The Central Board of Secondary Education has started the online application process for the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) September 2026 session. Eligible candidates seeking teaching jobs in primary and upper primary schools across India can now submit their applications through the official CTET portal. The last date for registration and fee payment is June 10, 2026.

According to the official notification, the CTET September 2026 examination will be conducted on September 6, 2026, for both Paper I and Paper II. The national-level eligibility exam is conducted for candidates aspiring to become teachers for Classes I to VIII in government and private schools affiliated with the CBSE.

Registration Window Open

The online registration process for CTET September 2026 began on May 11, 2026. Candidates can complete the application form, upload documents and pay the examination fee through the online mode only.

CBSE has also announced that the application correction facility will remain open from June 15 to June 18, 2026. During this period, candidates can edit selected details in their submitted forms. Officials advised applicants to complete the registration process early to avoid technical issues and limited exam city availability during the final days of application submission.

Exam Centres Limited

CBSE stated that examination centres in many cities have limited seating capacity this year. Candidates filling the CTET form will be able to view live availability of exam cities during registration. The board has urged applicants to choose their preferred centres as early as possible because slots may close once the capacity limit is reached. This development has generated significant attention among teaching aspirants and education sector observers, making it one of the Trending News India updates in the education category.

Primary Level Eligibility

For CTET Paper I, which is conducted for candidates aiming to teach Classes I to V, applicants must fulfil one of the prescribed eligibility conditions. Candidates who have passed Senior Secondary or equivalent with at least 50 per cent marks and completed or are appearing in a two-year Diploma in Elementary Education are eligible to apply. Applicants with 45 per cent marks in Senior Secondary and a Diploma in Elementary Education recognised under NCTE regulations can also apply.

In addition, candidates pursuing or completing four-year Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed) programmes or Diploma in Education (Special Education) with required marks are eligible for the examination. CBSE clarified that detailed eligibility rules are available in the official information bulletin released alongside the notification.

Junior Level Criteria

CTET Paper II is meant for candidates seeking eligibility to teach Classes VI to VIII.

Graduates with a two-year Diploma in Elementary Education or candidates pursuing final-year teacher education programmes can apply. Applicants with at least 50 per cent marks in Graduation or Post-Graduation along with B.Ed qualifications are also eligible.

The notification further stated that candidates holding B.Ed (Special Education), integrated B.Ed-M.Ed programmes, or four-year integrated education degrees recognised by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) are permitted to appear in the exam. As per existing guidelines, candidates pursuing recognised teacher education courses approved by NCTE or the Rehabilitation Council of India are also eligible for CTET September 2026.

Documents Required Online

Candidates applying for the CTET September 2026 exam must keep essential documents ready before beginning the registration process. Applicants need scanned copies of passport-size photographs, signatures, identity proof and educational qualification certificates. They must also verify personal details, address information and eligibility criteria carefully before final submission.

Officials said incomplete applications or forms submitted without payment of the prescribed examination fee will not be accepted. Candidates have also been advised to keep a printout of the final submitted form for future reference.

Important Examination Dates

The CTET September 2026 schedule released by CBSE includes several important deadlines for candidates. The last date to submit the application form is June 10, 2026, while the fee payment deadline also falls on the same date. The correction window will remain active between June 15 and June 18, 2026. The examination itself will be conducted on September 6, 2026, at various centres across the country.

Education experts said CTET continues to remain one of the most important eligibility examinations for teacher recruitment in India, especially for candidates seeking opportunities in central government schools and institutions.

Teacher Recruitment Impact

The CTET qualification is mandatory for recruitment in several government schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and schools managed by Union Territories.

The latest notification comes amid increasing recruitment activity in the education sector and ongoing Government Updates related to school education reforms. Candidates clearing CTET become eligible to apply for teaching positions, although qualifying the examination does not guarantee direct recruitment.

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TET Exam Norms For Teachers

The Madhya Pradesh government has taken the first step toward recalibrating its policy on the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for existing school teachers, after the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that in‑service educators must clear the exam to remain in service or seek promotion. Officials say new state‑level orders will shortly spell out which teachers must take the TET, who may get exemptions, and how compliance will be tracked.

Who Must Take TET

The Supreme Court bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan held that serving teachers who have more than five years of service left must qualify the TET within two years or face compulsory retirement. Teachers with less than five years to retirement can continue without qualifying, but without a TET pass they will not be considered for any promotion. NCTE’s original 2010‑2011 framework for classes 1–8, read with the RTE Act, now binds state governments to enforce these norms uniformly.

Fresh State‑Level Orders

In Bhopal, State School Education Department officials have been directed to draft a fresh notification that will identify the “category‑wise” TET applicability for MP’s around 1.5 lakh teachers. The Lok Shikshan Ayukta will circulate an order clarifying which cadre (primary, upper‑primary, aided/unaided, minority institutions) must mandatorily appear for TET and which may be eligible for procedural simplification or time‑bound waiver. A committee is also preparing a compliance roadmap, including timelines, grace periods, and modalities for teachers already within the five‑year‑to‑retirement window.

Ongoing Legal Process

State government advocates are currently consulting on a detailed legal opinion before filing a review petition in the Supreme Court, seeking clarification on implementation timelines and relief categories. The Madras High Court’s earlier 2025 order had allowed pre‑2011‑appointed teachers to continue in service without TET but kept it mandatory for promotion; the Supreme Court judgment has now tightened the position for all in‑service teachers with more than five years left. MP officials indicated that they will seek parity with other states, especially those with large cohorts of pre‑TET teachers, to avoid disproportionate impact on older educators.

Impact On Teachers And Pay

The Pay Commission and salary‑linked grievances are also under review: the state has resolved that pending cases involving increments and time‑scale pay for teachers will be fast‑tracked after the TET‑related orders are finalised. If the top court’s directions remain unchanged, the government will set up district‑level camps and block‑level orientation programmes to help teachers prepare for the TET pattern, syllabus and exam‑day procedures. Unions flagged that the combined pressure of exam preparation and pay‑related delays could fuel discontent among teachers, especially in rural blocks where training infrastructure is weak.

Unions Divided, Morcha Excludes Itself

The recent meeting of the Lok Shikshan Ayukta with state employee associations and select teacher unions drew a sharp split within the teaching community. The Adhyapak Shikshak Sanyukt Morcha, an umbrella group of several teacher outfits, explicitly stayed out of the talks, saying it recognised only the “authorised representatives” as valid interlocutors with the government. The MP Outsource Employees Union also criticised the process, arguing that organisations most affected by the TET rule were not represented in the discussions, while those with fewer teaching staff dominated the table.

What Comes Next For MP

With the central government yet to issue a detailed all‑India SOP on the phase‑in of TET for pre‑2011 teachers, states like Madhya Pradesh are left to frame their own compliance calendar. The education department is expected to notify the TET‑applicable categories, parallel training timeline and appeal‑mechanism by the end of this quarter, ahead of the next academic cycle. Analysts expect the TET‑related rule‑change to dominate India’s education policy conversations through 2026, as more states grapple with the equity of making an exam‑qualification the price of continued service.