CTET 2026 Scheduled for February 8 After CBSE Skips July Cycle, Notification Released November 27

The Central Board of Secondary Education has upended a decade-long pattern by canceling the July 2025 Central Teacher Eligibility Test entirely and announcing the next exam for February 8, 2026. The decision, confirmed by a PUBLIC NOTICE: CTET FEB 2026 posted on ctet.nic.in, caught thousands of aspiring teachers off guard. The official notification dropped on November 27, 2025, along with the application portal — a timeline that shattered months of speculation from education portals predicting a July exam. For the first time since CTET’s launch in 2011, CBSE has skipped an entire cycle. This isn’t just a delay. It’s a reset.

Why the Sudden Change?

The reason? Officials haven’t issued a formal statement, but insiders point to administrative restructuring. For over a decade, CTET ran on a predictable biannual rhythm: July and December. But in 2025, the usual March-April notification window went silent. By August, sites like Jagran Josh and Embibe were already speculating about delays. Then came the bombshell: no July exam. No December exam either. Just one — in February 2026. The timing suggests CBSE is aligning the test with the new academic calendar for state teacher recruitments, many of which now begin in April. By holding CTET in February, results land right before hiring seasons kick off. It’s practical. But disruptive.

What Aspirants Need to Know

The application window closes on December 18, 2025. Candidates must apply online at ctet.nic.in — no offline submissions. The exam will be held in 132 cities across India, maintaining its traditional pen-and-paper, OMR-based format. No computer-based testing. Paper-I (for classes I–V) and Paper-II (for classes VI–VIII) remain unchanged, with 150 multiple-choice questions each, no negative marking, and one mark per correct answer. The eligibility criteria still follow the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2011, requiring a minimum of 50% in senior secondary and a recognized teacher training diploma.

Here’s the new timeline:

• November 27, 2025: Notification and application form released
• December 18, 2025: Last date to apply
• January 2026: Admit cards available for download
• February 8, 2026: Exam day — Sunday
• February 2026: Provisional answer key released
• March 2026: Final results declared

And here’s the biggest shift: the CTET certificate is now valid for life. Previously, it expired after seven years. That change, quietly confirmed by CBSE in the bulletin, removes a major burden for teachers who passed years ago but couldn’t secure jobs immediately. They no longer need to reappear. It’s a recognition that teaching credentials shouldn’t be time-limited.

Confusion Among Candidates

The chaos was real. In October, News18 ran headlines claiming the July exam would happen in "the first week of July." Embibe was still publishing mock tests for "CTET-July 2025" with predicted result dates in August. Shiksha.com and Career Power were among the few that flagged the silence as a red flag. But for students who had already booked travel, taken leave from jobs, or enrolled in coaching classes for a July exam — the cancellation meant wasted money and lost momentum. One candidate from Patna, who spoke anonymously, said: "I quit my job in June to prepare. Now I’m back to square one. No one warned us."

What This Means for Teacher Recruitment

State governments — which rely on CTET scores to hire primary and upper-primary teachers — are now scrambling. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh typically begin recruitment drives in March. With results now coming in March 2026, those timelines are pushed back. Some states may delay hiring until April or May. Others might use 2024 CTET scores as a stopgap — but those certificates are now expired under the old rule. Under the new lifetime validity, even 2024 passers are eligible. That could ease pressure. But it also means more competition. Thousands who sat for 2024’s December exam — and didn’t get jobs — will now reapply. The pool could swell by 30%.

Why This Matters Beyond the Classroom

CTET isn’t just an exam. It’s a gateway for over 1.5 million aspirants annually — mostly women, many from small towns, seeking stable public sector jobs. The shift signals CBSE’s growing control over teacher certification. By consolidating into a single annual cycle, they reduce administrative costs and streamline data management. But it also concentrates risk: one exam, one day, one chance. No backup. For candidates in remote areas, travel to test centers can mean days of expense and lost wages. A missed deadline or technical glitch on the portal could derail a career. The lifetime validity is a win. But the lack of transparency in scheduling? That’s a problem.

What’s Next?

CBSE has not announced whether the February cycle will become permanent. Will 2027 also be a single February exam? Or will they return to two cycles? The answer may depend on how smoothly February 2026 runs. If the system holds — no glitches, no protests, no logistical chaos — this could become the new norm. But if candidates face overcrowded centers or delayed results, pressure will mount to restore the old rhythm.

For now, the message is clear: mark your calendar. February 8, 2026. Don’t wait for rumors. Don’t trust third-party sites. Go to ctet.nic.in. Download the bulletin. Apply before December 18. And prepare like your future depends on it — because it does.