AP TET is an eligibility test, not a recruitment examination: passing it is one of the conditions for the DSC recruitment of Secondary Grade Teachers and School Assistants. This page gives the pattern from the last official notification and information bulletin of the Department of School Education, Andhra Pradesh. As of 8 October 2026 the regular AP TET 2026 for fresh candidates had not been notified. A Special TET 2026 for in-service teachers only was reported by the press (computer-based test 11 to 21 October 2026); it is not a route into the DSC. The full guide is at AP TET.
Pattern from the last official bulletin
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Mode | Computer-based test |
| Questions a paper | 150 multiple-choice, four options |
| Marks a paper | 150, one mark each |
| Duration | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Negative marking | None |
| Question paper | Bilingual: English, then the Language-I chosen; the English version is authentic |
The four papers
| Paper | Classes | Schools | Post it serves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | I to V | Regular | Secondary Grade Teacher |
| 1B | I to V | Special | Special Education SGT |
| 2A | VI to VIII | Regular | School Assistant |
| 2B | VI to VIII | Special | Special Education School Assistant |
Eligibility is judged paper by paper, as on the last date of application. A candidate holding both a D.El.Ed. and a B.Ed. may write both levels, with a separate application and result for each. A final-semester D.El.Ed. or B.Ed. student may write the test but cannot use the certificate in the DSC until the qualification is in hand.
Paper 1A: five equal parts
| Part | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Child Development and Pedagogy | 30 | 30 |
| Language-I | 30 | 30 |
| Language-II (English) | 30 | 30 |
| Mathematics | 30 | 30 |
| Environmental Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Total | 150 | 150 |
Because the five parts carry equal weight, one weak part pulls the whole total down.
Paper 2A: three common parts and a subject group
| Part | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Child Development and Pedagogy | 30 | 30 |
| Language-I | 30 | 30 |
| Language-II (English) | 30 | 30 |
| Subject group: Mathematics and Science, or Social Studies, or a language | 60 | 60 |
| Total | 150 | 150 |
The subject group is 40 percent of the paper (arithmetic from the table), so the main subject decides the score. Your degree subjects and methodology fix the group; a Social Studies candidate cannot choose Mathematics and Science. The content and pedagogy split inside each part is on the syllabus page.
Pass marks and the DSC link
A paper is passed at 90 marks for OC and EWS, 75 for BC and 60 for SC, ST, persons with benchmark disabilities and ex-servicemen. These are qualifying floors, not merit cut-offs; see the cut-off page. In the last DSC cycle the TET score carried 20 percent weightage and the written test 80 percent; our AP DSC guide explains how the two combine.
What this page does not have
Dates, fee and the application window of a 2026 regular TET, because no notification existed on the official portal as of 8 October 2026; the section layout of Papers 1B and 2B, which we have not verified; and the Special TET 2026 schedule as an official document, since we hold it only from press reports.