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CTET Exam Pattern And Syllabus

Structure of Exam:

All questions in CTET will be Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), with four alternatives out of which one answer will be most appropriate. Each carrying one mark and there will be no negative marking.

There will be two papers of CTET.

  1. Paper I will be for a person who intents to be a teacher for classes I to V.
  2. Paper II will be for a person who intents to be a teacher for classes VI to VIII.
Note: A person who intents to be a teacher for both levels (classes I to V and classes VI to VIII) will
have to appear in both the papers (Paper I and Paper II).
 
Structure of Paper I: (for Classes I to V)

Duration of examination-Two-and-a-half hours

  1. Child Development and Pedagogy –  30 MCQs –  30 Marks
  2. Language I (compulsory) –  30 MCQs –  30 Marks
  3. Language II (compulsory) –  30 MCQs –  30 Marks
  4. Mathematics –  30 MCQs –  30 Marks
  5. Environmental Studies –  30 MCQs –  30 Marks

Total –  150 MCQs –  150 Marks

Nature and standard of questions:

  • The test items on Child Development and Pedagogy will focus on educational psychology of teaching and learning relevant to the age group of 6-11 years. They will focus on understanding the characteristics and needs of diverse learners, interaction with learners and the attributes and qualities of a good facilitator of learning.
  • The Test items in Language I will focus on the proficiencies related to the medium of instruction.
  • The Test items in Language II will focus on the elements of language, communication and comprehension abilities.
  • Language II will be a language other than Language I. A candidate may choose any one language as Language I and other as Language II from the available language options and will be required to specify the same in the Confirmation Page.
  • List of languages, to choose Option of two languages in which you wish to appear for CTET.
English(01), Hindi(02), Assamese(03), Bangali(04), Garo(05), Gujarati(06), Kannada(07), Khasi(08), Malayalam(09), Manipuri(10), Marathi(11), Mizo(12), Nepali(13), Oriya(14), Punjabi(15), Sanskrit(16), Tamil(17), Telugu(18), Tibetan(19), Urdu(20)
 
Structure of Paper II: ( for classes VI to VIII) Elementary Stage

Duration of examination-Two-and-a-half hours

  1. Child Development & Pedagogy(compulsory) –  30 MCQs –  30 Marks
  2. Language I (compulsory) –  30 MCQs –  30 Marks
  3. Language II (compulsory) –  30 MCQs –  30 Marks
  4. Mathematics and Science –  60 MCQs –  60 Marks (for Mathematics and Science teacher)              OR
  5. Social Studies/Social Science –  60 MCQs –  60 Marks (for Social Studies/Social Science teacher)

*For any other teacher – either (IV) or (V)

Total –  150 MCQs –  150 Marks

Nature and standard of questions:

  • The test items on Child Development and Pedagogy will focus on educational psychology of teaching and learning, relevant to the age group of 11-14 years. They will focus on understanding the characteristics, needs and psychology of diverse learners, interaction with learners and the attributes and qualities of a good facilitator of learning.
  • The Test items in Language I will focus on the proficiencies related to the medium of instruction.
  • The Test items in Language II will focus on the elements of language, communication and comprehension abilities.
  • Language II will be a language other than Language I. A candidate may choose any one language as Language I and other as Language II from the available language options and will be required to specify the same in the Confirmation Page.
  • List of languages, to choose Option of two languages in which you wish to appear for CTET.

English(01), Hindi(02), Assamese(03), Bangali(04), Garo(05), Gujarati(06), Kannada(07), Khasi(08), Malayalam(09), Manipuri(10), Marathi(11), Mizo(12), Nepali(13), Oriya(14), Punjabi(15), Sanskrit(16), Tamil(17), Telugu(18), Tibetan(19), Urdu(20)

  • The Test items in Mathematics and Science, and Social Studies/Social Science will focus on the concepts, problem solving abilities and pedagogical understanding and applications of the subjects. The test items of Mathematics and Science will be of 30 marks each. The test items will be evenly distributed over different divisions of the syllabus of that subject as prescribed for classes VI-Vlll by the NCERT.
  • The questions in the test for Paper II will be based on the topics prescribed in syllabus of the NCERT for classes VI – VIII but their difficulty standard as well as linkages, could be up to the Senior Secondary stage.
LANGUAGE OF THE QUESTION PAPER:
Main question paper shall be Bilingual (Hindi/English).
 
QUALIFYING MARKS AND AWARD OF CTET CERTIFICATE:
 As per NCTE Notification No. 76-4/2010/NCTE/Acad dated 11.02.2011: A person who scores 60% or more in the TET exam will be considered as TET pass.
  • School managements (Government, local bodies, government aided and unaided) may consider giving concessions to person belonging to SC/ST,OBC, differently abled persons, etc., in accordance with their extant reservation policy.
  • Should give weightage to the CTET scores in the recruitment process however, qualifying the CTET would not confer a right on any person for recruitment/employment as it is only one of the eligibility criteria for appointment.
VALIDITY PERIOD Of CTET CERTIFICATE:
  • The Validity Period of CTET qualifying certificate for appointment will be seven years from the date of declaration of its result for all categories.
  • There is no restriction on the number of attempts a person can take for acquiring a CTET Certificate. A person who has qualified CTET may also appear again for improving his/her score.
STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF SYLLABUS: (Paper I and Paper II)
Paper I (for classes 1 to V) Primary Stage
I. Child Development and Pedagogy –    30 Questions

 a) Child Development (Primary School Child) –   15 Questions 

  • Concept of development and its relationship with learning 
  • Principles of the development of children
  • Influence of Heredity & Environment 
  • Socialization processes: Social world & children (Teacher, Parents, Peers)
  • Piaget, Kohlberg and Vygotsky: constructs and critical perspectives 
  • Concepts of child-centered and progressive education 
  • Critical perspective of the construct of Intelligence 
  • Multi-Dimensional Intelligence 
  • Language & Thought 
  • Gender as a social construct; gender roles, gender-bias and educational practice 
  • Individual differences among learners, understanding differences based on diversity of language, caste, gender, community, religion etc.
  • Distinction between Assessment for learning and assessment of learning; School-Based Assessment, Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation: perspective and practice 
  • Formulating appropriate questions for assessing readiness levels of learners; for enhancing learning and critical thinking in the classroom and for assessing learner achievement.
b) Concept of Inclusive education and understanding children with special needs –    5 Questions
  • Addressing learners from diverse backgrounds including disadvantaged and deprived
  • Addressing the needs of children with learning difficulties, ‘impairment’etc.
  • Addressing the Talented, Creative, Specially abled Learners
c) Learning and Pedagogy –    10 Questions 
  • How children think and learn; how and why children ‘fail’ to achieve success in school performance.
  • Basic processes of teaching and learning; children’s strategies of learning; learning as a social activity; social context of learning.
  • Child as a problem solver and a ‘scientific investigator’ 
  • Alternative conceptions of learning in children, understanding children’s ‘errors’ as significant steps in the learning process. 
  • Cognition & Emotions • Motivation and learning 
  • Factors contributing to learning – personal & environmental 
II. Language I –    30 Questions 
a) Language Comprehension –  15 Questions 
Reading unseen passages – two passages one prose or drama and one poem with questions on comprehension, inference, grammar and verbal ability (Prose passage may be literary, scientific, narrative or discursive)
b) Pedagogy of Language Development 15 Questions
  • Learning and acquisition 
  • Principles of language Teaching
  • Role of listening and speaking; function of language and how children use it as a tool 
  • Critical perspective on the role of grammar in learning a language for communicating ideas verbally and in written form 
  • Challenges of teaching language in a diverse classroom; language difficulties, errors and disorders 
  • Language Skills 
  • Evaluating language comprehension and proficiency: speaking, listening, reading and writing 
  • Teaching- learning materials: Textbook, multi-media materials, multilingual resource of the classroom 
  • Remedial Teaching 
III. Language – II –    30 Questions 
a) Comprehension –    15 Questions 
Two unseen prose passages (discursive or literary or narrative or scientific) with question on comprehension, grammar and verbal ability
 b) Pedagogy of Language Development –   15 Questions
  • Learning and acquisition 
  • Principles of language Teaching 
  • Role of listening and speaking; function of language and how children use it as a tool 
  • Critical perspective on the role of grammar in learning a language for communicating ideas verbally and in written form; 
  • Challenges of teaching language in a diverse classroom; language difficulties, errors and disorders
  • Language Skills 
  • Evaluating language comprehension and proficiency: speaking, listening, reading and writing 
  • Teaching – learning materials: Textbook, multi-media materials, multilingual resource of the classroom
  • Remedial Teaching 
IV Mathematics –    30 Questions 
a) Content –    15 Questions
  • Geometry 
  • Shapes & Spatial Understanding 
  • Solids around Us 
  • Numbers
  • Addition and Subtraction 
  • Multiplication 
  • Division 
  • Measurement 
  • Weight 
  • Time 
  • Volume 
  • Data Handling 
  • Patterns 
  • Money 
b) Pedagogical issues –    15 Questions 
  • Nature of Mathematics/Logical thinking; understanding children’s thinking and reasoning patterns and strategies of making meaning and learning 
  • Place of Mathematics in Curriculum 
  • Language of Mathematics 
  • Community Mathematics 
  • Evaluation through formal and informal methods 
  • Problems of Teaching 
  • Error analysis and related aspects of learning and teaching 
  • Diagnostic and Remedial Teaching 
V. Environmental Studies –    30 Questions 
a) Content –   15 Questions 
i. Family and Friends: 
   1.1 Relationships 
   1.2 Work and Play 
   1.3 Animals 
   1.4 Plants 
ii. Food 
iii. Shelter 
iv. Water 
v. Travel 
vi. Things We Make and Do 
b) Pedagogical Issues –    15 Questions 
  • Concept and scope of EVS 
  • Significance of EVS, integrated EVS 
  • Environmental Studies & Environmental Education 
  • Learning Principles 
  • Scope & relation to Science & Social Science 
  • Approaches of presenting concepts 
  • Activities 
  • Experimentation/Practical Work 
  • Discussion 
  • CCE 
  • Teaching material/Aids 
  • Problems
 
Paper II : (for classes VI to VIII) Elementary Stage
 I. Child Development and Pedagogy –     30 Questions 

a) Child Development (Elementary School Child) –    15 Questions 

  • Concept of development and its relationship with learning 
  • Principles of the development of children 
  • Influence of Heredity & Environment 
  • Socialization processes: Social world & children (Teacher, Parents, Peers) 
  • Piaget, Kohlberg and Vygotsky: constructs and critical perspectives 
  • Concepts of child-centered and progressive education 
  • Critical perspective of the construct of Intelligence 
  • Multi-Dimensional Intelligence 
  • Language & Thought 
  • Gender as a social construct; gender roles, gender-bias and educational practice 
  • Individual differences among learners, understanding differences based on diversity of language, caste, gender, community, religion etc. 
  • Distinction between Assessment for learning and assessment of learning; School-Based Assessment, Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation: perspective and practice 
  • Formulating appropriate questions for assessing readiness levels of learners; for enhancing learning and critical thinking in the classroom and for assessing learner achievement. 
b) Concept of Inclusive education and understanding children with special needs –    5 Questions 

  • Addressing learners from diverse backgrounds including disadvantaged and deprived 
  • Addressing the needs of children with learning difficulties, ‘impairment’ etc. 
  • Addressing the Talented, Creative, Specially abled Learners CTET – JULY 2020 19 c) Learning and Pedagogy 10 Questions 
  • How children think and learn; how and why children ‘fail’ to achieve success in school performance. 
  • Basic processes of teaching and learning; children’s strategies of learning; learning as a social activity; social context of learning. 
  • Child as a problem solver and a ‘scientific investigator’ 
  • Alternative conceptions of learning in children, understanding children’s ‘errors’ as significant steps in the learning process. 
  • Cognition & Emotions 
  • Motivation and learning 
  • Factors contributing to learning – personal & environmental 
II. Language I –    30 Questions 
a) Language Comprehension –    15 Questions 
Reading unseen passages – two passages one prose or drama and one poem with questions on comprehension, inference, grammar and verbal ability (Prose passage may be literary, scientific, narrative or discursive) 
b) Pedagogy of Language Development –    15 Questions 
  • Learning and acquisition 
  • Principles of language Teaching 
  • Role of listening and speaking; function of language and how children use 
  • it as a tool 
  • Critical perspective on the role of grammar in learning a language for communicating ideas verbally and in written form; 
  • Challenges of teaching language in a diverse classroom; language difficulties, errors and disorders 
  • Language Skills 
  • Evaluating language comprehension and proficiency: speaking, listening, reading and writing 
  • Teaching- learning materials: Textbook, multi-media materials, multilingual resource of the classroom 
  • Remedial Teaching 
III. Language-II –   30 Questions

a) Comprehension –    15 Questions

Two unseen prose passages (discursive or literary or narrative or scientific) with question on comprehension, grammar and verbal ability

b) Pedagogy of Language Development –    15 Questions 

  • Learning and acquisition 
  • Principles of language Teaching 
  • Role of listening and speaking; function of language and how children use it as a tool 
  • Critical perspective on the role of grammar in learning a language for communicating ideas verbally and in written form; 
  • Challenges of teaching language in a diverse classroom; language difficulties, errors and disorders 
  • Language Skills 
  • Evaluating language comprehension and proficiency: speaking, listening, reading and writing 
  • Teaching – learning materials: Textbook, multi-media materials, multilingual resource of the classroom 
  • Remedial Teaching 
IV. Mathematics and Science –     60 Questions
(i) Mathematics –    30 Questions
a) Content –    20 Questions
⇒Number System
  • Knowing our Numbers 
  • Playing with Numbers 
  • Whole Numbers 
  • Negative Numbers and Integers 
  • Fractions 

⇒Algebra 

  • Introduction to Algebra 
  • Ratio and Proportion

⇒Geometry 

  • Basic geometrical ideas (2-D)
  • Understanding Elementary Shapes (2-D and 3-D)
  • Symmetry: (reflection)
  • Construction (using Straight edge Scale, protractor, compasses)

⇒Mensuration
⇒Data handling

b) Pedagogical issues –    10 Questions

  • Nature of Mathematics/Logical thinking
  • Place of Mathematics in Curriculum
  • Language of Mathematics
  • Community Mathematics
  • Evaluation
  • Remedial Teaching
  • Problem of Teaching
    i) Science –   30 Questions
    a) Content –    20 Questions

⇒Food

  • Sources of food
  • Components of food
  • Cleaning food

⇒Materials

  • Materials of daily use

⇒The World of the Living 

⇒Moving Things People and Ideas

⇒How things work

  • Electric current and circuits
  • Magnets

⇒Natural Phenomena ⇒Natural Resources

b) Pedagogical issues –    10 Questions

  • Nature & Structure of Sciences
  • Natural Science/Aims & objectives
  • Understanding & Appreciating Science
  • Approaches/Integrated Approach
  • Observation/Experiment/Discovery (Method of Science)
  • Innovation
  • Text Material/Aids
  • Evaluation – cognitive/psychomotor/affective
  • Problems
  • Remedial Teaching
V. Social Studies/Social Sciences –    60 Questions
a) 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
  • Contacts with 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 1857-58
  • Women and reform
  • Challenging the Caste System
  • The Nationalist Movement
  • India After Independence

⇒Geography

  • Geography as a social study and as a science
  • Planet: Earth in the solar system
  • Globe
  • Environment in its totality: natural and human environment
  • Air
  • Water
  • Human Environment: settlement, transport and communication
  • Resources: Types-Natural and Human
  • Agriculture

⇒Social and Political Life 

  • Diversity
  • Government
  • Local Government
  • Making a Living
  • Democracy
  • State Government Geography
  • Understanding Media
  • Unpacking Gender
  • The Constitution
  • Parliamentary Government
  • The Judiciary
  • Social Justice and the Marginalised

b) Pedagogical issues –     20 Questions

  • Concept & Nature of Social Science/Social Studies
  • Class Room Processes, activities and discourse
  • Developing Critical thinking
  • Enquiry/Empirical Evidence
  • Problems of teaching Social Science/Social Studies
  • Sources – Primary & Secondary
  • Projects Work
  • Evaluation

Note: For Detailed syllabus of classes l-VIII, please refer to NCERT syllabus and textbooks