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CTET February 2026 Exam Date Out: Registrations to begin soon at ctet.nic.in

As the official bulletin is expected to be published shortly. Once out, candidates will be able to check updates on registration dates, exam cities, and detailed instructions, on the official website at ctet.nic.in.

CBSE has announced that the CTET December session exam will be held in February 2026 (Representative/Express Photo, upscaled using AI)

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced the exam date for the 21st edition of the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET). According to the notice issued on the official website, the CTET February 2026 examination will be conducted on Sunday, February 8, 2026. The exam will be held in 132 cities across India, and candidates will be able to choose from 20 different languages while appearing for the test.

In its official notice, the Board stated, “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.” CBSE further advised aspiring candidates to apply only through the official portal at ctet.nic.in and to read the Information Bulletin carefully before filling out the form.

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The CTET serves as a mandatory qualifying examination for teaching positions in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVS), and other central government schools. It consists of 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 in the exam. Traditionally, paper II is held in the morning session (9:30 am – 12 noon), while paper I is conducted in the afternoon session (2 pm – 4:30 pm).

When will CTET February 2026 Registrations Begin?

Based on past trends, CBSE typically opens the registration process two to three months before 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, giving candidates about 60–90 days between the closure of applications and the examination date.

The following table shows the timeline comparison from recent CTET sessions:

CTET session	Registration period	Exam date	Approx gap between end of registration and exam
CTET July 2024	March 7 – April 5, 2024	July 7, 2024	93 days
CTET December 2024	September 17 – October 16, 2024	December 14, 2024	59 days
CTET December 2025 session	Expected in Oct–Nov 2025	February 8, 2026	60–90 days (approx)

As seen in the table, the gap between the registration deadline and the exam date has varied between sessions — from about two months for the December 2024 session to three months for July 2024. Therefore, aspirants can reasonably expect the CTET February 2026 application window to open in the last week of October or early November 2025, depending on when CBSE releases the Information Bulletin.

Why was the CTET July 2025 exam not held?

CBSE has not released an official reason for skipping the CTET July 2025 session, which was expected as part of the usual biannual schedule. However, reports and academic sources suggest that the decision may have been linked to restructuring and timeline adjustments in the CTET cycle to better align the academic calendar and teacher recruitment schedule.

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The February 2026 CTET session thus effectively replaces the December 2025 cycle, ensuring continuity in the eligibility process for teaching aspirants across India.