TET – Teacher Eligibility Test – is one of India’s most prominent competitive exams. The test is conducted across India to screen candidates who aspire to become teachers and build a career in school teaching, from 1st to 8th standard. TET stands for Teacher Eligibility Test. It is nationally conducted by the central government and regionally by state governments for teaching positions in schools across India and states. All TET exams are organised based on the guidelines set by the National Council for Teacher’s Education (NCTE).
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducts CTET (Central Teacher Eligibility Test). Other states conduct UPTET, Bihar TET (BSTET), Tamil Nadu TET (TTET), and more in their respective states. Most TET Exams are conducted in two phases –Paper 1 and Paper 2. Let’s see how to prepare for these exams.
TET Exam Preparation
TET Exam preparation starts with the knowledge of the syllabus for the exam. Most TET exams have a similar syllabus. You can check the complete syllabus of the TET exam you want to take on the authority’s website. CTET 2022 exam syllabus is available on the CBSE website.
The next step in preparing for a TET exam is to know the pattern of the exam. This is essential because the exam pattern will guide your preparation and test-taking strategy. Every TET exam has more or less the same pattern. CTET, for instance, has two papers — 1, 2.
Each paper is divided into five sections in the following manner:
CTET Paper 1 Pattern
| Sections | Number of questions | Exam duration |
| Child development & Pedagogy | 30 | 2.5 hours |
| Language 1 | 30 | |
| Language 2 | 30 | |
| Mathematics | 30 | |
| Environmental studies | 30 | |
| Total | 150 |
If you wish to become a teacher for classes I -V, Paper – I is mandatory. Similarly, if you wish to become a teacher in elementary school (classes VI-VIII), paper -II is mandatory. However, if you wish to teach all classes from 1st to 8th, you need to take Paper -1 and Paper-II exams.
CTET Paper II Pattern
| Sections | Number of questions | Exam duration |
| Child development & pedagogy | 30 | 2.5 hours |
| Language 1 | 30 | |
| Language 2 | 30 | |
| Mathematics & ScienceSocial studies & Social science | 60 | |
| 60 |
In CTET, you can choose between mathematics & science and social studies.
Similarly, other state-level TET exams give you the option to choose between the two subjects for paper-II.
Solve previous year’s papers
The next step in preparing for TET exams is to solve the previous year’s papers. It is best to solve question papers from the last 4-5 years. This will give you a good understanding of the kind of questions asked in the exam. BYJU’s Exam Prep website and app offer a collection of previous year TET exam questions papers, which you can use to solve papers.
Take mock tests.
Start taking a mock test once you’ve completed your syllabus and solved a few previous year papers. TET exams are time-bound. In the case of CTET, each paper is bound to 2.5 hours. Taking mock tests will help you find areas where you’re spending the most and the least time.
In other words, it will help you find your weakness and strong areas. Once you have that, you can practise optimising your time and attempt maximum questions in two and a half hours. Based on this, you can build a test-taking strategy that maximises your score. BYJU offers a comprehensive TET exam preparation package; it also has mock tests.
Validity of a TET Certificate
Once you have cleared a TET exam (CTET or state-level TET), the certificate is valid for a lifetime. Whether it’s CTET or any state-level TET certificate, the certificate is valid for your lifetime.
Conclusion
All in all, to prepare for the TET exams, get to know the syllabus and pattern of the exam solve previous year papers and mock tests to boost your preparation!
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