CTET Previous Year Question Paper Guide

Pattern recap before you open a past paper

Old papers from before a rule change can still be useful, since this structure has not moved. Just ignore any instruction sheet that talks about a different mode, because recent sessions have used OMR sheets.

Lessons hidden in a CTET previous year question paper

• Pedagogy is applied, not theoretical. Most child development questions describe a classroom situation and ask what a teacher should do. Definitions alone rarely work.
• Theorists keep appearing. Piaget's stages, Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and Kohlberg's moral reasoning show up in almost every set.
• Language passages are long. Each language section usually opens with prose and a poem, and the pedagogy half asks about reading, writing and assessment in a multilingual class.
• Maths pedagogy is about errors. Expect a child's wrong working and a question on what it reveals.
• EVS and social studies stick close to NCERT. Many content questions can be traced to a specific chapter of the class 3 to 8 books.

How to practise with old CTET papers

1. First paper, untimed: solve it to diagnose. Mark each wrong answer as content, pedagogy or careless.
2. Next three papers, timed: 150 minutes, OMR-style sheet, no phone. Aim to finish with 10 minutes spare.
3. Section drills: pull only the child development sections from five different papers and attempt them back to back. Repeat for each language.
4. Maintain a mistakes diary: note the principle behind every pedagogy mistake in one line, such as "choose the option where the learner constructs knowledge".
5. Final fortnight: one full paper every two days, with a day in between for review.

Sample questions in the CTET style

We made up the items below in the CTET format; the key comes after them.

1. A class 2 teacher asks children to sort leaves by shape and size before naming them. This approach mainly supports: (a) rote memorisation (b) observation and classification (c) competition among learners (d) summative testing
2. According to Vygotsky, the gap between what a child can do alone and with help is called: (a) the zone of proximal development (b) scaffolding (c) equilibration (d) assimilation
3. A child writes 23 + 19 = 312. The most likely error is: (a) not knowing the digits (b) poor handwriting (c) adding without regrouping the tens (d) reversing numbers
4. In a multilingual class, the best way to treat a child's home language is to: (a) ban it in class (b) correct it publicly (c) ignore it (d) use it as a resource for learning
5. Continuous assessment is mainly meant to: (a) rank students (b) improve learning while it happens (c) fail weak learners (d) replace teaching

Answers: 1 (b), 2 (a), 3 (c), 4 (d), 5 (b). Notice that each right answer puts the child at the centre of learning, which is the thread running through most CTET pedagogy keys.

Where to find papers officially

The official CTET website is the only source we recommend. After each session CBSE releases a provisional answer key and opens a challenge window, during which you can see the official answers and your own responses. Save them while they are available. Check the website's notices for any question papers CBSE has released for past sessions.

Printed collections of solved papers are sold widely. If you use one, check its answers against the official key, as unofficial keys sometimes differ on pedagogy items.

Hindi medium: CTET previous year paper in Hindi

Every CTET question booklet is bilingual, so each past paper is available in Hindi as well as English for every non-language section, from child psychology to EVS and the Paper II subjects. Language sections appear in the language you chose.

सीटीईटी के पिछले वर्ष के प्रश्न पत्र हिंदी और अंग्रेजी दोनों में होते हैं। पहले एक पेपर बिना समय सीमा के हल करें और अपनी गलतियाँ लिखें। फिर ढाई घंटे में पूरा पेपर हल करें। बाल विकास और शिक्षाशास्त्र के प्रश्नों पर अधिक अभ्यास करें, क्योंकि यही भाग दोनों पेपर में आता है। उत्तर हमेशा आधिकारिक उत्तर कुंजी से मिलाएँ।

Using papers alongside your other preparation

Whether you call it the CTET ka previous year question paper or the previous year question paper of CTET, a past set works best once you have read the syllabus once. Before that, it only shows you what you do not know yet. Pair each set with the qualifying target from the CTET cut off page, so each mock tells you how far you are from 90. Paper II candidates can also use the focused set on CTET Paper 2 previous papers.