CTET Subjects 2026: Download Complete List of Subjects PDF for Paper 1 & 2

CTET subjects 2026 for Paper 1 and 2 are similar as both the papers consist of Child Development, and Pedagogy, Language I and Language II. The only subject difference in the papers is that, for Paper 1, topics from Environmental Science are asked, and for Paper 2, topics are from Science and Social Studies/Sciences. Thus, CTET subjects 2026 for Paper 1 are considered to be more difficult.

CTET 2026 exam subjects are decided by the conducting body, CBSE, for papers 1 and 2. Paper 1 mainly includes topics required to become classes 1 to 5 teachers, and for Paper 2, the portions are from classes 6 to 8. CTET 2026 exam pattern for the papers remains the same.

CTET Subjects 2026 Highlights

On the official website, CBSE has released the detailed list of CTET subjects 2026 for Paper 1 (Primary) and Paper 2 (Elementary). Candidates planning to appear for the exam must know the topics in both papers to attempt the exam well.

Also Read: 

CTET Subjects 2026 for Paper 1

CTET 2026 Paper 1 is held to recruit candidates as class 1 to 5 teachers. Candidates preparing to appear for the exam must be well aware of CTET subjects 2026 for Paper 1 and the topic-wise weightage. By knowing the same, they can strategize their preparation by segregating the time for more important topics and spending less time on the rest. 

CTET Paper 1: Child Development and Pedagogy

A total of 30 questions will be asked from this CTET subject 2026. 15 questions will be from the Child Development section, 5 from the Concept Of Inclusive Education And Understanding Children With Special Needs and 10 from the Pedagogy section.

Child Development: Primary School Child

• 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-Centred 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.
• The 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.

Concept Of Inclusive Education And Understanding Children With Special Needs

• 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.

Learning and Pedagogy

• 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 For 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.

CTET Paper 1: Language I

In CTET subjects 2026 for Paper Language I, 30 questions will be asked from different topics. The Comprehension section will comprise 15 questions, and the Pedagogy of Language Development will have 15 questions.

Language Comprehension

• 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).

Pedagogy of Language Development

• Learning And Acquisition.
• Principles Of Language Teaching.
• Role Of Listening And Speaking; The Function Of Language And How Children Use It As A Tool.
• A 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, A Multilingual Resource For The Classroom.
• Remedial Teaching.

CTET Paper 1: Language II

CTET subjects 2026 Paper 1 Language II will comprise 30 questions, out of which 15 will be from the Comprehension section and 15 from the Pedagogy and Language Development section.

Comprehension

• Two Unseen Prose Passages (Discursive Or Literary Or Narrative Or Scientific) With A Question On Comprehension, Grammar And Verbal Ability.

Pedagogy of Language Development

• Learning And Acquisition.
• Principles Of Language Teaching.
• Role Of Listening And Speaking; The Function Of Language And How Children Use It As A Tool.
• A 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, A Multilingual Resource For The Classroom.
• Remedial Teaching.

CTET Paper 1: Mathematics

30 questions will be asked from Mathematics in CTET subjects 2026 for Paper 1.

Content

• Geometry
• Shapes & Spatial Understanding
• Solids around Us
• Numbers
• Addition and Subtraction
• Multiplication
• Division
• Measurement
• Weight
• Time
• Volume
• Data Handling
• Patterns
• Money

Pedagogical Issues

• Nature Of Mathematics/Logical Thinking; Understanding Children’s Thinking And Reasoning Patterns And Strategies For Making Meaning And Learning.
• Place Of Mathematics In Curriculum.
• The 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.

CTET Paper1: Environmental Studies (30 Questions)

In CTET subjects 2026 Paper 1, the Environmental Studies section will also consist of 30 questions divided equally between Content and Pedagogical Issues.

Content

• Family and Friends: Relationships, Work and Play, Animals, Plants
• Water
• Food
• Shelter
• Travel
• Things We Make and Do.

Pedagogical Issues

• Environmental Studies and Environmental Education
• Concept and Scope of EVS
• Significance of EVS and Integrated EVS
• Learning Principles
• Scope and Relation to Science and Social Science
• Approaches of Presenting Concepts
• Activities
• Experimentation/Practical Work
• Discussion
• CCE
• Teaching Materials/Aids
• Problems

Check CTET Relevant Articles:

CTET Subjects 2026 for Paper 2

CTET subjects 2026 for Paper 2 include topics for classes 6 to 8. The topic-wise weightage and the important topics to be covered before appearing for CTET 2026 Paper 2 exam must be checked before starting the exam preparation.

CTET Paper 2: Child Development and Pedagogy

In order to gauge the candidates’ knowledge about Child Development and the Concept of Inclusive Education, this CTET subject 2026 is included in both Papers 1 and 2. However, the topics for both papers are distinct.

Child Development: Elementary School Child

• Concept Of Development And Its Relationship With Learning.
• Principles Of The Development Of Children.
• Influence Of Heredity And Environment.
• Socialization Processes: Social World And Children (Teacher, Parents, Peers).
• Piaget, Kohlberg, And Vygotsky: Constructs And Critical Perspectives.
• Concepts Of Child-Centred And Progressive Education.
• Critical Perspective Of The Construct Of Intelligence.
• Multi-Dimensional Intelligence.
• Language And 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.
• The Distinction Between Assessment For Learning And Assessment Of Learning; School-Based Assessment, Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation: Perspective And Practice.

Concept of Inclusive Education And Understanding Children With Special Needs

• Addressing Learners From Diverse Backgrounds Including The Disadvantaged And Deprived.
• Addressing The Needs Of Children With Learning Difficulties, ‘Impairment’ Etc.
• Addressing The Talented, Creative, Specially Abled Learners.

Learning and Pedagogy

• 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 For 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.

CTET Paper 2: Language I

Language I is a compulsory section among CTET subjects 2026 for Paper 2. A total of 30 questions will be asked from this section.

Language Comprehension

• 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).

Pedagogy of Language Development

• Learning And Acquisition.
• Principles Of Language Teaching.
• Role Of Listening And Speaking; The Function Of Language And How Children Use It As A Tool.
• A 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, A Multilingual Resource For The Classroom.
• Remedial Teaching.

CTET Paper 2: Language II

Similar to Language I, Language II is also an important CTET subject 2026 for Paper 2. It comprises 30 questions as well.

Comprehension

• Two Unseen Prose Passages (Discursive, Literary Narrative Or Scientific) With A Question On Comprehension, Grammar, And Verbal Ability.

Pedagogy of Language Development

• Learning And Acquisition.
• Principles Of Language Teaching.
• Role Of Listening And Speaking; The Function Of Language And How Children Use It As A Tool.
• A 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, A Multilingual Resource For The Classroom.
• Remedial Teaching.

CTET Paper 2: Mathematics and Science

60 questions will be asked in Mathematics and Science CTET subjects 2026 for the Paper 2 exam. Unlike the above subjects, Mathematics and Science subjects are optional.

Mathematics

• 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

Science

• Food: Sources Of Food, Components Of Food, Cleaning Food.
• Materials
• The World Of The Living
• Moving Things People And Ideas
• How Things Work: Electric Current And Circuits, Magnets
• Natural Phenomena
• Natural Resources.

CTET Paper 2: Social Studies/Social Sciences

Like Mathematics and Science, Social Studies/Social Sciences is also an optional CTET subject 2026 for Paper 2.

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
• Understanding Media
• Unpacking Gender
• The Constitution
• Parliamentary Government
• The Judiciary
• Social Justice And The Marginalised.

CTET Subjects 2026 Syllabus PDF

Candidates can check and download the detailed list of CTET subjects 2026 and topics from the PDF file below.