CTET previous-year question papers, often searched as CTET PYQ, are available through the official CBSE CTET archive. The archive currently lists 11 question-paper cycles from December 2018 to February 2026. Use the cycle page that matches the session you want, then choose the correct paper, examination date and set shown by CBSE. This page links to the official cycle owner pages instead of copying uncertain PDF or ZIP links from third-party sites.
Start with the latest official papers: Open the CTET February 2026 question-paper page. CBSE published separate Paper I and Paper II ZIP downloads for 7 February, 8 February and 1 March on that page. Set-labelled files are available for the February dates.
Archive checked: 22 August 2026. The cycle list and links below were verified on the official CTET archive. Individual file structures can differ between cycles, so open the official cycle page before choosing a download.
Official CTET previous-year paper archive
The table deliberately links to cycle pages rather than labelling every item a direct PDF. The February 2026 page, for example, uses ZIP bundles and external file links. Older sessions may organise dates, papers, languages or sets differently. A stable CTET cycle page gives you CBSE's own file labels and reduces the chance of downloading a renamed or incomplete paper from a mirror.
The official archive also has a separate previous-year final answer-key section. A question-paper cycle and a final-answer-key file are not automatically a one-to-one match. Confirm the session, paper, date and set before checking responses.
Last five years of official CTET paper availability
This table covers calendar years 2022-2026. CBSE did not hold or list a question-paper cycle in every calendar year, so the absence of a 2025 row is useful information rather than a missing download.
CBSE's cycle pages do not promise solved explanations or one combined last-five-years PDF. This guide therefore links to official owner pages and does not relabel question papers as solved papers. If you need worked explanations, treat any coaching solution as commentary and keep it separate from the official paper and final key.
How to download a CTET question paper from the official site
- Open the official CTET archive or use one of the verified cycle links in the table.
- Select the examination cycle you want, such as February 2026 or December 2024.
- Read the file label before opening it. Look for Paper I or Paper II, examination date, set code and any language detail shown by CBSE.
- Download or open the file from that official cycle page. Some recent files may be supplied as ZIP bundles rather than one browser-ready PDF.
- Keep the original file name. It is useful when you later match the paper with an answer key.
- If you use a final answer key, open the official key archive separately and verify that every identifier matches the paper you attempted.
- Scan the downloaded file before opening an archive, as you would with any file from the internet. Do not install an application or browser extension merely to read a CTET paper.
You do not need to enter a phone number, pay a fee or share an OTP to use the CTET archive. A third-party page may ask for those details, but that is not part of CBSE's question-paper download process.
Choose Paper I or Paper II before you practise
Paper I and Paper II are separate examinations for different teaching levels. Paper I relates to Classes I-V. Paper II relates to Classes VI-VIII. A candidate seeking eligibility for both ranges appears in both papers, but previous papers should still be attempted and reviewed separately.
Both papers contain 150 questions for 150 marks and last 2.5 hours under the September 2026 pattern. Each correct answer carries 1 mark, and there is no negative marking. Their totals are the same, but their subject structures are not. A Paper I practice score cannot show how you will handle the 60-question Mathematics and Science or Social Studies/Social Science block in Paper II.
If you are uncertain which paper applies to your route, check the CTET eligibility guide before building a practice schedule. Then use the CTET exam pattern to confirm the current structure. Old papers are practice material; the current bulletin controls the live examination.
Match the date and set before using an answer key
A CTET cycle can contain more than one examination date or set. The February 2026 official page illustrates the problem clearly. It lists Paper I and Paper II files for 7 February, 8 February and 1 March. The February files also use set labels. If you solve one set and check it against another set's answer sequence, the resulting score can be meaningless even though both files say CTET February 2026.
Record these details at the top of your practice sheet:
Cycle: Paper: Paper I / Paper II Examination date: Set or booklet code: Language choice, if relevant: Answer-key source:
Question order and file packaging can vary. Do not assume that question 41 in one file is question 41 in every file from the same cycle. Use the identifiers printed in the paper and key. If a final key is not clearly matched, review the concepts without turning the attempt into a formal score.
A useful way to practise with CTET previous papers
Downloading ten cycles is easy. Reviewing even three of them properly takes more work and gives better information. Use each paper for a different purpose instead of collecting files that never leave the downloads folder.
Attempt 1: understand the paper
Take one recent paper without a strict timer. Mark unfamiliar terms, slow sections and questions where two options seem plausible. This first attempt is diagnostic. It tells you where the syllabus feels clear and where the wording causes trouble.
Do not stop after counting correct answers. For every uncertain response, write why you chose the option. A guessed correct answer and a confidently understood correct answer should not receive the same review priority.
Attempt 2: use the full 2.5-hour limit
Take another paper in one sitting for 150 minutes. Use the same broad conditions you expect on exam day: no answer discussion, no frequent phone checks and no pausing the clock to search a concept. Paper II candidates should keep the full 60-question subject block intact.
Record the time when you finish each section. A total score does not show whether one language section consumed time needed elsewhere. Section timing often produces a more useful revision decision than the final mark alone.
Attempt 3: test an order strategy
Use a third paper to test the section order you intend to follow. Start with the section that settles you quickly, or test the section that usually creates a backlog. Compare time, accuracy and the number of marked-for-review questions with the previous attempt.
No negative marking does not remove the need for time control. A question that takes four minutes can still cost you the chance to answer several easier questions. The aim is not to leave questions blank out of fear. It is to reach all 150 questions with enough time to read them properly.
Build a review sheet, not only a score sheet
Use a simple error log after each paper. Four columns are enough:
Classify mistakes honestly. A content gap needs study. A reading error needs a slower decision habit. A time-pressure mistake needs practice under a clock. A mismatched answer key needs a clean source check, not more revision.
After two or three papers, look for repeated topics. One difficult question is not a trend. Six mistakes around the same idea are. Use the CTET syllabus 2026 to map recurring errors back to the current paper scope instead of assuming every old topic carries equal weight now.
How to calculate a previous-paper score
Under the September 2026 marking rule, an estimated score for one paper equals the number of correct answers because every correct response adds 1 mark and wrong responses carry no deduction. If you count 103 correct, 31 wrong and 16 unattempted responses, the estimate is 103/150 or 68.67%. That is 13 marks above the displayed 90/150 benchmark.
Use the CTET score calculator after checking that your paper and answer key match. The calculator can handle the arithmetic and benchmark comparison, but it cannot repair a set mismatch or decide that an unofficial key is correct.
For practice analysis, also record accuracy:
accuracy among attempted questions = correct / (correct + wrong) x 100
Accuracy is useful for study, but it is not a separate CTET result field and it does not replace the official score. A candidate with 90 correct out of 100 attempts and a candidate with 90 correct out of 150 attempts have the same raw score under a no-negative-marking rule, although their practice profiles are different.
Can old papers predict the September 2026 question paper?
No previous paper can predict the exact September 2026 questions. It can show recurring ways in which CTET tests pedagogy, comprehension, subject understanding and classroom application. It can also expose your own timing and accuracy pattern. The current Information Bulletin and syllabus remain the controlling documents for this cycle.
Treat older papers as samples, not promises. A topic's appearance in December 2019 does not guarantee that it will appear in September 2026. Its absence from one recent set does not remove it from the current syllabus. This matters most when candidates use memory-based trend lists to cut out large parts of the syllabus.
A sensible order is:
- Read the current syllabus and exam pattern.
- Use a recent official paper to understand the current style.
- Use older papers for volume and repeated-concept review.
- Return to the current bulletin whenever an old file and a current rule seem different.
Question paper, provisional key and final key are different files
The question paper records the questions and options for a session. A provisional answer key gives CBSE's review-stage answer position for a live cycle and may be open to challenge. A final answer key reflects the position after that review. The official result records the candidate's evaluated marks.
For old-paper practice, the final-answer-key archive is usually the more relevant key source when a clearly matching file exists. Still check the cycle, paper, date and set. Do not use a September 2026 provisional key with a February paper or an answer explanation from a coaching site as though CBSE published it.
For the live September cycle, use the CTET answer-key status page. No September 2026 provisional key, OMR schedule, challenge window or final key had been confirmed when the official sources were checked on 22 August 2026.
A four-week previous-paper plan
If you have four weeks, a manageable plan is better than attempting a paper every day without review.
Paper II candidates can add a focused session for the 60-mark subject block. Paper I candidates can compare whether Mathematics or Environmental Studies creates the larger timing loss. Both should review Child Development and Pedagogy and the two language sections rather than treating them as automatic marks.
Stop adding new papers if the review queue keeps growing. An analysed paper should change what you study next. If it does not, it was only a long quiz.
Problems to avoid when downloading CTET papers
- Do not trust a page merely because its button says
official PDF. Check whether the destination is on the CTET archive or clearly owned by CBSE. - Do not pay for files that CBSE already lists in its public archive.
- Do not share an OTP or candidate password to download an old paper.
- Do not rename files so aggressively that the paper, date and set can no longer be identified.
- Do not assume every ZIP contains the same languages or sets. Read the official label and inspect the archive.
- Do not calculate a score until the answer key matches the paper.
- Do not treat a previous-paper score as the September 2026 result or as a recruitment forecast.
If an official link stops working, return to the CTET archive rather than searching for a random mirror. CBSE may change an individual file destination while keeping the cycle page current.
Official sources
- Official CTET archive, checked 22 August 2026. It supplied the verified list of 11 question-paper cycles and the final-answer-key archive destination.
- CTET February 2026 question-paper page, published 2 April 2026 and checked 22 August 2026. It supplied the verified Paper I, Paper II, date and set file structure described on this page.
- Official previous-year final answer-key archive, checked 22 August 2026. Use it only after matching the cycle and paper details.
- CTET September 2026 Information Bulletin. It supports the current 150-question, 150-mark, 2.5-hour and no-negative-marking rules used in the practice guidance.
Third-party paper mirrors, coaching answer keys and file-name guesses were not used to build the archive table.