CTET 2018: Exam Preparation Tips

Central Teaching Eligibility Test (CTET) will be conducted on September 16, 2018 in 92 cities. The test is conducted by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) as per the guidelines formulated by The Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

CTET is divided into two parts, that is, Paper 1 and Paper 2. The former has to be taken up by candidates who want to teach classes I-V and the latter is for aspirants who want to be eligible to teach classes VI-VIII.

CTET Papers are designed in a format where the candidates have to answer 150 Multiple Choice Questions via pen paper mode for the duration of 2 and a half hours.

CTET Exam Pattern

Paper 1

Paper 2

Here are a few preparation tips which will help you do better in the exam.

Plan your Study

Before beginning with preparation of any of the subjects, plan your study. You should be thorough with the exam pattern and each of the subjects' syllabus. It will help in prioritizing the topics you need to prepare first as compared to others; moreover, it is an aid to cover your ‘weak' topic areas. You should have relevant study materials.

Referring to previous years' question papers will give an insight about the type of questions one can expect in the exams. Thereby, make sticky notes, while working out the study plan which will keep you focused on the concerned area for the particular day.

Time Management

CTET is midway now. While preparing for the exam, the Candidates could cover all the topics by managing their time. Each subject of the respective paper should be allotted equivalent amount of time while scribbling down your time table. But foremost, important topics should be covered for each of the subjects, like Child Development and Pedagogy, should be begun with. Aspirants can work extremely well if they focus on their goal.

On the other hand, time management is crucial during the examination. It is advisory not to leave any question as there is no negative marking scheme. But also, you should begin by solving those question of which you are absolutely sure. This would help boost your confidence as well, but make sure you don't hurry while solving any question. Sufficient time should be ensured for rest of the questions which you are unsure about. Try attempting all the questions as there is enough time duration for the exam.

*Mathematics and Language should be given adequate time daily, as these are subjects of practice.

Practice Mock Tests

Mock Tests are the best way to know about your areas of strengths and weaknesses. Once you are done revising the topics of each subject, you should solve mock tests. Such drill tests are available online as well as there are several books for the same. These practice sets level up your problem solving skills in Mathematics and Science, comprehension skills for Language sections, and checks general knowledge ability through questions in Child Development & Pedagogy, Environment Studies, and Social Science sections.

Substantially, practice papers help in improving time managing skills. Try and take online mock tests, as then the time will be ticking throughout and you will be unable to leave the test in between.

The mock test pattern gives you real time exam feeling.

Leave Unnecessary Information

Studying is a continuous process, which goes on until you don't know where to put an end to it. The key to crack the CTET exam is by sticking to the syllabus. A little more knowledge is never harmful, but make sure you don't load yourself up with any irrelevant or unnecessary information.

This would result in confusion among topics of relative knowledge, and you might end up leaving the major aspect of the particular topic. Also, loaded information sometimes leads to a panic state during the exam.

List of Few Relevant Practice Books

Don't get nervous in the exam, and don't leave your patience. If you have time left, recheck your answers. Keep practicing, and you can clear the exam!