Kamal Ghorui
CTET 2026: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) 2026 Paper 2 could not be conducted at two examination centres in Vaishali (Hajipur), Bihar, due to unavoidable circumstances.In a post recently shared on X, CBSE said that out of 1,803 examination centres across the country, Paper 2 was successfully conducted at 1,801 centres. However, the exam could not be held at the following two centres in Vaishali:
- 125016: St. John’s Academy, Basmati Nagar
- 125014: Lakshya International Academy
The board has informed that a re-examination for candidates allotted to these two centres will be conducted within 15 days. The revised examination schedule will be shared separately with the affected candidates. CBSE has also expressed regret for the inconvenience caused.
Massive turnout across the country
CTET 2026 is being conducted on February 7 and 8 in pen and paper mode across 132 cities. This year has seen a massive response, with 25,30,581 candidates registering for the exam. Notably, over 7.6 lakh applications were submitted in the final 48 hours before the registration window closed on December 18.Originally planned as a single day exam on February 8, the test was later extended to two days after registrations crossed expectations.
Two papers, strict reporting schedule
The exam is being held in two shifts:
- Paper 1 (for candidates aspiring to teach Classes 1 to 5): 9:30 am to 12 noon. Reporting time was 7:30 am, and gates were closed at 9:30 am sharp.
- Paper 2 (for candidates aspiring to teach Classes 6 to 8): 2:30 pm to 5 pm. Reporting time was 12:30 pm, and entry gates were closed at 2:30 pm.
Each paper consists of 150 multiple-choice questions carrying one mark each. The duration of the exam is two-and-a-half hours, and there is no negative marking.A significant part of the question paper focuses on Child Development and Pedagogy, along with subject knowledge and reading comprehension to assess teaching aptitude and conceptual clarity, according to the detailed notification.
Special provisions for candidates with disabilities
Ahead of the examination, CBSE issued detailed guidelines for candidates covered under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016. Eligible candidates are allowed facilities such as a scribe and compensatory time.Candidates seeking these accommodations must carry their disability certificate in the prescribed format along with a valid Unique Disability ID (UDID) card. Eligible candidates are granted compensatory time of not less than 50 minutes per hour of examination. Large-font question papers are also available for visually impaired candidates, according to a detailed notice released earlier on the website.
Admit cards released earlier
CBSE had released the CTET 2026 admit cards on February 5. Candidates were required to download their hall tickets from ctet.nic.in or cbse.gov.in. While the examination has been conducted smoothly at the majority of centres nationwide, candidates assigned to the two affected centres in Vaishali will now await fresh dates. CBSE has assured that the revised schedule will be communicated directly to them soon.
