CTET Exam Date 2026: Revised Date 12 and 13 December, Full Status
CTET Exam Date 2026: Revised Date 12 and 13 December, Full Status
The CTET exam date is finally settled. CBSE has said, in a public notice dated 14 September 2026, that the 22nd edition of CTET will be held on 12 and 13 December 2026. That ends two weeks of confusion that started when the exam planned for 6 September did not take place.
This page puts everything in one place: what is confirmed, what is still unknown, how the date moved, and how you should use the extra weeks. If you want the bigger picture on CTET first, start with the CTET complete guide.
What the official notice actually says
The CBSE public notice dated 14 September 2026 is short. It says the 22nd edition of CTET will be conducted on 12th and 13th December 2026. It then adds two lines that matter for every candidate.
- Information on the examination city and the date of examination allotted to each candidate will be made available on the CTET portal 15 days before the examination.
- The Admit Card, with details of the examination centre, will be available for download from the CTET portal two days before the examination.
Read the first point again. CBSE is not saying "Paper 1 is on 12 December and Paper 2 is on 13 December". It is saying each candidate will be told their own date. So until your City Slip comes out, nobody can tell you for sure whether you sit on Saturday 12 December or Sunday 13 December.
CTET September 2026 postponed: the full timeline
A lot of candidates only caught parts of this story on WhatsApp. Here is the whole thing in order, using only CBSE notices and clearly marked media reports.
In short, the exam moved by about 14 weeks, from 6 September to 12 and 13 December. From today (15 September) you have roughly 12 and a half weeks left.
Why the 9 October reports were wrong
On 10 September, a few reports said CTET would be held on 9 October 2026. Many candidates started planning around it. Some even shifted their revision plans to a four-week crash course.
Those reports turned out wrong. CBSE's own notice four days later gave 12 and 13 December. We don't know where the October figure came from, and it does not matter now. What matters is the lesson.
Only trust ctet.nic.in and CBSE public notices for dates. A screenshot, a YouTube thumbnail or a news headline is not a notice. If a date does not appear on the CTET portal as a PDF notice, treat it as a rumour, however confident the source sounds. We will update this page when CBSE publishes something new, and we will always name the notice we are quoting.
What "15 days before the exam" means in practice
The City Slip line is the part of the notice most people are asking about. Here is how to read it.
- What the City Slip will tell you: the city where your exam centre is, and the date allotted to you. That means it will also tell you whether you are on 12 December or 13 December.
- When to expect it: if you count 15 days back from 12 December, you land in the last week of November. So roughly late November is a fair guess. But CBSE has not given an exact release date, and the portal may open a day or two either side. Do not treat any specific date as confirmed until it appears on ctet.nic.in.
- What it will not tell you: the exact exam centre address. That comes only on the Admit Card.
- Can you change the city? No. As per the May notice, CBSE allots cities on its own (randomly) and does not accept requests to change them. The City Slip is simply to help you plan travel early.
Practical tip: once the City Slip is out, book your train or bus the same day. December travel in north India gets tight, and fog can delay trains. If your city is far, plan to reach a day early.
City Slip vs Admit Card
The download steps are the same as in earlier cycles: application number, date of birth or password, and the captcha. We have written them out step by step in the admit card process guide, including what to check on the card before exam day.
Shift timings: the original pattern, for reference only
CBSE has not published December shift timings. For planning your practice, here is what the Information Bulletin had set for the original 6 September date.
The December timings will be confirmed on the Admit Card. Since the exam is now spread over two days, the split may be different, so don't book anything based on this table. What you can safely do is practise in both slots: some mocks in the morning, some in the afternoon. The paper itself stays the same, 150 MCQs, 150 marks, no negative marking. The full breakdown is in our exam pattern page.
Do old applicants need to apply again?
No. If you applied in the May to June window, or in the reopened window from 25 August to 1 September, your application stands for the December exam. There is no fresh fee and no new form.
What you should do instead:
- Log in to ctet.nic.in once and check that your application shows as complete, with fee paid.
- Make sure your registered mobile number and email still work. CBSE also sends DigiLocker credentials to the mobile number registered with it after the exam.
- Keep your application number and password saved somewhere safe. You will need them twice: for the City Slip and for the Admit Card.
The correction window from 7 to 10 September is closed. CBSE has not announced another one.
What to do with the extra 14 weeks
Honest view: a postponement annoys everyone, especially those who were ready. But extra time helps far more candidates than it hurts. Don't waste it by relaxing for a month and then panicking in November.
The best first step is simple. Take one full-length mock this week, in 2.5 hours, without breaks. That score is your baseline. Everything you plan after that should be based on where you actually lost marks, not on what you feel is weak. Our CTET Paper 1 test series has 10 free full tests with All India Rank, so you can use the first one for this.
Here is a rough block plan from mid September to the exam.
For the subject-by-subject version of this plan, with daily hours, see our preparation strategy. If you are taking Paper 1, stick to the test series schedule of roughly one mock a week through October and November, and then take the rest in the last three weeks.
What is still not announced
CBSE has confirmed only the two exam days and the City Slip and Admit Card timelines. Everything below is still pending. If you see a firm date for any of these elsewhere, ask for the notice.
- Which paper will be held on which day (12 or 13 December)
- Shift timings for the December exam
- Exact release date of the City Slip
- Exam centre list
- Answer Key date
- Result date (the May notice had said "by end of October 2026, tentatively", which no longer applies after the postponement)
For context, in the February 2026 cycle the provisional Answer Key came out on 12 March and the result on 30 March, about seven weeks after the exam. That is a past pattern, not a promise for December.
Quick checklist for the next three months
- Bookmark ctet.nic.in and check it once a week, not every hour.
- Save your application number and password.
- Take a baseline mock this week.
- Keep valid photo ID ready (the name should match your application).
- Keep a blue or black ball point pen habit in mocks. Pencil is not allowed on the OMR.
- Late November: watch for the City Slip, then book travel.
- Two days before your date: download the Admit Card and print it.
FAQs
What is the revised CTET exam date 2026?
CTET (22nd edition) will be held on 12 and 13 December 2026, as per the CBSE public notice dated 14 September 2026.
Is CTET on 12 December or 13 December for me?
You will know only from your City Slip. CBSE has said each candidate's exam city and allotted date will be shown on the CTET portal 15 days before the exam.
Was CTET September 2026 postponed or cancelled?
Postponed. The exam planned for 6 September 2026 was not held, and CBSE has now fixed 12 and 13 December 2026 for the same 22nd edition.
Is the 9 October 2026 CTET date true?
No. Some media reports on 10 September mentioned 9 October, but that was unofficial. The official date is 12 and 13 December 2026.
Do I need to apply again for the December exam?
No. Candidates who already applied, in either the original window or the reopened one, do not need to apply again or pay again.
When will the CTET Admit Card for December 2026 come?
Two days before the exam, on the CTET portal. It will carry your exam centre details. CBSE has not given a separate calendar date.
What are the CTET December 2026 shift timings?
Not announced yet. In the original September schedule, Paper II was 9:30 AM to 12:00 noon and Paper I was 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM. December timings will be on the Admit Card.
Your next step
Close this page and block 2.5 hours in the next three days for one full mock. Write down your score by subject. That one number will tell you how to spend October. Then keep the CTET complete guide bookmarked; we update it whenever CBSE publishes a new notice.