TS TET Eligibility 2026: Qualification, Minimum Marks and Age Limit

TS TET eligibility depends on which paper you want to write. Paper 1 is for candidates who want to teach Classes 1 to 5 and asks for an elementary teacher-education qualification such as D.El.Ed. Paper 2 is for Classes 6 to 8 and asks for a bachelor's degree plus B.Ed or an equivalent qualification. The minimum marks are different for General and reserved categories.

The rules follow the norms of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) and are published in the Information Bulletin of each session by the School Education Department, Government of Telangana. The details below reflect what was reported for the January and June 2026 sessions. Where reports differ or the bulletin text could not be checked directly, the point is marked so you can confirm it before you apply.

Table of Contents

TS TET Eligibility at a Glance

If you want to be eligible for teaching posts across Classes 1 to 8, you need to qualify in both papers and meet the criteria for both.

Paper 1 Eligibility (Classes 1 to 5)

For Paper 1, you need two things: a pass in senior secondary with the minimum marks, and a recognised elementary teacher-education course.

• Senior secondary: Intermediate or senior secondary (Class 12) from a recognised board with at least 50% marks, or the lower figure that applies to your category.

• Teacher training, option 1: A two-year Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed).

• Teacher training, option 2: A four-year Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed).

• Teacher training, option 3: A two-year Diploma in Education (Special Education), where the course is recognised by the Rehabilitation Council of India.

Some summaries of recent notifications also list a graduate with B.Ed as eligible for Paper 1, while earlier decisions of courts and NCTE changed this route more than once. Because this point has changed between cycles, read the Paper 1 clause in the current Information Bulletin before you decide, particularly if your qualification is B.Ed.

Paper 2 Eligibility (Classes 6 to 8)

Paper 2 needs a bachelor's degree and a teacher-education qualification at the upper primary level. The reported routes are:

• Graduation plus B.Ed: A bachelor's degree (B.A., B.Sc. or B.Com.) with at least 50% marks, together with a B.Ed or B.Ed (Special Education).

• Integrated degree: A four-year B.A.Ed or B.Sc.Ed course, with the minimum marks stated in the bulletin.

• Language teachers: Candidates who intend to teach a language may need a language-related degree or a Language Pandit training qualification as listed in the bulletin.

Your degree subjects matter for the subject group you choose. For example, a candidate who wants to take the Mathematics and Science group should have studied those subjects in the degree, and one choosing Social Studies should have studied related subjects. The bulletin gives the exact subject conditions.

Minimum Marks Required by Category

These are the figures given in reports of the 2026 notifications. Some reports also mention lower minimums for candidates who were admitted to their course before 23 December 2015, the date of an NCTE notification. In that transitional case the figures reported are 45% for General and 40% for reserved categories. Check which rule applies to your course and admission year in the bulletin.

Two practical points help here. First, marks are generally counted as the aggregate shown on your final marksheet, so check how your university or board converts grades or CGPA into a percentage. Second, rounding rules are not stated in press reports, so if you are only a fraction short of the minimum, ask the department or read the bulletin before paying the fee.

Final-Year Students

Students studying in the final year of D.El.Ed, B.El.Ed, B.Ed or an equivalent course have been allowed to apply. This is useful because you can take the test while you finish your course. Note that the TET certificate is generally useful for recruitment only after you complete the required qualification, so you must be able to produce your final results when the recruitment stage requires them.

In-Service Teachers

Teachers already working in schools have been allowed to appear in TS TET. A summary of the June 2026 notification says that Secondary Grade Teachers and Headmasters may appear for Paper 1, while School Assistants and Language Pandits may appear for Paper 2. After the Supreme Court order that made TET mandatory for in-service teachers, a separate special TS TET was held in September 2026. Media reports say the deadline for in-service teachers to qualify is August 2028. These are reported points, so check with the department if the rule applies to you.

Fresh candidates, that is, those who are not yet teaching, apply through the regular session. The regular session pass rate was 45.66% for fresh candidates in June 2026, so eligibility only gets you to the starting line.

Age Limit, Attempts and Certificate Validity

• Age limit: Reports of recent sessions describe no upper age limit. One summary mentions a minimum age of 18 years. The bulletin does not set a cut-off date in the reports we could verify, so check it for any age condition.

• Attempts: No limit on the number of attempts has been reported. Candidates who have already qualified can reappear to improve their score.

• Nationality and residence: Applicants are expected to be Indian citizens. Whether a Telangana domicile condition applies to the test or only to the recruitment that follows is not clear in the reports we found, so confirm it in the bulletin.

• Validity: Under NCTE norms, the TET certificate is widely reported to be valid for life. One secondary source mentions seven years, so check the validity clause in the bulletin and on your scorecard.

Who May Not Be Eligible

• Unrecognised courses: A D.El.Ed or B.Ed from an institution not recognised by NCTE or the relevant council may not be accepted. Check the recognition of your course.

• Marks below the minimum: A candidate with 48% in Intermediate in the General category does not meet the 50% requirement unless a transitional rule applies.

• Wrong paper for the qualification: A degree holder with only B.Ed should not apply for Paper 1 unless the current bulletin allows it, and a D.El.Ed holder cannot write Paper 2 unless they also hold a degree and the required qualification.

• Incomplete documents: Mismatch in name or date of birth between certificates can lead to rejection at the verification stage.

Being eligible for TS TET does not make you eligible for a particular recruitment. The recruitment notification can add its own conditions such as language, age and subject, so read both documents.

Documents and Fee

For the June 2026 session, the application fee was reported as Rs. 750 for one paper and Rs. 1,000 for both papers for General and BC candidates, and Rs. 700 and Rs. 950 for SC, ST and PwD candidates. Keep these documents ready: Aadhaar, Class 10 certificate for date of birth, Intermediate and degree marksheets, D.El.Ed or B.Ed certificate or study certificate for final-year students, caste or disability certificates, and a recent photograph and signature. The final word on every eligibility rule is the Information Bulletin on https://tgtet.aptonline.in/.