What is the difference between TET and CTET?

CTET (Central Teacher Eligibility Test) is conducted by CBSE and qualifies you for teaching posts in central government schools such as KVS, NVS and Kendriya Vidyalayas. State TET (or simply TET) is conducted by individual states — UPTET, MPTET, KTET, TNTET and others — and qualifies you for that state's government school posts. Both tests exist because the RTE Act requires every teacher in Classes 1–8 to clear a TET.

Key differences

Feature	CTET	State TET
Conducting body	CBSE	State education board
Frequency	Twice a year	Once or twice a year (varies)
Valid for	KVS, NVS, central schools, many private schools nationwide	That specific state's government schools
Papers	Paper 1 (Classes 1–5), Paper 2 (Classes 6–8)	Same two-paper structure
Validity	Lifetime (since 2021 notification)	Varies by state, most are now lifetime

Which one should you take

• Applying for central government schools (KVS, NVS) or private schools across India — take CTET.
• Applying for state government schools in a specific state — take that state's TET. UPTET for Uttar Pradesh, TNTET for Tamil Nadu, and so on.
• Applying for both — take CTET first; many states also accept CTET for state posts (check that state's notification).

Things to know

• Clearing CTET or TET only makes you eligible — you still have to clear the recruitment exam (KVS TGT, DSSSB, state teacher recruitment) to actually get the job.
• CTET Paper 1 qualifies you for primary teacher posts; Paper 2 qualifies you for upper primary. Take both if you want flexibility.

Related reads

• Who is eligible for CTET
• CTET syllabus overview
• TGT eligibility and qualification