Rajasthan 3rd Grade Teacher Exam Pattern: Level 1 and Level 2

The Rajasthan 3rd Grade Teacher exam pattern is simple on paper: one offline objective paper of 150 questions for 300 marks, followed by document verification. The details that decide your result are the marking rule, the section split and how you manage 150 minutes. This page explains each of them for Level 1 (Classes 1 to 5) and Level 2 (Classes 6 to 8).

The written paper, commonly called REET Mains, is conducted by the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board (RSSB). We could not open the official exam scheme document, so the figures below come from consistent news and exam-coverage reports of the 2025-26 cycle. Where sources disagree we say so, and you should confirm the rule in the official guidelines before the exam.

Table of Contents

• Exam pattern at a glance

• Written exam pattern in detail

• Section-wise split

• Marking scheme and negative marking

• What the pattern means for you

• How many questions to attempt

• Selection stages after the written exam

• How merit and cut-off work

• Time management and exam-day strategy

• Older pages may mislead

Exam pattern at a glance

There is no interview, typing test or physical test reported for this recruitment.

Written exam pattern in detail

In the January 2026 exam, the papers were held in separate sittings for each level and subject. Level 1 general education was held on 17 January, Level 2 Science and Maths and Social Studies on 18 January, Level 2 English and Hindi on 19 January, and the Sanskrit papers on 20 January, according to published schedules.

Level 1 and Level 2 use the same format

Both levels have the same number of questions, marks and time. What changes is the content. Level 1 tests primary-level school subjects, while Level 2 tests your chosen subject in more depth.

Section-wise split

The split below is the one reported for Level 2 in the latest published pattern coverage. Treat it as indicative until you see the official scheme for your cycle.

For Level 1, the same Rajasthan and pedagogy blocks apply, and the remaining questions come from the primary-level school subjects (Hindi, English, Maths, Science and Social Studies) with their teaching methods. The exact question count for each Level 1 block is not confirmed in the sources we could verify, so check the official exam scheme.

Marking scheme and negative marking

The pattern widely reported for this exam is:

• Correct answer: 2 marks.

• Wrong answer: A deduction of one-third of the question's marks, which works out to about 0.67 marks per wrong answer.

• Unattempted question: Candidates mark the fifth option. Some exam-instruction coverage says unattempted questions are also penalised by one-third of the marks, and that leaving more than 10 percent of questions unmarked can make a candidate ineligible. Other pages say there is no penalty for unattempted questions.

Because the sources conflict on unattempted questions, read the instruction sheet on your admit card and the official guidelines carefully. Until you confirm otherwise, the safe approach is to attempt almost every question you can reason about and mark an answer only when you can eliminate at least one or two options.

A worked example

Suppose you answer 140 questions, get 115 right and 25 wrong, and leave 10 unmarked. Your score before any penalty on unmarked questions is 115 x 2 = 230, minus 25 x (2 / 3), which is about 16.67. That gives roughly 213.33 marks. If the unmarked questions also carry a one-third penalty, subtract another 10 x 0.67, which is about 6.67, and the score becomes roughly 206.67. The same attempt can therefore land at different totals depending on the rule, which is why confirming it matters.

What wrong answers cost you

Each wrong answer therefore costs you the 2 marks you did not earn plus about 0.67 more, so a wrong answer is effectively a loss of nearly 2.67 marks compared with a right one.

What the pattern means for you

• Each question is worth 2 marks: A wrong answer costs a third of that, so a guess is worth taking only when you can narrow the options. Random guessing lowers your score.

• The Rajasthan block is a big share of the paper: In the Level 2 split, Rajasthan history, geography, culture and general knowledge together make up 65 of 150 questions. This is the most predictable part of the paper.

• Subject knowledge decides rank for Level 2: The 60-question subject block carries 120 marks, so a weak subject cannot be offset by the other sections.

• Pedagogy questions are situational: They reward understanding over memorising, and wrong options are usually close to the right one.

• Sectional minimums are not reported: There is no sectional cut-off in the reports we found, but the overall cut-off is high, so you cannot afford to ignore any block.

How many questions to attempt

Recent cut-offs sit between roughly 160 and 225 marks out of 300 for the general category, depending on level, subject and area. To reach 200 marks with few errors, you need about 100 correct answers and fewer than 10 wrong ones. That means you do not have to solve all 150 questions. A better target is to attempt the 110 to 130 questions you can answer with confidence and keep your accuracy high.

• First pass: Answer every question you can solve at once, and mark the doubtful ones to revisit.

• Second pass: Return to the doubtful questions and answer only those where you can remove at least two options.

• Last minutes: Check that every answer is marked in the correct row of the OMR sheet.

Use mock tests to find your own safe attempt number, because it differs from one candidate to another.

Selection stages after the written exam

1. Result and merit list: The RSSB releases the result with marks, followed by category-wise and subject-wise cut-offs.

2. Document verification: Candidates above the cut-off are called to verify originals such as educational certificates, the REET certificate, domicile and category documents.

3. Final recommendation: The board recommends candidates, and allotment of district and school follows.

How merit and cut-off work

Reports indicate that merit is based on the written exam score and not on academic marks. The RSSB publishes cut-off marks separately for each level and subject, and then by category, with different figures for non-tribal and tribal (TSP) areas. For instance, the reported general-category cut-off for Level 1 general education was about 185.70 in the non-tribal area and about 161.01 in the tribal area, out of 300.

Cut-offs change every year with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants. Treat last year's figures as a benchmark only, and aim for a clear margin above them.

Time management and exam-day strategy

You have 150 minutes for 150 questions, which is one minute per question. Most candidates lose time on lengthy subject questions, not on the Rajasthan block.

These timings are a suggested plan and not an official allocation. Reports mention that candidates get a few extra minutes to check that every question has an option marked, but do not depend on it.

On exam day

• Use a blue ballpoint pen: OMR sheets are marked with a pen and cannot be erased, so fill the circle only when you are sure.

• Carry valid ID: Photo verification is done at the centre, so carry the ID that matches your application.

• Do not rush the first block: A calm start on Rajasthan questions builds speed for the subject section.

Older pages may mislead

Several pages still show details from other exams or cycles. The common problems are:

• REET Prelims pattern shown as Mains: The eligibility test has its own, shorter format. Do not use it for this recruitment.

• One mark per question: Some pages list 150 marks or 1 mark per question. The cut-off figures for this exam, which are above 150 for most categories, are consistent with a 300-mark paper.

• No negative marking: A few pages claim there is none. Most coverage reports a one-third deduction for wrong answers.

Follow the official notification and the instructions printed on your admit card, available through the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board website.