Entrance Exams For Teachers In India

Among the most respectable professions, teaching is regarded as one of the noblest. Teaching is a vast field that allows people to choose from various levels like pre-primary, primary, senior, college, and universities. There are also specialized and important teaching jobs for physical education, dance, music, art, computer, yoga, etc. Some teachers are also specialized in special education for disabled students. We have a list of teaching exams available for teachers.

Required Skills for the Teaching Profession

Some of the unique skills are required to get introduced to the teaching career. These skills should be developed with need and time. Some of the skills are – 

• Applicable work experience
• Motivational skill
• self-confidence
• Responsibility
• Communication skill
• Adaptability
• Dedication
• Patience
• Persistence

Why Appear in Teaching Exam

If a candidate has determined to take up teaching on a serious note, then appearing for the teaching entrance exam is essential. Firstly, to get into the teaching profession, one should follow a good process. Second, by appearing in an entrance exam, the candidate can evaluate himself and prepare accordingly. Let’s have a look at how these exams help a candidate to become a future teacher:

• The exam prepares a present teacher and guides the coming generation to be a teacher
• It allows a teacher to positively impact the lives of the students
• It is one of the safest and most standard job scheme exams
• Easy to crack if the candidates focus on the study actively
• It gives the needed experience regarding the skills and knowledge

To know about the qualities of a good teacher, click here.

Types of Teaching Entrance Exam

Teachers share the power of knowledge in the world to build up the careers and character of the younger generation. To start a teaching profession, one needs to pass the essential criteria test prescribed by the government. We will discuss the most commonly known teaching exam and their eligibility criteria in detail. 

• CTET

Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) is a bi-annual exam conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education nationwide for the post of teacher. It is regarded as the minimum qualification for a teacher anywhere in the country. A CTET passed candidate can teach from standards one to eight. CTET was started in India to maintain the quality of education in schools and under the Education Act to improve children’s free education. The basic information about the CTET exam:

• The applicants must have a graduation or diploma with a minimum of 50% of the marks.
• The exam consists of Paper I and Paper II with required eligibility – Paper I is for the applicants who wish to teach from Standard one to five, and Paper II is for the candidates who wish to teach Standard six to eight.
• The candidates and newly recruited teachers go through a necessary quality check.

• UGC NET

Universal Grant Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) is conducted to choose the award of the post of Assistant ProfessorJunior Research fellowship. Until December 2018, the test was conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education. Currently, the test is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as decided by the Human Resource Department Ministry. 

This examination consists of Paper I and Paper II, consisting of 50 and 1000 marks (2 marks for each question). The Paper I questions are based on aptitude, comprehension, divergent thinking, teaching, research and general awareness. Paper-II is conducted on the subject selected by the applicant. Criteria for appearing in the UGC NET exam:

• Candidates must have 50% of marks in their Master’s Degree.
• Students who are appearing for the final year of their Master’s Degree can also apply for the exam.
• Applicants must be within 30 years of age to apply for Junior Research Fellowship.
• SC, OBC, PWD and transgender candidates will get five years of relaxation.

• CSIR UGC NET

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) conducts the worldwide entrance examination. It is eligible for the Indian Nationals for the award of Junior Research Fellowship. It is conducted by CBT mode to determine the eligibility for the lectureship (LS) and Junior Research Fellowship (JEF) in Indian colleges and universities. This test is conducted under a particular subject area of Science and Technology. 

Let us check the eligibility criteria for the CSIR UGC NET examination: 

• MSC or equivalent degree/ Pharma or MBBS/Integrated BS-MS-BS-4 years
• Candidates enrolled for Msc are eligible to apply under Result Awaited (RA) category. They can apply on the condition to complete the fellowship within the validity period of two years and the requisite percentage of marks.
• Eligibility of lectureship/ assistant professor needs to fulfill the criteria led down by UGC.
• The application can also be made online on the website  https://csirnet.nta.nic.in/.

• SLET

The National Testing Agency conducts the State Eligibility Test (SLET) exam on behalf of the Universal Grant Commission (UGC). SLET examination is needed to determine the eligibility of the applicants for college or university lectureship. The State Government and the Union Territories have the freedom to organize the separate SLET exam to test the eligibility of the applicants at the state level. The exam is conducted in English and regional languages, making it easy for different states. 

The eligibility criteria of the SLET examination applicants are:

• There is no age limit to appear in the SLET exam
• There is no limitation on the number of attempts
• The applicants must have a Master’s Degree from any Indian Government recognized University or Institution
• Applicants must have Indian nationality and proper documents to support

• PGT, CRT and TGT

PGT, CRT, TGT and PRT are the various teaching posts in the government and private schools. In these three levels of teaching jobs, the criteria required are:

• PRT

To appear for the PRT examination for primary classes first to 5th standard, the candidates after 12th standard must opt for B.Ed/D.ED/BTC/JBT, etc. After that, they have to qualify for CTET/STET Paper I.

• TGT

There is no age limit to appear for the CRT exam, and the candidate must have graduated with a B.ED degree from a recognized university.

• PGT

Post Graduate Teacher (PGT) should be a Master’s Degree and B.Ed certificate holder from a recognized university. 

Teaching Entrance exams provide various opportunities and scopes to create a well-built educational formation in this competitive platform. Therefore, it is crucial to appear for the entrance exam to know the aptitude, ability and knowledge both for the teaching field and the candidate.