CTET Paper 2 syllabus

CTET has no negative marking. Not a reduced penalty, not a penalty on some sections, none at all. Every one of the 150 questions carries one mark and a wrong answer costs nothing, which makes leaving anything blank a straightforward loss. Among Indian competitive exams that is unusual enough to change how the paper should be sat.

The second thing commonly got wrong is the pass mark. It is 60 per cent for every category, which is 90 marks out of 150. The five per cent relaxation that circulates as a lower pass mark for reserved categories is a relaxation on the educational qualification needed to apply, not on the CTET pass mark itself.

Paper 2 qualifies a candidate to teach classes VI to VIII. Browse the available CTET Paper 2 practice papers.

Syllabus by section

The last two are alternatives. Mathematics and Science teachers take the first, Social Studies teachers take the second, and a candidate intending to teach any other subject may choose either. The choice is made on the application form, and an application without one is rejected with the fee forfeited.

CTET at a glance

Exam pattern

Paper 2, for teachers of classes VI to VIII

The 60 mark subject block splits evenly inside itself. Mathematics and Science is 30 questions of Mathematics and 30 of Science. Social Studies and Social Science is a single 60 question block.

Within each 30 question subject half, 20 questions are content and 10 are pedagogy. The Social Studies block splits 40 content and 20 pedagogy.

Language I and Language II are each chosen from a list of 27 languages at the application stage, and Language II must be different from Language I. You must answer in the languages printed on your admit card.

Paper 2 against Paper 1

A candidate who intends to teach at both levels must sit both papers. The structural difference in eligibility is the one that matters: Paper 1 is built on a senior secondary base, Paper 2 on a graduation base.

Child Development and Pedagogy

• Child Development, 15 marks: concept of development and its relationship with learning, principles of development, influence of heredity and environment, socialisation processes, Piaget, Kohlberg and Vygotsky with critical perspectives, child centred and progressive education, critical perspective on the construct of intelligence, multi dimensional intelligence, language and thought, gender as a social construct with gender roles and bias, individual differences among learners, assessment for learning against assessment of learning, school based assessment and continuous and comprehensive evaluation, formulating appropriate questions

• Inclusive Education and children with special needs, 5 marks: learners from diverse, disadvantaged and deprived backgrounds, children with learning difficulties and impairments, plus talented, creative and specially abled learners

• Learning and Pedagogy, 10 marks: how children think and learn and why they fail to achieve, basic processes of teaching and learning, children’s strategies of learning, learning as a social activity, the child as problem solver and scientific investigator, alternative conceptions of learning, children’s errors as meaningful steps, cognition and emotions, motivation and learning, personal and environmental factors

Thirty marks for one section, and it is the only section every Paper 2 candidate sits regardless of subject. The full Child Development and Pedagogy breakdown covers all three blocks.

Language I

• Language Comprehension, 15 marks: two unseen passages, one prose or drama and one poem, with questions on comprehension, inference, grammar and verbal ability

• Pedagogy of Language Development, 15 marks: learning and acquisition, principles of language teaching, the role of listening and speaking, the function of language and how children use it, a critical perspective on the role of grammar, challenges of teaching language in a diverse classroom including difficulties, errors and disorders, language skills, evaluating language comprehension and proficiency, teaching and learning materials, remedial teaching

The passage pairing is what distinguishes this from Language II. The full Language I breakdown covers both halves.

Language II

• Comprehension, 15 marks: two unseen prose passages, which may be discursive, literary, narrative or scientific, with questions on comprehension, grammar and verbal ability

• Pedagogy of Language Development, 15 marks: the same topic list as Language I

Language II must be different from Language I. The pedagogy half is identical, so the real difference is the comprehension format. The full Language II breakdown covers it.

Mathematics and Science

• Mathematics content, 20 questions: number system covering knowing our numbers, playing with numbers, whole numbers, negative numbers and integers and fractions; algebra covering introduction to algebra and ratio and proportion; geometry covering basic geometrical ideas in two dimensions, elementary shapes in two and three dimensions, symmetry by reflection and construction using scale, protractor and compasses; mensuration; data handling

• Mathematics pedagogy, 10 questions: nature of mathematics and logical thinking, place of mathematics in the curriculum, language of mathematics, community mathematics, evaluation, remedial teaching, problems of teaching

• Science content, 20 questions: food covering sources, components and cleaning; materials of daily use; the world of the living; moving things, people and ideas; how things work including electric current, circuits and magnets; natural phenomena; natural resources

• Science pedagogy, 10 questions: nature and structure of science, aims and objectives of natural science, understanding and appreciating science, integrated approach, observation, experiment and discovery as method, innovation, text material and aids, evaluation across cognitive, psycho-motor and affective domains, problems, remedial teaching

Sixty marks, split evenly between the two subjects and then two thirds content to one third pedagogy within each. The full Mathematics and Science breakdown covers all four blocks.

Social Studies and Social Science

• Content, 40 questions, History: when, where and how; the earliest societies; the first farmers and herders; the first cities; early states; new ideas; the first empire; distant lands; political developments; culture and science; new kings and kingdoms; Sultans of Delhi; architecture; creation of an empire; social change; regional cultures; the establishment of company power; rural life and society; colonialism and tribal societies; the revolt of 1857 to 58; women and reform; challenging the caste system; the nationalist movement; India after independence

• Content, Geography: geography as a social study and as a science; the Earth in the solar system; globe; environment in its totality, natural and human; air; water; human environment covering settlement, transport and communication; resources, natural and human; agriculture

• Content, Social and Political Life: diversity; government; local government; making a living; democracy; state government; understanding media; unpacking gender; the Constitution; parliamentary government; the judiciary; social justice and the marginalised

• Pedagogy, 20 questions: concept and nature of social science and social studies; classroom processes, activities and discourse; developing critical thinking; enquiry and empirical evidence; problems of teaching social science; primary and secondary sources; project work; evaluation

A 40 to 20 split between content and pedagogy, which is a larger pedagogy share than most candidates expect. The full Social Studies breakdown covers both.

What is not in the syllabus

• No negative marking

• No descriptive or essay paper. Every question is multiple choice on an OMR sheet

• No sectional timing. The 150 minutes cover the whole paper

• No lower pass mark for reserved categories. The 60 per cent standard applies to all

• No limit on the number of attempts

• No expiry on the qualifying certificate

• No guarantee of employment. CTET is one eligibility criterion among several

• No content above class VIII, though difficulty and linkages may reach the senior secondary stage

How to spend the time

Attempt all 150 questions. With no negative marking there is no argument for a blank, and the single most common avoidable loss on this paper is an unfinished answer sheet.

Pedagogy is a third of the paper and is the part most candidates under prepare. Child Development and Pedagogy is 30 marks on its own, and pedagogy accounts for another 20 marks inside the subject block, so between them they are a third of the total.

Choose your subject block early and commit. The choice is locked at the application stage, so deciding late costs preparation time rather than giving you options.

Read the NCERT books for classes VI to VIII directly. The paper is built on them, and the difficulty sits above them rather than the content. Browse the available CTET Paper 2 practice papers.

Common mistakes

• Leaving questions blank in an exam with no negative marking

• Believing reserved categories pass at 55 per cent, when the standard is 60 per cent for all

• Confusing the five per cent educational qualification relaxation with a relaxed pass mark

• Treating pedagogy as secondary when it is a third of the paper

• Changing the subject block after applying, which is not possible

• Choosing Language II without checking it differs from Language I

• Preparing content above class VIII rather than the same content at greater depth

• Assuming qualifying guarantees a posting, when it confers no right to employment

CTET against a State TET

Both flow from the same NCTE norms under the Right to Education Act, and both are eligibility tests rather than recruitment exams. The difference is the reach of the certificate rather than the standard behind it.

CTET is also a gate into central school recruitment rather than the recruitment itself. A Kendriya Vidyalaya Trained Graduate Teacher post, which covers classes VI to VIII, requires a pass in CTET Paper 2 before a separate selection process begins. Posts above class VIII fall outside the teacher eligibility test mandate altogether.

Frequently asked questions

Is there negative marking in CTET?

No. Each question carries one mark and nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, so every question should be attempted.

How many questions are in CTET Paper 2?

150 multiple choice questions for 150 marks, in two and a half hours.

What is the CTET pass mark?

60 per cent, which is 90 marks out of 150. The same standard applies to all categories.

Do reserved category candidates pass at a lower mark?

The pass mark is 60 per cent for all. The five per cent relaxation available to SC, ST, OBC and differently abled candidates applies to the minimum educational qualification needed to apply, not to the CTET pass mark. School managements may separately offer concessions at the recruitment stage.

How long is a CTET certificate valid?

For life, for all categories.

How many times can I attempt CTET?

There is no restriction on the number of attempts.

Which classes does Paper 2 qualify me to teach?

Classes VI to VIII. Paper 1 covers classes I to V, and a candidate intending to teach both levels sits both papers.

Can I choose between Mathematics and Science and Social Studies?

Mathematics and Science teachers take the first, Social Studies teachers take the second, and a candidate intending to teach any other subject may choose either. The choice is made on the application form and cannot be left blank.

What level are the questions set at?

They are based on the NCERT syllabus for classes VI to VIII, though the difficulty and the linkages between topics may reach the senior secondary stage.

Does qualifying guarantee a teaching job?

No. Qualifying confers no right to recruitment or employment. It is one of several eligibility criteria, and the recruiting authority verifies eligibility separately.

Is CTET a computer based test?

No. It is a paper based test answered on an OMR sheet in ball point pen.

How many languages can I choose from?

Twenty seven, for each of Language I and Language II, and the two must be different.