Comprehensive Guide to the CTET Syllabus 2025: Paper 1 and Paper 2 Breakdown

The Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) is a national-level examination conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in India. It serves as a qualifying exam for candidates aspiring to become teachers in government, aided, and unaided schools for classes 1 to 8. The test is divided into two papers: Paper 1 for primary stage teachers (classes 1-5) and Paper 2 for elementary stage teachers (classes 6-8). The syllabus is designed to assess candidates' understanding of child development, pedagogy, and subject-specific knowledge, aligning with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005.

The CTET 2025 syllabus remains consistent with previous years, focusing on conceptual understanding rather than rote learning. Both papers are objective, with 150 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) each, carrying 150 marks, and a duration of 2.5 hours. There is no negative marking, and the exam is bilingual (English and Hindi, plus regional languages). Below, we delve into the detailed syllabus for both papers, including subjects, topics, subtopics, and pedagogical aspects.

CTET Exam Pattern 2025

Before exploring the syllabus, understanding the exam structure is crucial. Here's a comparative overview:

Candidates can appear for both papers if they wish to teach classes 1-8. Language I and II must be different, with Language I focusing on proficiency in the medium of instruction.

CTET Paper 1 Syllabus 2025 (Primary Stage: Classes 1-5)

Paper 1 emphasizes foundational concepts suitable for young learners. Each section has 30 questions (30 marks), totaling 150.

1. Child Development and Pedagogy (30 Questions)

This section tests knowledge of child psychology and teaching methods.

• Child Development (Primary School Child) (15 Questions):
  • Concept of development and its relationship with learning
  • Principles of the development of children
  • Influence of Heredity & Environment
  • Socialization processes: Social world & children (Teacher, Parents, Peers)
  • Piaget, Kohlberg, and Vygotsky: constructs and critical perspectives
  • Concepts of child-centered and progressive education
  • Critical perspective of the construct of Intelligence
  • Multi-Dimensional Intelligence
  • Language & Thought
  • Gender as a social construct; gender roles, gender-bias, and educational practice
  • Individual differences among learners, understanding differences based on diversity of language, caste, gender, community, religion, etc.
  • Distinction between Assessment for learning and assessment of learning; School-Based Assessment, Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation: perspective and practice
  • Formulating appropriate questions for assessing readiness levels of learners; for enhancing learning and critical thinking in the classroom and for assessing learner achievement.
• Concept of Inclusive Education and Understanding Children with Special Needs (5 Questions):
  • Addressing learners from diverse backgrounds including disadvantaged and deprived
  • Addressing the needs of children with learning difficulties, ‘impairment’ etc.
  • Addressing the Talented, Creative, Specially abled Learners
• Learning and Pedagogy (10 Questions):
  • How children think and learn; how and why children ‘fail’ to achieve success in school performance
  • Basic processes of teaching and learning; children’s strategies of learning; learning as a social activity; social context of learning
  • Child as a problem solver and a ‘scientific investigator’
  • Alternative conceptions of learning in children, understanding children’s ‘errors’ as significant steps in the learning process
  • Cognition & Emotions
  • Motivation and learning
  • Factors contributing to learning - personal & environmental

2. Language I (30 Questions)

Focuses on the language chosen as the medium of instruction.

• Language Comprehension (15 Questions):
  • Reading unseen passages – two passages: one prose or drama and one poem with questions on comprehension, inference, grammar, and verbal ability (Prose passage may be literary, scientific, narrative, or discursive)
• Pedagogy of Language Development (15 Questions):
  • Learning and acquisition
  • Principles of language Teaching
  • Role of listening and speaking; function of language and how children use it as a tool
  • Critical perspective on the role of grammar in learning a language for communicating ideas verbally and in written form
  • Challenges of teaching language in a diverse classroom; language difficulties, errors, and disorders
  • Language Skills
  • Evaluating language comprehension and proficiency: speaking, listening, reading, and writing
  • Teaching-learning materials: Textbook, multi-media materials, multilingual resource of the classroom
  • Remedial Teaching

3. Language II (30 Questions)

A second language to promote bilingualism.

• Comprehension (15 Questions):
  • Two unseen prose passages (discursive or literary or narrative or scientific) with questions on comprehension, grammar, and verbal ability
• Pedagogy of Language Development (15 Questions):
  • Learning and acquisition
  • Principles of language Teaching
  • Role of listening and speaking; function of language and how children use it as a tool
  • Critical perspective on the role of grammar in learning a language for communicating ideas verbally and in written form
  • Challenges of teaching language in a diverse classroom; language difficulties, errors, and disorders
  • Language Skills
  • Evaluating language comprehension and proficiency: speaking, listening, reading, and writing
  • Teaching-learning materials: Textbook, multi-media materials, multilingual resource of the classroom
  • Remedial Teaching

4. Mathematics (30 Questions)

Emphasizes basic mathematical concepts and teaching methods.

• Content (15 Questions):
  • Geometry
  • Shapes & Spatial Understanding
  • Solids around Us
  • Numbers
  • Addition and Subtraction
  • Multiplication
  • Division
  • Measurement
  • Weight
  • Time
  • Volume
  • Data Handling
  • Patterns
  • Money
• Pedagogical Issues (15 Questions):
  • Nature of Mathematics/Logical thinking; understanding children’s thinking and reasoning patterns and strategies of making meaning and learning
  • Place of Mathematics in Curriculum
  • Language of Mathematics
  • Community Mathematics
  • Evaluation through formal and informal methods
  • Problems of Teaching
  • Error analysis and related aspects of learning and teaching
  • Diagnostic and Remedial Teaching

5. Environmental Studies (30 Questions)

Covers everyday environmental concepts.

• Content (15 Questions):
  • Family and Friends: Relationships, Work and Play, Animals, Plants
  • Food
  • Shelter
  • Water
  • Travel
  • Things We Make and Do
• Pedagogical Issues (15 Questions):
  • Concept and scope of EVS
  • Significance of EVS, integrated EVS
  • Environmental Studies & Environmental Education
  • Learning Principles
  • Scope & relation to Science & Social Science
  • Approaches of presenting concepts
  • Activities
  • Experimentation/Practical Work
  • Discussion
  • CCE
  • Teaching material/Aids
  • Problems

CTET Paper 2 Syllabus 2025 (Elementary Stage: Classes 6-8)

Paper 2 is for upper primary teachers, with an option between Mathematics & Science or Social Studies/Social Science (60 questions each).

1. Child Development and Pedagogy (30 Questions)

Similar to Paper 1 but tailored for older children.

• Child Development (Elementary School Child) (15 Questions): Same as Paper 1's Child Development section.
• Concept of Inclusive Education and Understanding Children with Special Needs (5 Questions): Same as Paper 1.
• Learning and Pedagogy (10 Questions): Same as Paper 1.

2. Language I (30 Questions)

• Same structure and topics as Paper 1's Language I.

3. Language II (30 Questions)

• Same structure and topics as Paper 1's Language II.

4. Mathematics and Science (60 Questions) OR Social Studies/Social Science (60 Questions)

(i) Mathematics (30 Questions)

• Content (20 Questions):
  • Number System: Knowing our Numbers, Playing with Numbers, Whole Numbers, Negative Numbers and Integers, Fractions
  • Algebra: Introduction to Algebra, Ratio and Proportion
  • Geometry: Basic geometrical ideas (2-D), Understanding Elementary Shapes (2-D and 3-D), Symmetry (reflection), Construction (using Straight edge Scale, protractor, compasses), Mensuration, Data handling
• Pedagogical Issues (10 Questions):
  • Nature of Mathematics/Logical thinking
  • Place of Mathematics in Curriculum
  • Language of Mathematics
  • Community Mathematics
  • Evaluation
  • Remedial Teaching
  • Problem of Teaching

(ii) Science (30 Questions)

• Content (20 Questions):
  • Food: Sources of food, Components of food, Cleaning food
  • Materials: Materials of daily use
  • The World of the Living
  • Moving Things, People and Ideas
  • How things work: Electric current and circuits, Magnets
  • Natural Phenomena
  • Natural Resources
• Pedagogical Issues (10 Questions):
  • Nature & Structure of Sciences
  • Natural Science/Aims & objectives
  • Understanding & Appreciating Science
  • Approaches/Integrated Approach
  • Observation/Experiment/Discovery (Method of Science)
  • Innovation
  • Text Material/Aids
  • Evaluation - cognitive/psychomotor/affective
  • Problems
  • Remedial Teaching

Social Studies/Social Science (60 Questions)

• Content (40 Questions):
  • History: When, Where and How, The Earliest Societies, The First Farmers and Herders, The First Cities, Early States, New Ideas, The First Empire, Contacts with Distant lands, Political Developments, Culture and Science, New Kings and Kingdoms, Sultans of Delhi, Architecture, Creation of an Empire, Social Change, Regional Cultures, The Establishment of Company Power, Rural Life and Society, Colonialism and Tribal Societies, The Revolt of 1857-58, Women and reform, Challenging the Caste System, The Nationalist Movement, India After Independence
  • Geography: Geography as a social study and as a science, Planet: Earth in the solar system, Globe, Environment in its totality: natural and human environment, Air, Water, Human Environment: settlement, transport and communication, Resources: Types-Natural and Human, Agriculture
  • Social and Political Life: Diversity, Government, Local Government, Making a Living, Democracy, State Government, Understanding Media, Unpacking Gender, The Constitution, Parliamentary Government, The Judiciary, Social Justice and the Marginalised
• Pedagogical Issues (20 Questions):
  • Concept & Nature of Social Science/Social Studies
  • Class Room Processes, activities and discourse
  • Developing Critical thinking
  • Enquiry/Empirical Evidence
  • Problems of teaching Social Science/Social Studies
  • Sources - Primary & Secondary
  • Projects Work
  • Evaluation

Preparation Tips and Importance

The CTET syllabus emphasizes pedagogical skills, making it essential for candidates to study child psychology alongside subject knowledge. Refer to NCERT books for content and practice previous years' papers for exam familiarity. Qualifying CTET (60% for general category, 55% for reserved) is mandatory for teaching jobs in central government schools like KVS and NVS.

This syllabus ensures teachers are equipped to foster inclusive, child-centered education.