criteria, examination fee, examination cities and important dates will be available on CTET official website shortly,” the notification said.
The CBSE advised the candidates to apply only through the official portal at ctet.nic.in.
The CTET serves as a mandatory qualifying examination for teaching positions in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVS), and other central government schools.
It comprises two papers — Paper I (for Classes 1–5) and Paper II (for Classes 6–8), both containing 150 multiple-choice questions. There is no negative marking.
Usually, the CBSE opens the registration window two to three months ahead of the exam date.
Since the CTET February 2026 exam is scheduled for February 8, 2026, the registration window is likely to open around the end of October or November 2025.
The following table shows the timeline comparison from recent CTET sessions:
The CBSE has not released an official reason for skipping the CTET July 2025 session, which was expected as part of the usual biannual schedule.