Is the DSSSB TGT exam one tier or two tier?

The TGT posts in Advertisement 06/2025 and 03/2026 are examined under the One Tier (Technical/Teaching) scheme: a single 200-mark objective paper of 2 hours, followed by e-dossier and document verification.

Is there negative marking in DSSSB?

Yes. 0.25 mark is deducted for every wrong answer. Unanswered questions carry no penalty.

How many questions are there in the DSSSB PGT exam?

Under Advertisement 10/2024, the PGT exam had 300 questions for 300 marks in 3 hours: 100 in the general section and 200 in the subject section.

What are the minimum qualifying marks in DSSSB?

In the subject section, General and EWS candidates need 40%, OBC (Delhi) 35% and SC, ST and PwBD 30%. Ex-servicemen get a 5% relaxation within their category, with a floor of 30%.

Is there a sectional time limit in the DSSSB exam?

No separate sectional timer is mentioned in the advertisements. The full time of 2 hours, or 3 hours for PGT, is shared across both sections.

Is the DSSSB exam held online?

Yes. The teaching exams are computer-based tests held at notified centres, usually in three shifts a day for posts with many applicants.

Teaching Exams

DSSSB Exam Pattern 2026: PRT, TGT and PGT

The DSSSB exam pattern depends on the post. DSSSB's examination scheme, in force since 2013, sorts posts into one-tier, two-tier and three-tier formats. For teachers, the current advertisements use the One Tier (Technical/Teaching) format: one objective computer-based test that decides merit, with no interview.

This page explains the DSSSB exam pattern for PRT, TGT and PGT as printed in Advertisements 05/2025, 06/2025, 10/2024 and 03/2026. It also shows how the one-tier and two-tier schemes differ, what changed for PGT, and what the marking rules mean for how you use your time in the exam hall.

DSSSB exam pattern at a glance

Post	Format	Marks	Duration	Counted in final merit
Assistant Teacher (Primary)	One tier, objective CBT	200	2 hours	Yes, full 200 marks
TGT and related posts	One tier, objective CBT	200	2 hours	Yes, full 200 marks
PGT	One tier, objective CBT	300	3 hours	Yes, full 300 marks
E-dossier and document verification	Online document upload and scrutiny	Not marked	-	Qualifying only

One-tier and two-tier schemes explained

DSSSB's notice of 14 February 2013 set out seven scheme types. The ones relevant to teaching aspirants are below.

Scheme	Tier I	Tier II	Typical posts
One Tier Technical (I T-T)	200 MCQ, 200 marks, 2 hours. Part A general (100) and Part B subject (100)	None	Primary Teacher, TGT, Special Educator, Librarian, Nurse
Two Tier Technical 2 (II T-T2), as framed in 2013	200 marks, screening only	200 MCQ on the subject plus a 50-mark descriptive English paper, 3 hours	PGT (under the 2013 scheme), Junior Law Officer, Welfare Officer
Two Tier General (II T-G)	200 marks, screening only	200 MCQ plus a 75-mark descriptive English paper	Head Clerk, Grade II DASS and similar non-teaching posts

The 2013 scheme placed PGT under the two-tier format. The latest PGT advertisement (10/2024) instead examined PGT in a single one-tier paper of 300 marks, with no Tier II and no descriptive paper. Older pages may still show the two-tier PGT pattern, so follow the advertisement for your post code.

PRT and TGT exam pattern

Test	Questions	Marks	Time
General Awareness	20	20	Shared 2 hours
General Intelligence and Reasoning	20	20	Shared 2 hours
Arithmetical and Numerical Ability	20	20	Shared 2 hours
Hindi Language and Comprehension	20	20	Shared 2 hours
English Language and Comprehension	20	20	Shared 2 hours
Section B: subject and teaching methodology (PRT: NCTE curriculum)	100	100	Shared 2 hours
Total	200	200	2 hours

This same 200-mark format applies to the teaching posts in Advertisement 03/2026, including TGT (Computer Science), Domestic Science Teacher, TGT (Special Education Teacher) and Special Educator (Primary).

PGT exam pattern

Test	Questions	Marks	Time
Section I: Mental Ability and Reasoning, General Awareness, English, Hindi, Numerical Aptitude and Data Interpretation (20 each)	100	100	Shared 3 hours
Section II: post-graduation subject and teaching methodology	200	200	Shared 3 hours
Total	300	300	3 hours

There is no separate timer per section in either paper. Questions are bilingual in Hindi and English, except language sections and language subject papers.

Marking scheme and negative marking

Correct answer: 1 mark.
Wrong answer: 0.25 mark deducted.
Unattempted question: No marks and no deduction.
Normalisation: Where a post is examined in several shifts, DSSSB may normalise scores, as stated in the advertisement.

Minimum qualifying marks

Category	Minimum in the subject section	Out of 100 (PRT, TGT)	Out of 200 (PGT)
General / EWS	40%	40	80
OBC (Delhi)	35%	35	70
SC / ST / PwBD	30%	30	60

Ex-servicemen get a 5% relaxation within their category, subject to a floor of 30%. The minimum applies to Section B (Section II for PGT). Section A has no separate minimum, but its marks count in the merit list. The Board may also fix a higher cut-off for any post.

What the pattern means for you

Every question is worth the same: A reasoning question and a subject question both carry 1 mark, so do the questions you can solve fastest first.
A wrong guess costs a quarter mark: With two options eliminated, a guess has positive expected value. With no idea, leave it blank.
The subject section is the gatekeeper: Missing 40% in Section B rules out a General candidate even with a high Section A score.
Time is tight for TGT and PRT: 200 questions in 120 minutes leaves about 36 seconds each. PGT gives about the same, 300 in 180 minutes.

Later stages: e-dossier and document verification

After the result, DSSSB releases marks and calls a shortlist of candidates to upload an e-dossier with documents and department preferences. The user department then verifies documents. There is no interview, skill test or physical test for PRT, TGT or PGT posts.

Final merit calculation

Merit is the total of Section A and Section B marks after negative marking, among candidates who cleared the Section B minimum. Ties are broken first by higher Section B marks and then by age, as stated in the advertisement.

Worked example (TGT, General category): A candidate attempts 170 questions, with 140 correct and 30 wrong. The score is 140 minus 7.5, which is 132.5 out of 200. If 70 of those correct answers were in Section B with 10 wrong there, the Section B score is 70 minus 2.5, which is 67.5. That clears the 40-mark minimum, so the full 132.5 counts for merit.

Time management and exam-day strategy

First pass, 60 to 70 minutes: Answer every question you know in Section B, then the easy Section A questions.
Second pass, 30 to 40 minutes: Return to calculation and reasoning questions you marked for review.
Last 10 minutes: Check marked questions and make only informed guesses.

Older pages may still show the two-tier PGT pattern or descriptive papers for teaching posts. Follow the advertisement for your post code on the official DSSSB website.

Frequently Asked Questions

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