Bihar STET Eligibility 2026: Age Limit and Qualification Guide

Bihar STET eligibility 2026 rests on four checks: you must be an Indian citizen, be at least 21 years old on 1 August 2026, hold the right degree with the required marks in your subject, and hold a B.Ed. or an equivalent teacher-education qualification. Paper 1 is for graduates who want to teach Classes 9 and 10, and Paper 2 is for post-graduates who want to teach Classes 11 and 12. The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) conducts the test.

This page sets out the 2026 rules from the notification (advertisement number P.R. 183/2026): qualification by paper and subject, the age limit with relaxations, the domicile condition that decides reservation benefits, and the mistakes that lead to cancelled candidature. The online application window ran from 17 August to 22 September 2026, and the exam runs from 25 October to 20 November 2026, so use this page to confirm your eligibility against your admit card and to plan for the next cycle.

Table of Contents

• Bihar STET eligibility 2026 at a glance

• Educational qualification for Paper 1

• Educational qualification for Paper 2

• Subjects with separate qualification norms

• Rules that apply to every qualification

• Age limit and relaxation

• Domicile and category benefits

• Nationality and other conditions

• Who is not eligible

• Fee and documents

• Common eligibility mistakes

Bihar STET Eligibility 2026

The percentage and degree rules below describe the general pattern. The notification carries a detailed clause for each subject, so check the clause for your own subject before you rely on any summary, including this one.

Educational Qualification for Paper 1

Paper 1 qualifies you to teach at the secondary level. The general rule is a bachelor's degree from a recognised university with at least 50% marks in the relevant subject or subject group, together with a B.Ed. or an equivalent qualification from an institution recognised by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

The subjects notified for Paper 1 are Hindi, Urdu, Bangla, Maithili, Sanskrit, Arabic, Farsi (Persian), Bhojpuri, English, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, Physical Education, Music, Fine Arts and Dance. Your degree subjects must match the paper and subject you apply for, which is why the subject clause matters more than the headline percentage.

Educational Qualification for Paper 2

Paper 2 qualifies you to teach at the higher secondary level. The general rule is a master's degree in the relevant subject with at least 50% marks, together with a B.Ed. or an equivalent qualification.

Paper 2 covers a long subject list. The 2026 notification names Hindi, Urdu, English, Sanskrit, Bangla, Maithili, Magahi, Arabic, Farsi, Bhojpuri, Pali, Prakrit, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, History, Geography, Political Science, Sociology, Economics, Philosophy, Psychology, Home Science, Commerce, Computer Science, Agriculture, Music, and a life science stream for Botany or Zoology. Multi Media and Web Technology is mentioned only where the subject is taught at school level, and candidates need not qualify in it separately.

Subjects With Separate Qualification Norms

Some subjects do not follow the general graduation-plus-B.Ed. rule. The notification lists their norms in separate annexures, so read the annexure that applies to you.

Items marked as reported come from exam portals summarising the notification. They are useful for planning, but the notification text is the final word on your subject.

Rules That Apply to Every Qualification

• Recognised institution: Your degree must come from a recognised university and your B.Ed. from an institution recognised by NCTE.

• Results must be declared: Candidates whose final result is still pending are reported as not eligible to apply, so a final-year student cannot rely on an "appearing" status.

• Subject match: If the subject or subject group in your application does not match the notified eligibility, your candidature and result can be cancelled at any stage.

• Equivalence disputes: Any dispute about the recognition of an institution or the equivalence of a degree is decided by the Education Department in consultation with NCTE, and that decision is final.

• Marks conversion: If your university awards grades or CGPA, check how the notification converts them to a percentage and whether it rounds, before you assume you clear the 50% line.

Age Limit and Relaxation

The minimum age is 21 years as on 1 August 2026 for every candidate. The maximum age depends on your category and gender, and is also counted as on 1 August 2026.

Additional age relaxation

Portals differ on whether the disability relaxation is capped at a ceiling age, and on how earlier-trained or already-appointed teachers are treated. The notification has a specific clause on both, so read it before you assume a relaxation applies to you.

Domicile and Category Benefits

This is the rule candidates most often miss. Reservation benefits in age, qualifying marks and fee apply only to candidates who are original or permanent residents of Bihar. The notification states that a candidate domiciled outside Bihar is treated as a general category candidate, and pays the general category fee, whatever category certificate they hold.

The category you marked in your application also decides your admit card and result. Candidates who claim the EWS category should mark general in the form, and the notification records that some Extremely Backward Class candidates selected EWS by mistake.

Nationality and Other Conditions

• Citizenship: You must be a citizen of India.

• One application only: More than one application from the same candidate is rejected or cancelled.

• Both papers allowed: You may apply for Paper 1, Paper 2 or both, if you meet the criteria for each.

• No right to a job: Passing STET does not by itself give a right to appointment. It is an eligibility certificate for teaching posts in Bihar.

• Certificate validity: The STET 2026 qualifying certificate carries lifetime validity under the departmental order dated 22 June 2021.

• Right to modify: The board may modify or cancel the examination process at any stage.

Who Is Not Eligible

• Candidates without a B.Ed. or equivalent: Unless your subject has a separate norm, a bachelor's or master's degree alone does not qualify you.

• Candidates below the marks line: A degree with marks below the notified percentage fails the check, unless a relaxed norm applies to your case.

• Candidates whose results are pending: A final-year student without a declared result is reported as ineligible.

• Candidates outside the age window: You must be at least 21 and within the maximum for your category on 1 August 2026.

• Candidates with a subject mismatch: A paper or subject that does not match your degree subjects can lead to cancellation, even after you pass.

Fee and Documents

The fee is paid online by debit card, credit card, net banking or UPI, and no other mode is accepted.

Keep these documents ready, because the application and the later checks depend on them:

• Age and school records: Matriculation certificate and marksheet for date of birth, and the intermediate certificate and marksheet.

• Degree records: Graduation certificate and marksheet, post-graduation records for Paper 2, and the B.Ed. certificate and marksheet.

• Residence and category records: Residence certificate, caste certificate for SC and ST, and a creamy-layer-free certificate for Backward Class and Extremely Backward Class candidates.

• Special records: Disability certificate or ex-servicemen documents, where they apply.

• Photograph and signature: A recent colour photograph (20 KB to 200 KB, 3.5 cm by 4.5 cm) and a signature (10 KB to 50 KB).

Common Eligibility Mistakes

Most rejections come from small errors that were easy to avoid. Check each item against your own records.

• Choosing the wrong subject code: Paper 1 and Paper 2 use different codes even for the same subject name, so confirm the code against your degree.

• Marking the wrong category: The admit card and result follow the category in your form, and the board does not entertain correction requests after the admit card is issued.

• Assuming a category benefit outside Bihar: Without Bihar domicile, you are treated as a general candidate.

• Ignoring the percentage conversion: A CGPA that looks like 50% may not convert to 50% under the board's rule.

• Sharing login details: The notification asks candidates to keep the user ID and password private, including from cyber cafe operators.

Older pages may still show the 2025 age reference date, an earlier fee or an old exam window, so follow the official notification. You can verify details on the official BSEB STET website and the STET registration portal.