Patna: The Bihar government has decided to discontinue the state-level Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for recruitment to elementary schools, making the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) the sole qualifying examination for aspiring teachers of classes 1 to 8.
Officials in the education department said the move was taken after reviewing recruitment patterns over the past three years, concluding that a sufficient number of candidates were already qualifying through CTET. As a result, there would be no separate state-level TET going forward.
The TET in Bihar was conducted only twice — in 2011 and 2017 — by the Bihar School Examination Board. When the 2017 results were declared, authorities had indicated that the exam would be held annually. However, no further examinations were conducted.
Under the previous system, candidates who scored more than 50% were considered qualified. For classes 1 to 5, applicants were required to have passed Class 12 with at least 50% marks along with a two-year Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed.). For classes 6 to 8, a graduation degree along with D.El.Ed. or a Bachelor of Education (BEd) was mandatory.
The CTET, conducted at the national level, will now serve as the sole eligibility benchmark. The exam comprises 150 questions carrying 150 marks. Candidates from the general category must secure at least 60% (90 marks) to qualify, while reserved category candidates require 55%.
The decision has sparked concern among some aspirants, who argue that the CTET syllabus — based on NCERT guidelines — differs from Bihar’s state curriculum developed by SCERT. The TET had included more questions tailored to the state’s educational context.
Candidates have also pointed out that the CTET does not include regional languages such as Bhojpuri, Angika and Magahi, though Maithili has recently been included. They say the national-level exam is generally considered more competitive and broader in scope.
With the state now formally stepping back from conducting its own eligibility test, teacher recruitment in Bihar’s elementary schools will hinge entirely on performance in the central examination.
