AP TET Eligibility Criteria 2026, Check Education Qualifications & Age Limit

APTET is an eligibility test to select candidates for Classes 1 to 8 teachers in government schools in Andhra Pradesh. Candidates who have completed D.El.Ed. or B.Ed. or are in the final semester of these courses are eligible to apply for the exam.

AP TET Eligibility 2026

To apply for the AP TET 2026 exam, candidates must hold B.ed, D.El.Ed and other educational & professional qualifications, depending on the teaching level (Paper I or Paper II). There is no upper age limit, but candidates must be Indian citizens.

Age Limit

There is no upper age limit mentioned to apply for the Andhra Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test.

Educational Qualifications

Candidates must be qualified for the paper they apply for and have all required certificates by the last date of application submission. Candidates applying for the APTET exam must have the minimum educational qualifications prescribed for teachers as mentioned below: Paper-1A and Paper-1B for teaching Classes I to V, and Paper-2A and Paper-2B for teaching Classes VI to VIII. Check AP TET Eligibility Criteria for these papers.

Candidates who are in the final semester of any teacher education course recognized by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) or the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) are eligible to appear for the APTET exam

Paper 1A (Regular Schools, Classes I–V) (As per NCTE Norms – for Secondary Grade Teachers)

After 2011

Candidate must have Intermediate / Senior Secondary (or equivalent) with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/BC/PwBD) and any one of the following:

2-year Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed)
4-year Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed)
2-year Diploma in Education (Special Education)

Before 2011

Intermediate / Senior Secondary with 45% marks (40% for SC/ST/BC/PwBD) and 2-year Diploma in Elementary Education.

Paper 1B (Special Schools, Classes I–V) (As per RCI Norms)

Candidate must have Intermediate / Senior Secondary (or equivalent) with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/BC/PwBD) and any one of the following RCI-recognized qualifications:

2-year D.Ed. in Special Education
1-year Diploma in Special Education (DSE)
Diploma / PG Diploma / Certificate in Community-Based or Vocational Rehabilitation
Junior Diploma in Teaching the Deaf
Primary/Secondary Level Teacher Training in Visual or Hearing Impairment
Any other RCI-approved equivalent qualification

Paper 2A (Regular Schools, Classes VI–VIII) (As per NCTE Norms)

After 2011

Candidate must have 50% marks in Graduation (45% for SC/ST/BC/PwBD) and one of the following:

B.Ed. (Bachelor of Education)
4-year B.El.Ed.
4-year Integrated B.A.Ed / B.Sc.Ed
B.Ed. (Special Education)
Post-Graduation (55% / 50% for SC/ST/BC/PwBD) with 3-year Integrated B.Ed–M.Ed

Before 2011

Graduation with 45% marks (40% for SC/ST/BC/PwBD) and 1-year B.Ed.
Percentage rule not applicable to candidates admitted to B.Ed. before 29th July 2011

Language Teachers (Classes VI–VIII)

After 2011:

Graduation (50% marks; 45% for SC/ST/BC/PwBD) with Language concerned as an optional subject, or Bachelor of Oriental Language / Literature / Post-Graduation in that language, and B.Ed. / Language Pandit Training in that language.

Before 2011:

Graduation / Post-Graduation (45% marks; 40% for SC/ST/BC/PwBD) with B.Ed.

Paper 2B (Special Schools, Classes VI–VIII) (As per RCI Norms)

Candidate must have at least 50% marks in Graduation or Post-Graduation (45% for SC/ST/BC/PwBD) and any one of the following RCI-recognized qualifications:

B.Ed. (Special Education)
B.Ed. (General) + 1-year or 2-year Diploma in Special Education
B.Ed. (General) + Post-Graduate Diploma / Certificate in Special Education
PG Diploma in Special Education in various disabilities (e.g. MR, Multiple, Loco Motor, etc.)
Secondary / Senior Diploma in Teaching the Deaf or Visually Impaired.
B.A.B.Ed. (Visual Impairment)

Course Completion Certificates:

Candidates who are in their final semester of D.El.Ed / D.Ed (Special Education) / B.Ed / B.Ed (Special Education) or similar courses can also apply for the APTET exam. But, they cannot appear for the Teacher Recruitment Test (TRT) with the APTET certificate until they complete their required qualifications.

Note: Passing APTET alone does not give the right to appear for TRT without having the necessary qualifications.

Candidates have Teacher Education Diploma/Degree courses recognized by NCTE will be accepted. For Special Education, only courses recognized by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) will be accepted.
The Intermediate qualification must be from the Board of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh (BIEAP) or an equivalent board recognized by BIEAP.
Graduation or Post-Graduation must be from a University recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

How many attempts are there for the AP TET exam?

There is no limit on the number of times a candidate can appear for the Andhra Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test (AP TET). Candidates can apply any number of times.

Is any experience required for this exam?

As per the APTET eligibility, the department does not want any prior teaching experience to apply for the AP TET exam. Candidates without any work experience are eligible to apply for the exam.