NCET is a national entrance examination conducted to provide admission to the 4-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP), such as BScBEd, BABEd, BComBEd, and other related courses. Candidates interested in the NCET 2026 exam will be offered admission to selected Central and State Universities/Institutions, including IITs, NITs, RIEs (Regional Institute of Education), and Government Colleges.
NCET 2026 exam notification is tentatively scheduled to be released by the NTA in the fourth week of February 2026. Interested applicants will be able to fill out the NCET 2026 application form from the fourth week of February 2026 onwards. The registration process will be conducted online, and candidates will be required to create a registered account on the official website.
The NCET 2026 exam is expected to be held in the fourth week of April 2026 at various exam centres across the country. The NTA will assess candidates’ domain knowledge, practical, and analytical skills based on the prescribed NCET 2026 syllabus.
The exam will be conducted in online (CBT) mode for a duration of 180 minutes. As per the NCET 2026 exam pattern, it will consist of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with a negative marking scheme.
Candidates who qualify for the exam and meet the NCET 2026 cut-off then based on seat intake and registrations for a particular course and participating institution, will be granted admission.
Read this SciAstra exam page to get complete insights into the NCET 2026 exam, including the registration process, eligibility criteria, courses offered, participating universities, exam pattern, syllabus, and other important information.
Table of Contents
What is NCET Exam?
NCET, also known as the National Common Entrance Test, is an entrance exam for students who want to become qualified and professional teachers in India. The exam provides an Integrated Teacher Education Programme, a four-year course that combines undergraduate studies (for example, BA, BSc, or BCom) with a Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree.
Candidates who are appearing for the NCET exam will be getting admissions to the top Central and State Universities, IITs, NITs, RIEs, and Government Colleges offering ITEP courses. It is important for the candidates to know that the NCET exam is aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasises on quality of teacher education in India.
Why take NCET 2026 Exam?
NCET exam is conducted for candidates to take admission to the innovative and multidisciplinary teacher education programmes like BA-B.Ed, BSc-B.Ed, and BCom BEd. Candidates can check out the following reasons why to give NCET 2026 exam:
Candidates will be able to get admission to the top government and central universities offering ITEP courses.
Candidates will be able to pursue a 4-year integrated course, saving time compared to traditional BEd pathways.
Will be able to build a strong foundation for a teaching career aligned with the vision of the National Education Policy 2020.
Candidates can become part of a modern, multidisciplinary teacher education system that will emphasise innovation, creativity, and practical learning for future teachers.
NCET 2026 Exam Dates
Candidates can check out the tentative NCET 2026 exam schedule from here:
Exam Events | Exam Date (Tentative) |
|---|---|
NCET 2026 Notification | Fourth week of February 2026 |
NCET 2026 Registration Date | Fourth week of February 2026 |
NCET 2026 Admit Card | Fourth week of April 2026 |
NCET 2026 Exam Date | Fourth week of April 2026 |
NCET 2026 Provisional Answer Key | Third week of May 2026 |
NCET 2026 Final Answer Key | Second week of June 2026 |
NCET 2026 Result | Third week of June 2026 |
NCET Eligibility Criteria 2026
In order to have hassle-free admission, candidates must satisfy the minimum eligibility criteria mentioned by the exam officials. Check out the tentative NCET 2026 eligibility criteria from here:
Eligibility Criteria | Details |
Age Limit | There is no age limit for the candidates. The candidates who have passed the class 12 /equivalent examination or are appearing in 2025, irrespective of their age, can appear in the NCET 2025 examination. Note: The candidates will be required to fulfil the age criteria (if any) of the Participating Universities.. |
Educational Qualifications |
|
NCET 2026 Registration
NTA will start the NCET registration 2026 online on the official website from the fourth week of February 2026 onwards. Candidates meeting the NCET 2026 eligibility criteria will be able to fill out the application form by creating a registered account and filling in the important details asked, like personal, educational, documents required, courses applied and exam city preference details.
Final submission of the form will be done by paying the NCET 2026 registration fee in online mode through netbanking/credit card or UPI payments.
After filling out the NCET 2026 application form successfully, candidates will be required to download, save, and print a copy of the confirmation page of the application form, which can be used for future reference.
NCET 2026 Application Fee
Before filling out the application form, candidates can check out the category-wise NCET 2026 registration fee details from here:
NCET 2026 Registration Fee Details | |
Category | Fee Details in INR |
General (UR) | INR 1200 |
OBC- NCL/ EWS | INR 1000 |
SC/ST/PwBD/ Third Gender | INR 650 |
NOTE:
Candidates must note that the application fee can only be paid ONLINE through Internet Banking/Debit Card/Credit Card/UPI or other modes as available on the official website’s payment gateway.
There is no need for the candidates to send/submit any document(s), including the Confirmation Page to NTA, through Post/ Fax/WhatsApp/Email/by Hand.
NCET 2026 Exam Pattern
As per the NCET 2026 exam pattern, test takers need to take the exam in online/CBT mode for the duration of three hours. The exam will be conducted over multiple days with two shifts each day. The exam officials will test the candidate’s knowledge, understanding and their critical approach through various subjects like Language, Domain Subject Specific, General Test and Teaching Aptitude in the form of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs).
NCET Exam Sections and Question Distribution 2025
Candidates can check out the NCET 2026 section-wise exam pattern and distribution from here:
Section | Subjects / Tests | Questions to be Attempted | Compulsory / Optional |
Section 1 – Languages | There are 38 different languages available in this section. Candidates must choose any two languages (Language 1 and Language 2).
| 20 questions per language paper (Total 40) | Optional (Choose any 2 languages) |
Section 2 – Domain-Specific Subjects | A total of 26 Domain-Specific Subjects are offered under this section. Candidates may choose any three subjects as per the eligibility and requirements of the respective University/Institution.
| 25 questions per subject (Total 75) | Optional (Choose any 3 subjects) |
Section 3 – General Test | This is a mandatory section for all candidates.
| 25 questions | Compulsory |
Section 4 – Teaching Aptitude | This is also a mandatory section.
| 20 questions | Compulsory |
Candidates need to select the language option for the Question Paper while filling up the Application Form, and it must be noted that once the choice is fixed, it cannot be changed at a later stage. The correctness of the questions in all the question papers, the English version will be taken as the final.
NCET Exam Pattern: Section-wise
All questions in the NCET 2026 exam will be Objective Type Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). The detailed paper pattern is as follows:
Test Paper | Total Questions | Questions to be Attempted | To be Chosen From |
Language 1 | 23 | 20 | To be chosen from Section 1 (38 languages) |
Language 2 | 23 | 20 | Other than Language 1 in Section 1 |
Teaching Aptitude | 23 | 20 | Compulsory |
General Test | 28 | 25 | Compulsory |
Domain-Specific Subject 1 | 28 | 25 | To be chosen from Section 2 (26 Domain-Specific Subjects) |
Domain-Specific Subject 2 | 28 | 25 | Other than Domain-Specific Subject 1 from Section 2 |
Domain-Specific Subject 3 | 28 | 25 | Other than Domain-Specific Subjects 1 and 2 from Section 2 |
Total Questions | 181 | 160 |
NCET 2026 Syllabus
NCET 2026 syllabus will be published by the exam officials on the official website after the release of the exam notification. NTA will test candidates’ domain knowledge, language, teaching and general aptitude, which is mentioned in the NCET syllabus 2026. In order to ace the exam, candidates need to start their exam preparation from the topics given in the released NCET 2026 syllabus PDF.
Since NCET 2026 syllabus is yet to be released, candidates can check out the section-wise complete NCET syllabus of the previous year from here:
NCET Syllabus | ||
Domain | Subject | Syllabus PDF |
Languages | All Languages | |
Teaching Aptitude | Teaching Aptitude Test | |
General Aptitude | General Aptitude Test | |
Domain Subjects | Accountancy | |
Agriculture | ||
Anthropology | ||
Biology | ||
Business Studies | ||
Chemistry | ||
Environmental Studies | ||
Computer Science/ Information Practices | ||
Economics | ||
Engineering Graphics | ||
Entrepreneurship | ||
Fine Arts | ||
Geography | ||
History | ||
Home Science | ||
Knowledge Tradition Practices in India | ||
Legal Studies | ||
Mass media | ||
Mathematics | ||
Performing Arts | ||
Physical Education | ||
Physics | ||
Political Science | ||
Psychology | ||
Sanskrit | ||
Sociology | ||
NCET 2026 Participating Universities: Region-Wise Distribution
Candidates can check out the Region-wise HEIs (Central/State Universities/Institutions, including IITs, NITs, RIEs (Regional Institute of Education), etc. for the 4-Year Integrated Teacher Education Programme from here:
Regional Committee | Number of Recognised Institutions / Universities | Unit (Unit Value = 50) | Intakes |
Northern Regional Committee | 25 | 36 | 2550 |
Eastern Regional Committee | 12 | 11 | 1150 |
Western Regional Committee | 14 | 15 | 1400 |
Southern Regional Committee | 13 | 17 | 1000 |
Total | 64 | 79 | 6100 |
NOTE: The list of participating Institutions and seat intake may increase. The candidates are requested to keep visiting the official websites of NTA and NCTE in this regard.
NCET 2026 List of Qualifying Examinations
Interested applicants to the NCTE 2026 exam must have passed either of the following:
Final examination of the 10+2 system, conducted by any recognised Central/ State Board, such as the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi; Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi, etc.
Intermediate or two-year Pre-University examination conducted by a recognized Board/ University.
Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy.
Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling with a minimum of five subjects.
Any Public School/ Board/ University examination in India or any foreign country is recognised as equivalent to the 10+2 system by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
Higher Secondary Certificate Vocational Examination.
Candidates who have completed the Class 12 (or equivalent) examination outside India or from a Board not specified above should produce a certificate from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) to the effect that the examination they have passed is equivalent to the Class 12 Examination.
Preparation Tips for NCET Exam 2026
To help the candidates excel in the examination, here are some effective NCET Exam 2026 Preparation Tips:
1. Understand the Exam Pattern and Syllabus
At first, candidates are required to thoroughly go through the prescribed NCET 2026 syllabus and exam pattern, as mentioned on the official website. Candidates need to focus on the sections like Domain Subjects, Languages, General Aptitude Test and Teaching Aptitude.
2. Build Strong Conceptual Clarity
The NCET exam will test candidates' domain and conceptual understanding rather than rote learning. Test takers are advised to focus on learning the “why” and “how” behind concepts instead of memorising formulas.
3. Solve Previous Year Question Papers
Candidates are advised to go through the NCET exam previous year question papers to get an idea about the types of questions asked and the depth of the topic. It will also help in identifying recurring topics and difficulty levels.
4. Improve Problem-Solving Speed
Candidates must know that the exam question paper will have a time constraint, because of which the speed of solving the question paper plays a very important role. Regular mock tests and timed practice sessions can help you manage exam pressure efficiently.
5. Strengthen Logical and Analytical Thinking
NCET exam questions will often have questions like puzzle types, unconventional problems, and higher-order reasoning. In order to develop the logical and analytical thinking of the student, one needs to engage in daily practice of logical reasoning exercises, mathematical puzzles, and coding challenges.
6. Stay Consistent and Revise Regularly
In order to crack the exam and get admission for the desired course, consistency is the key to success. Candidates are required to dedicate fixed hours daily for study, revise formulas and key concepts regularly, and maintain short notes for quick reference during the last few weeks.
Conclusion
In recent years, NCET Exam has become a centralised exam for candidates aspiring to pursue the 4-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) offered by reputed central and state universities, including IITs, NITs, RIEs, and government colleges. With the amalgamation of the National Education Policy 2020, the NCET aims to produce professionally trained, knowledgeable, and future-ready teachers.
Through its structured exam pattern and comprehensive subject coverage, the NCET 2026 ensures that candidates are evaluated on their language proficiency, teaching aptitude, general awareness, and subject expertise.
Qualifying for NCET 2026 not only opens the doors to quality teacher education but also marks the first step towards shaping a meaningful and impactful career in the field of education.
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