If you’re preparing to become a teacher in India — PRT, TGT, PGT, Assistant Professor, or a central school lecturer — 2026 is one of the busiest recruitment years in recent memory. Between national eligibility tests, central school recruitment, and state-specific TETs, there are over a dozen exams every serious teaching aspirant needs to track.
This guide brings together every major teaching exam in 2026 — national, central, and state-level (with special focus on Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh) — along with their dates, syllabus outline, and exam pattern, so you don’t have to hunt across ten different websites.
1. National-Level Teaching Exams
CTET (Central Teacher Eligibility Test)
CTET, conducted by CBSE, is the entry ticket for teaching Classes I–VIII in KVS, NVS, Army Public Schools, DSSSB schools, and CBSE-affiliated private schools nationwide.
- 2026 status: The February 2026 session was already conducted; the next cycle (22nd edition) opened applications from 25 August to 1 September 2026, with the exam expected in September 2026.
- Papers: Paper I (Classes I–V) and Paper II (Classes VI–VIII) — both held the same day.
- Syllabus: Child Development & Pedagogy, Language I & II, Mathematics, Environmental Studies/Science, Social Studies (Paper II only). CBSE has shifted the question style toward conceptual and pedagogical understanding rather than pure factual recall.
- Pattern: 150 MCQs, 150 marks, 2.5 hours, no negative marking.
UGC NET (National Eligibility Test)
Conducted by NTA, UGC NET determines eligibility for Assistant Professor roles and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Indian universities across 80+ subjects.
- 2026 status: The June 2026 cycle is complete (CBT held 22–30 June 2026); a few subjects (English, Commerce, Sociology) were re-conducted in early September 2026 due to paper errors. The December 2026 notification is expected in the first week of October 2026, with applications likely in October–November.
- Pattern: Two papers on the same day — Paper I (Teaching & Research Aptitude, 50 questions/100 marks) and Paper II (subject-specific, 100 questions/200 marks), fully objective, no negative marking.
2. Central School Recruitment (All-India)
KVS + NVS Joint Recruitment
For the first time, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti ran a joint recruitment exam for PRT, TGT, and PGT posts — around 14,967 teaching and non-teaching vacancies.
- 2026 status: Applications closed 4 December 2025; Tier-I exam was held 10–11 January 2026, and Tier-II results/admit cards have been rolling out through 2026. Watch for the next KVS/NVS cycle notification later in 2026.
- Eligibility: CTET Paper I is mandatory for PRT posts; CTET Paper II for TGT/PGT posts, alongside subject-specific graduation/post-graduation and B.Ed.
DSSSB (Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board)
DSSSB recruits PRT, TGT, and PGT teachers for Delhi government schools on a rolling basis throughout the year — keep the DSSSB notifications page bookmarked rather than expecting one fixed annual date.
EMRS (Eklavya Model Residential Schools)
Recruits teaching staff for tribal-area residential schools; Tier-I results for the current cycle were declared in 2025, with a fresh notification typically following later in the year.
3. State TETs (Teacher Eligibility Tests)
Every state runs its own TET, mandatory for state government and aided-school teaching posts.
| Exam | State | 2026 Status |
| HTET (Haryana TET) | Haryana | Notification released Dec 2025; exam rescheduled twice, finally held 4–5 July 2026 for PRT/TGT/PGT levels |
| PSTET (Punjab TET) | Punjab | Notification issued 3 Feb 2026; exam held 15 March 2026 |
| HPTET | Himachal Pradesh | Conducted periodically by HPBOSE — check for the next cycle announcement |
| REET | Rajasthan | Level 1 & 2 notifications tracked separately; Mains-level exams continuing through 2026 |
| UPTET | Uttar Pradesh | Short advertisement published in 2026; full notification awaited |
| Super TET | Uttar Pradesh (Assistant Teacher) | Recruitment cycle ongoing |
| Bihar STET | Bihar | Secondary TET, subject-wise, periodic cycles |
| WBTET / APTET / TSTET / KTET / MPTET / CGTET / UTET / OTET / GTET | Respective states | Each state runs on its own annual/biennial calendar — always confirm on the state board’s official site before applying |
General State TET Pattern (most states follow this structure)
- Paper I (Classes I–V): Child Development & Pedagogy, Language I, Language II, Mathematics, Environmental Studies
- Paper II (Classes VI–VIII): Child Development & Pedagogy, Language I, Language II, and either Mathematics & Science OR Social Studies (based on subject specialization)
Typically 150 MCQs, 150 marks, 2.5 hours, minimal or no negative marking.
4. Chandigarh, Punjab & Himachal-Specific Recruitment
(High Priority for Tricity Candidates)
If you’re based in Chandigarh, Mohali, or Panchkula, these five recruitment drives matter more than any national exam on this list — and several of them are moving right now, in September 2026.
Chandigarh NTT / JBT / TGT / PGT Recruitment 2026 — 582 Vacancies
Following directions from the Punjab & Haryana High Court, the Chandigarh Education Department is running its largest teaching recruitment drive in years: 582 vacancies across Nursery Teacher Training (NTT), Junior Basic Teacher (JBT), Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT), and Post Graduate Teacher (PGT) posts. A public notice has already been issued; the detailed notification and online application window are rolling out through August–September 2026 on chdeducation.gov.in.
- Eligibility: relevant PG/graduate degree + B.Ed for TGT/PGT; D.El.Ed/NTT diploma for JBT/NTT posts; CTET qualification is required for JBT (primary) posts.
- Age limit: 21–37 years, with relaxation for reserved categories as per rules.
- Selection process: written examination → document verification → medical examination → final merit list.
Candidates from other eligible states can also apply under the current notice — so competition will be higher than usual, and structured, early preparation matters more than in a typical cycle.
Punjab Lecturer Cadre (PGT-Equivalent) Recruitment 2026 — 1,013 Vacancies
This is the biggest PGT-equivalent recruitment in the region this year. The Directorate of School Education, Punjab released the Lecturer Cadre notification on 25 June 2026 for 1,013 vacancies (fresh + backlog posts) across 12 subjects — English, Punjabi, History, Political Science, Mathematics, and more.
- Eligibility: M.A./M.Sc. in the concerned subject with minimum 55% marks + B.Ed, with the subject studied as an elective for 3 years at graduation level. UGC NET/PSTET-qualified and PhD candidates get preference in merit.
Passing Punjabi up to Matriculation level is mandatory for every post — a requirement candidates from outside Punjab often overlook until it’s too late.
- Age limit: 18–37 years as of 1 January 2026.
- Written exam: conducted across multiple dates through September 2026, subject-wise — this cycle is live right now, so if you’re appearing, focus on revision and mock tests rather than fresh learning at this stage.
- Salary: fixed basic pay of ₹35,400/month during probation.
Punjab Master Cadre (TGT-equivalent) recruitment is running in parallel under the same recruitment drive — track both if you hold a graduate-level B.Ed to maximize your options.
HPRCA PGT Recruitment 2026 (Himachal Pradesh) — 2,092 Vacancies
Important correction most aspirants get wrong: HP school-level PGT recruitment is now handled by the Himachal Pradesh Rajya Chayan Aayog (HPRCA), not HPPSC. In 2026, HPRCA released three linked notifications (Advt No. 07, 08 and 09/2026) covering science/commerce subjects and arts/humanities subjects (History, Hindi, Geography, Sanskrit, Music, Drawing, Physical Education) — a combined 2,092 PGT vacancies in CBSE-affiliated government schools, appointed on a 5-year contractual basis.
- Eligibility: Master’s degree in the concerned subject + B.Ed.
- Selection: Computer-Based Test (120 marks) + document verification.
HPPSC’s actual role, by contrast, is limited to Assistant Professor (College Cadre) posts in the Higher Education Department — a separate, smaller cycle (373 vacancies in the current round, ₹35,000/month under the Job Trainee Scheme) with its own eligibility norms. Don’t confuse the two boards when tracking notifications.
Haryana Teaching Cadre Recruitment
Haryana’s school-level PRT/TGT/PGT hiring draws from the HTET-qualified candidate pool and is run through department-specific drives rather than one fixed annual exam. Assistant Professor posts in government colleges are recruited separately through the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC), on an as-notified basis — track HPSC’s official portal directly, since these cycles don’t follow a predictable calendar.
Exam Pattern Snapshot for Regional PGT/Lecturer Posts
Across Chandigarh PGT, Punjab Lecturer Cadre, and HP PGT, the pattern is broadly similar:
- Section A — General/Pedagogy component: Teaching Aptitude & Pedagogy, ICT, Reasoning & General Awareness, Language Comprehension (roughly 50 marks)
- Section B — Subject-specific knowledge: carries the highest weightage — typically 100 of 150 marks (Chandigarh/Punjab pattern) or 120 marks in HP’s CBT format. This is where most candidates gain or lose their final rank, so once your general-aptitude score is stable, subject depth is what actually moves your merit position.
5. How to Plan Your 2026 Exam Calendar
With so many overlapping exams, aspirants often make one of two mistakes: spreading preparation too thin across every exam simultaneously, or missing a notification window entirely because it wasn’t tracked. A simple approach:
- Anchor around CTET/State TET first — it’s the eligibility gateway for almost everything else.
- Layer UGC NET only if you’re targeting Assistant Professor/PGT-level or higher education roles.
- Track your specific state/UT recruitment board (Chandigarh Education Department, Punjab SEB, HPPSC, BSEH) directly — these notifications don’t always get equal coverage on national portals.
- Revise the common Pedagogy + Reasoning + GK section continuously, since it repeats across almost every exam listed above — this is the highest-ROI section to master once and reuse everywhere.
6. Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Is CTET valid for state government teaching jobs?
CTET is primarily mandatory for central schools (KVS, NVS, DSSSB-affiliated, Central Tibetan Schools). Many state governments accept CTET too, but most require the respective State TET for state/aided school recruitment — check your target state’s specific policy.
Q2. Can I appear for CTET, a State TET, and UGC NET in the same year?
Yes, as long as exam dates don’t clash and you meet each exam’s eligibility criteria. Many PGT/Lecturer aspirants clear both a State TET and UGC NET to keep school-teaching and college-teaching doors open simultaneously.
Q3. What is the minimum qualification for PGT-level posts?
A postgraduate (PG) degree in the relevant subject plus a B.Ed is the standard requirement across most PGT/Lecturer recruitments (Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, HP).
Q4. How often are State TETs conducted?
Most states aim for an annual cycle, but actual timing varies — HTET and PSTET both had a single 2026 cycle so far (July and March respectively); always check for a possible second cycle later in the year.
Q5. Does clearing a TET/CTET guarantee a teaching job?
No. TET and CTET only establish your eligibility to apply for teaching posts — they don’t come with a job offer by themselves. You still need to clear the actual recruitment exam (like Chandigarh PGT/TGT, DSSSB, KVS/NVS, or HPPSC) and go through document verification, merit listing, and in some cases an interview or teaching demonstration, before a final appointment is made.
Q6. What is the general selection process after clearing these exams?
Most teaching recruitments follow a similar sequence: written exam → provisional answer key and objections window → final answer key → merit list/result → document verification → in some cases (PGT/Lecturer posts) a subject-specific interview or academic record evaluation → final selection and posting order. Keeping your educational certificates, category certificates, and experience letters ready in advance saves weeks during verification.
Prepare With Structured Guidance
Tracking a dozen exam calendars while also studying pedagogy, subject content, and reasoning is genuinely difficult to do alone. Competition Guru Chandigarh offers dedicated offline and online coaching for CTET, UGC NET, Chandigarh PGT/TGT/JBT, HTET, PSTET, HPPSC PGT, and more — with updated study material, structured batches, and regular mock tests aligned to each exam’s latest pattern.
Whichever exam is next on your calendar, preparing with a plan beats preparing in panic.
Bookmark this page — we’ll keep updating it as new 2026 notifications drop.