2 min readNew DelhiFeb 16, 2026 06:03 PM IST
The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) today decided to discontinue the Bihar Teacher Eligibility Test (BTET) for the recruitment of elementary school teachers in the state. With this move, Bihar will no longer conduct a separate state-level eligibility examination for Classes 1 to 5 and Classes 6 to 8, and will now lean on national-level eligibility exam CTET, as per a statement by the board.
The decision to do away with the state-centric teacher recruitment framework is likely to pave way for aligning the process with the national eligibility system.
Notably, several major states including Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal continue to conduct their own State Teacher Eligibility Tests (STET/TET). These state-level exams often come with specific language requirements, particularly mandating proficiency in the regional language as a qualifying criterion for appointment in government schools.
The last Bihar Teacher Eligibility Test (BTET) was conducted on July 2017, for both primary (Classes 1–5) and upper primary (Classes 6–8) levels. Since then, the state had not held another BTET cycle, leading to a growing reliance on alternative eligibility criteria for recruitment drives.
The Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET), conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), serves as a mandatory qualification for teaching posts in central government schools and has been adopted by several states.
In 2026, CTET was held in multiple shifts across the country, with lakhs of candidates appearing for Paper I (Classes 1–5) and Paper II (Classes 6–8). The examination witnessed participation from over 25 lakh aspirants nationwide, reflecting continued demand for teaching positions in government and aided schools.
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