DSSSB PRT Exam Pattern 2026: Sections and Marking Scheme

The DSSSB PRT exam pattern for Assistant Teacher (Primary) is a single online test of 200 questions to be solved in 2 hours. The Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) set this scheme in Advertisement No. 05/2025 (post code 802/25) for posts in the Directorate of Education (DoE) and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).

This guide explains how the paper is built, how marks are counted, where the qualifying rule applies and how merit is decided. It also turns the numbers into a practical plan for your preparation. Several older pages still describe interviews or earlier schemes, so read this page alongside the official notice.

Table of Contents

• DSSSB PRT Exam Pattern at a Glance

• Section-Wise Exam Pattern

• Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

• Qualifying Marks

• What the Pattern Means for You

• Medium of the Paper

• Selection Process After the Written Exam

• How Merit Is Decided

• Time Management for the 2-Hour Paper

• How to Prepare as per the Pattern

• Practise the Pattern with Testkart

• Official Sources and Latest Updates

DSSSB PRT Exam Pattern

The notice describes the paper as a one-tier examination with no descriptive component. Skill, endurance or trade tests can be added only where a post needs them, and the Board may amend the scheme before the exam. Check the official notices before your test date.

Section-Wise Exam Pattern

The paper has two sections of 100 questions each. Every question carries equal weight, so a mark in Section A is worth the same as a mark in Section B.

Section A: General Ability Subjects

Section A has five subjects of 20 questions each. This equal split matters, because no single subject can carry you, and none can be ignored without costing 20 marks.

• General Intelligence and Reasoning: verbal and non-verbal reasoning questions that reward speed and pattern recognition.

• General Awareness: static and current knowledge. This is the most open-ended subject, so steady reading helps more than last-minute cramming.

• Arithmetical and Numerical Ability: school-level arithmetic where accuracy and shortcuts decide how many you finish.

• English Language and Comprehension: grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension, set in English.

• Hindi Language and Comprehension: the same skills tested in Hindi, set in Hindi.

Section B: Subject Concerned

Section B has 100 questions based on the NCTE curriculum, including teaching methodology. It carries half the marks of the paper and, as the next sections show, it is also the section where the qualifying rule applies.

DSSSB names the basis of Section B but does not publish a topic-wise list in the notice. Build your preparation from the elementary teacher education curriculum and from previous year papers, and treat any topic list you find online as a working checklist, not an official one. Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

All questions are multiple-choice. With 200 questions carrying 200 marks, each question is worth 1 mark. For every wrong answer, 0.25 marks are deducted.

After the exam, the Board posts a draft answer key. Objections are accepted only online within the stated window. The notice says there is no re-evaluation or re-checking of answer sheets, and the Board's decision is final.

Qualifying Marks in the DSSSB PRT Exam

The notice sets minimum qualifying percentages by category, and it applies the minimum to Section B. Section A has no minimum, but marks from both sections count towards your merit.

The Board may fix a higher minimum for a post, and category cut-offs can rise depending on marks scored and vacancies. Clearing the qualifying percentage only makes you eligible for the merit list; it does not secure a place. Read the exact wording in the notice.

What the DSSSB PRT Exam Pattern Means for You

• Section B is the gatekeeper: it is the only section with a qualifying minimum, so a weak Section B can end your chances even if Section A goes well. Give it the largest share of your study time.

• Section A is where merit is built: there is no minimum, but 100 marks are available. Because the five subjects weigh equally, strong reasoning and arithmetic can offset a weaker awareness section.

• A wrong answer costs a quarter mark: four wrong answers wipe out one correct one. Guess only when you can eliminate at least one option.

• The clock allows about 36 seconds per question: 120 minutes for 200 questions leaves little room for long calculations. Practise short methods.

• Language sections are scoring sections: English and Hindi together carry 40 marks, one-fifth of the paper. Daily reading in both languages pays off.

Medium of the Paper

Questions are bilingual, in Hindi and English, except the language papers, which appear in the language they test. If the English version and another language version differ, the English version prevails according to the notice. Choose the language you read fastest for the technical sections, and practise in that language.

Selection Process After the Written Exam

The notice does not include an interview. After the online test, the process runs in these steps:

1. Online written exam: the 200-question paper described above.

2. Score normalisation: where the exam runs in several shifts, scores may be normalised using the formula in DSSSB's 2018 notice referred to in the advertisement.

3. Merit list: category-wise merit is prepared from the written exam marks of those who meet the qualifying percentage.

4. E-dossier upload and preferences: shortlisted candidates upload documents online and must give at least one department preference. Preferences are final.

5. Department scrutiny and allocation: user departments check the e-dossier, and posts are allotted on merit-cum-preference. No waiting panel is maintained.

Missing the e-dossier window forfeits your candidature, and a candidate found ineligible for the opted post is rejected for that post. Provisional selection does not guarantee appointment.

How Merit Is Decided

Merit follows your marks in the written exam. If two candidates in the same category have equal marks, the notice applies these tie-breakers in order:

1. Higher marks in Section B (the subject-specific section).

2. Older candidate.

3. Alphabetical order of the first name in English.

Worked example: a candidate answers 85 questions correctly, 10 wrongly and leaves 5 blank in Section A. The Section A score is 85 minus 2.5, which is 82.5. In Section B the candidate answers 72 correctly, 20 wrongly and leaves 8 blank, so the score is 72 minus 5, which is 67. The raw total is 149.5 out of 200. The Section B score of 67 is then checked against the qualifying percentage for the candidate's category. This example uses raw marks, so a normalised score may differ if your exam runs in several shifts.

Time Management for the 2-Hour Paper

The notice gives a single 2-hour duration and does not mention sectional time limits. Check your admit card and the on-screen instructions for navigation rules before the exam. The split below is a suggestion, not an official rule.

Refine this split using your own mock results. If you lose time in comprehension, move that block later in your order.

How to Prepare as per the Pattern

• Weeks 1 to 6, concepts: cover the elementary teacher education curriculum for Section B, and revise school-level arithmetic, grammar and reasoning basics.

• From week 3, daily habits: read in both English and Hindi for 30 minutes, and note one current-affairs page every day.

• From week 6, topic and sectional tests: attempt short tests on each Section B area and 20-minute sectional tests for Section A.

• Final weeks, full-length mocks: take 200-question papers in 2 hours, analyse them the same day, and revise from an error log.

Track accuracy as closely as speed. With negative marking, a 90% accuracy on 160 attempts usually beats 70% on 200.

Official Sources and Latest Updates

Exam dates, admit cards, answer keys and results are published only on the official portals. Reports place the written exam between February and April 2026, but dates differ across pages, so confirm status on dsssb.delhi.gov.in and the application portal dsssbonline.nic.in.