Scoring 100+ marks out of 150 is often considered good score in CTET for general category. Meanwhile, for OBC/ ST/ SC category, a score of 90+ marks is typically regarded as good. Check here what is a good score in CTET.
The Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) is an important exam for those seeking the job of a teacher in government schools in India. This exam is conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Through this exam, ideal ones are identified among thousands of applicants.
This CTET exam also tests the eligibility of yours to teach students in the primary level (Class 1 to Class 5) and the upper primary level (Class 6 to Class 8). Successful ones will be considered eligible to get the job opportunity as teachers in central government schools such as KVS, NVS, etc. In this article, you will get a detailed idea about the good CTET score and other related information.
Understanding of the CTET Exam
The CTET exam examines the knowledge of the students in different subjects. It consists of two papers for students of two different categories. Paper I is for the aspirants looking for teaching jobs in the primary schools for Class 1 to Class 5. For teaching jobs in the upper primary schools for Class 6 to Class 8, aspirants need to take Paper II. There will be subjects such as Mathematics, Language Paper, Environmental Science, Child Development, and Pedagogy, Social Studies, and Science.
What is a CTET Score?
The score obtained by you in the CTET exam is considered as CTET Score. The score will be valid for a lifetime. Hence, you will be able to utilize your CTET score at any time of their career as per your preference. The score obtained by you is the raw score of the CTET exam. However, the normalization will be done based on the difficulty level of questions in different sets. After normalization, the cutoff marks will be declared.
Marking Scheme of the CTET Exam
Each paper in the CTET exam (Paper I and Paper II) will consist of 150 questions for a total of 150 marks and all the questions will carry 1 mark. In this exam, all the questions are Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ Type). In Paper I, you will have to attempt all 4 sections. However, in Paper II, you need to pick either ‘Maths and Science’ or ‘Social Studies and Social Science’. There will be no negative marks as per CTET exam pattern 2026.
The distribution of marks in both papers of the CTET exam is mentioned in the table below.
Paper I
Check out the exam pattern for paper I provided below.
| Serial Number | Subjects | Total Number of Questions | Marks Allotted |
| 1 | Mathematics | 30 | 30 |
| 2 | Language I | 30 | 30 |
| 3 | Language II | 30 | 30 |
| 4 | Child Development and Pedagogy | 30 | 30 |
| 5 | Environmental Science | 30 | 30 |
| Total | 150 | 150 | |
Paper II
You must check out the CTET paper II exam pattern shared below.
| Serial Number | Subjects | Total Number of Questions | Marks Allotted |
| 1 | Mathematics and Science (Optional) | 60 | 60 |
| 2 | Social Science and Social Studies (Optional) | 60 | 60 |
| 3 | Language I (Compulsory) | 30 | 30 |
| 4 | Language II (Compulsory) | 30 | 30 |
| 5 | Child Development and Pedagogy | 30 | 30 |
| Total | 150 | 150 | |
CTET Cut-Off Marks
The cut-off marks are the minimum marks you must obtain in the CTET exam to qualify. The percentage marks you need to score varies based on your category. For the General category, the cut-off marks are 60%, and for the SC, ST, and OBC categories at least 55% od marks is required to clear the CTET 2026 cutoff. Those who score equal or more marks than the cut-off marks will be certified as CTET-qualified. The qualifying marks for each category are mentioned in the table below.
| Serial Number | Category | Total Marks | Minimum Qualifying Marks |
| 1 | General | 150 | 90 |
| 2 | OBC | 150 | 82.5 |
| 3 | SC | 150 | 82.5 |
| 4 | ST | 150 | 82.5 |
Factors on which CTET Cut-Off Marks Depend
The cut-off marks in the CTET exam will depend upon a lot of important factors. Those are discussed below.
- Total Number of Aspirants: The cut-off marks for the CTET exam will completely depend upon the total number of aspirants for a particular year. The higher the number of aspirants, the higher the cut-off marks in the CTET exam.
- Difficulty Level of the Question Papers: Based on the difficulty level of the question papers, the cut-off marks in the CTET exam can go higher or lower. With the increase in the difficulty level of the question papers, the cut-off marks will be lesser.
- Availability of the Total Vacancy: With the increase in the total number of vacancies, the cut-off marks in the CTET exam will decrease. However, decrease in the total number of vacancies, the cut-off marks in the CTET exam will increase.
- Trend of the Average Performance of the Candidates: The cut-off marks can change every year with the trend of the average performance of the aspirants appearing in the CTET exam.
- Reservation Policy: The cut-off marks for the reserved category candidates can change as per the rules and regulations of the exam conducting authority.
Importance of a Good Score in the CTET Exam
You can have several benefits after scoring good marks in the CTET exam. The importance of scoring decent marks is mentioned as follows.
- Those who have scored good marks in the CTET exam will have better chances of getting teaching jobs than others in the Central Government schools.
- A good score in the CTET exam will indicate the knowledge and the potential of those seeking a teaching job in central schools.
- In top private schools, candidates with higher CTET scores will be given more importance than the rest of the candidates seeking a teaching position.
- The CTET score will be valid for a lifetime. Hence, you will get the benefits of a high CTET score throughout your careers.
Check CTET Related Articles:
| CTET Exam Previous Year Question Papers | CTET Exam Qualifying Percentile 2026 |
| CTET Exam Pattern 2026 | CTET Exam Eligibility Criteria 2026 |
| CTET Exam Mock Test 2026 | CTET Exam Syllabus 2026 |
Points to Follow to Score Good Marks in CTET
You need to study properly and have a well-rounded preparation to score good marks in the CTET exam. The points you need to follow are as follows.
- You need to understand the entire syllabus for the CTET exam to score good marks. You need to collect the official CTET syllabus and start your preparation. You should be careful that all the topics are covered during preparation.
- You must be aware of the exam pattern and type of questions in the CTET exam. It will help you score better grades on the CTET exam.
- You must select the ideal study materials for your preparation. Usually, the NCERT books are good study materials for the CTET exam. You can figure out other essential materials and start your preparation for this exam.
- Regular revision is a great way to score good marks in any exam. A periodic revision can help you to score good marks in the CTET exam.
- You can take mock tests once your preparation is done. You can get mock tests available online after completing the whole syllabus.
- Previous year question papers are also helpful. It will help you to know the type and pattern of the questions. Hence, you must check the previous year's question papers for the CTET exam.
- Stay up to date will all the updates and changes be done in this CTET exam.
Those who will be able to score good marks in the CTET exam will have a better opportunity to secure a teaching job in central schools. You need to clear the cut-off marks to become CTET eligible. However, you should aim for a higher CTET score. A higher score will enhance the chance to get a teaching job easily. Strategic preparation, practice, and hard work can help you to get the desired marks in the CTET exam.
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Conducted by CBSE for teaching roles in government schools. -
Qualifies teachers for primary (Class 1-5) & upper primary (Class 6-8). -
CTET score holds lifetime validity. -
No negative marking in the CTET exam.
