UP Special TET 2026

Why UP Special TET 2026 Is Being Held

The Supreme Court, in Civil Appeal No. 1385/2025 (Anjuman Ishaat-e-Talim Trust versus State of Maharashtra and others), made passing the Teacher Eligibility Test mandatory for all working teachers. Following a review petition (Diary No. 53434/2025, State of UP versus Anjuman Ishaat-e-Talim Trust), the Supreme Court's order dated 29 May 2026 requires every working teacher to clear this mandatory test by 31 August 2028. Because a large number of teachers are affected by this order, the Uttar Pradesh government decided to hold a Special TET for teachers currently working at the primary and upper primary level.

Separately, in compliance with an order dated 7 March 2025 passed in Writ Petition No. 132/2016 (Rajnish Kumar Pandey and others versus Union of India and others), the state has also decided to conduct this Special TET for around 2,500 special teachers and assistant teachers working with children with special needs (CWSN) at the primary and upper primary level.

Important Dates

Who Can Apply

The Special TET is open only to teachers, assistant teachers and special educators already working in specific categories of schools. It is not open to fresh candidates who are not currently in service.

Primary Level (Class 1 to 5)

Teachers working in the following schools are eligible for the primary level test:

• All schools run directly by the state government
• Schools of local bodies that are affiliated or recognised by the state government or Basic Shiksha Parishad from time to time
• Schools that receive state government aid
• Special Educators working at the primary level (Class 1 to 5)

Upper Primary Level (Class 6 to 8)

Teachers working in the following schools are eligible for the upper primary level test:

• All schools run directly by the state government
• Schools of local bodies affiliated or recognised for operation by the state government, Basic Shiksha Parishad or Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad from time to time
• Schools that receive state government aid
• Special Educators working at the upper primary level (Class 6 to 8)

Eligibility for Special Educators (CWSN)

Special educators working on contract or on a deliverable basis need the following qualifications:

• Primary level: A graduation degree along with a D.Ed in Special Education recognised by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), or an equivalent qualification, plus an active CRR number and RCI registration certificate.
• Upper primary level: A graduation degree along with a B.Ed in Special Education recognised by RCI, or an equivalent qualification, plus an active CRR number and RCI registration certificate.

Age Limit

For special educators (CWSN) working on contract or deliverable basis, the maximum age as on the exam date, 3 November 2026, is 60 years. The notice does not prescribe a separate age limit for regular working teachers applying for the Special TET.

Application Fee

The fee can be paid only through credit card, debit card or net banking on the application portal. Once paid, the fee is not refunded or adjusted against any other application under any circumstances.

How to Apply for UP Special TET 2026

Applications must be submitted online through the OTR-based system on the official UPESSC website. Applications sent through any other mode will not be accepted.

1. Visit the official UPESSC website and complete One Time Registration (OTR), which is compulsory before an application can be filled.
2. Log in with the OTR details and fill in the online application form, entering the eHRMS code for working teachers or the active CRR number and RCI registration certificate number for special educators (CWSN), along with category, sub-category, date of birth and gender carefully, since these cannot be changed after final submission.
3. Upload a scanned signature on a white background in JPG or JPEG format between 10 KB and 200 KB with 140x110 pixel resolution, a passport size photograph between 30 KB and 300 KB with 300 to 600 pixel resolution, and any required certificates as PDF files between 50 KB and 500 KB.
4. Pay the application fee through credit card, debit card or net banking as applicable to the candidate's category, and keep the payment confirmation and fee receipt safely.
5. Review every entry on the application form carefully, since the form becomes final once submitted, and then submit the application before the last date of 4 October 2026.
6. Use the correction window open until 8 October 2026 to fix any genuine errors in the submitted application, and later download the admit card from the official website once it is released before the exam date of 3 November 2026.

A user manual in Hindi and English, along with tutorial videos, is available on the official website for candidates who need help with the online process.

Documents and Photo Specifications

• Signature: scanned on white background, JPG/JPEG format, 10 KB to 200 KB, 140x110 pixel resolution
• Photograph: passport size, 30 KB to 300 KB, 300 to 600 pixel resolution
• Certificates/documents: PDF format, 50 KB to 500 KB
• Date of birth is accepted only as recorded in the High School or equivalent certificate; no other document will be accepted for this purpose

If a candidate uploads a photo or signature that does not meet the prescribed specifications, or fails to accept the declaration, the application will be rejected. If any declaration made in the application is later found to be false, the candidature will be cancelled and the candidate may be debarred from this and future examinations conducted by the commission.

Exam Pattern

• Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes (150 minutes)
• All questions are multiple-choice, with four options each
• Total questions: 150, each carrying 1 mark, for a total of 150 marks
• No negative marking
• Question paper medium: Hindi and English, except for language subjects

Syllabus for Primary Level (Class 1 to 5)

Syllabus for Upper Primary Level (Class 6 to 8)

The full subject-wise syllabus for both levels is available on the official website, www.upessc.up.gov.in.

Qualifying Marks

• General category: minimum 90 out of 150 (60 percent) to receive the eligibility certificate
• SC, ST, OBC, freedom fighter dependent, ex-serviceman, and disabled category candidates: minimum 55 percent, that is 82 out of 150
• Unreserved EWS candidates: minimum 55 percent, that is 82 out of 150
• For the CWSN Special Teacher Eligibility Test, the same qualifying percentages apply to unreserved and reserved candidates

If the exam is conducted in a single shift, a candidate's actual marks will be used as the qualifying marks. If it becomes necessary to hold the exam in more than one shift because of a very high number of applications, a normalisation process will be applied as per the relevant government order, and the normalised marks will then be treated as the qualifying marks.

Exam Centre and Admit Card

Exam centres will be set up at district headquarters as required, and a candidate can be allotted any centre. Information about the district of the exam centre will be shared 10 days before the exam, and the exact centre will be shared 3 days before the exam through a link on the official website. The admit card can then be downloaded using the "Admit Card Download" option on the homepage by entering the registration number, mobile number and date of birth. Candidates who appear at a centre or for a subject different from what is printed on their admit card will not have their answer sheet evaluated, and their candidature will be cancelled.

General Instructions for the Written Exam

• Only a black ball point pen should be used to darken the circles on the OMR sheet; pens of any other colour, fountain pens, gel pens, sketch pens, HB pencils and whitener are not allowed.
• Using an eraser, blade, nail or whitener on the OMR sheet, or damaging it in any way, will lead to its cancellation.
• Once a circle is darkened, it cannot be changed, and darkening more than one circle for the same question means that question gets no marks.
• No travel allowance is payable for appearing in the exam.
• Persons with disabilities can use a scribe as per government orders dated 4 December 2019 and 8 September 2022. Such candidates should register at the commission office with full details at least one week before the exam, and they will get 20 minutes of extra time per hour. No travel allowance is given to the scribe.
• Any form of misconduct in the exam hall, such as copying, indiscipline or misbehaviour, will lead to cancellation of candidature and possible debarment from future exams too.

Instructions for Reserved Category Candidates

• Candidates must clearly mark their category in the application form.
• If a candidate is eligible to claim more than one reserved category, only one relaxation, whichever is more beneficial, will be given.
• Reserved category candidates who are not domiciled in Uttar Pradesh will not get the benefit of category relaxation and will be treated as general category candidates.
• For women candidates, only a caste certificate issued based on the father's side is valid.
• Caste certificates must be on the format prescribed by the Uttar Pradesh government, and EWS certificates must be for the financial year prior to the year of application, on the prescribed format.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is UP Special TET 2026?

UP Special TET 2026 is the Special Teacher Eligibility Test being conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Shiksha Sewa Chayan Aayog (UPESSC) under Advertisement No. 03/2026. It has been introduced for teachers and assistant teachers already working at the primary and upper primary level in Uttar Pradesh, and for special educators working with children with special needs (CWSN), so that they can meet the mandatory teacher eligibility test requirement set by the Supreme Court.

Q2. Who is eligible to apply for UP Special TET 2026?

Teachers and assistant teachers currently working in state-run, aided, or recognised primary level schools can apply for the primary level test, and those working in upper primary or junior high school level schools can apply for the upper primary level test. Special educators (CWSN) working on contract or deliverable basis at the primary level need a graduation degree along with an RCI-recognised D.Ed in Special Education, while those at the upper primary level need a graduation degree along with an RCI-recognised B.Ed in Special Education, in both cases with an active CRR number and RCI registration certificate.

Q3. What is the last date to apply for UP Special TET 2026?

Online registration and applications began on 5 September 2026. The last date to pay the online application fee is 4 October 2026, and candidates can correct errors in their submitted application until 8 October 2026.

Q4. How much is the application fee for UP Special TET 2026?

For both the primary and upper primary level tests, General, OBC and EWS candidates need to pay Rs. 1,000, SC and ST candidates need to pay Rs. 500, and Divyangjan (persons with disability) candidates need to pay Rs. 300. The fee can be paid only through credit card, debit card or net banking.

Q5. What is the exam pattern for UP Special TET 2026?

The written test carries 150 multiple-choice questions of 1 mark each, to be attempted in 2 hours 30 minutes, with each question having four options. The question paper will be set in Hindi and English, except for language subjects, and there is no negative marking.

Q6. Is there negative marking in UP Special TET 2026?

No, the notice clearly states that there is no negative marking in the Special TET, so candidates are not penalised for attempting a question incorrectly.

Q7. What are the qualifying marks for UP Special TET 2026?

General category candidates need to score at least 90 out of 150, which is 60 percent, to get the eligibility certificate. Candidates from SC, ST, OBC, freedom fighter dependent, ex-serviceman, and disabled categories, as well as unreserved EWS candidates, need a minimum of 55 percent, which is 82 out of 150. If the exam is held in more than one shift, a normalisation process will be used and the normalised marks will be treated as the qualifying marks.

Q8. How can candidates download the UP Special TET 2026 admit card?

Once the commission announces the exam date for eligible candidates, the admit card can be downloaded from the official website www.upessc.up.gov.in by clicking the Admit Card Download button and entering the registration number, mobile number and date of birth.

Official Source

All information in this article has been taken from the official Special TET 2026 notice, Advertisement No. 03/2026, published by the Uttar Pradesh Shiksha Sewa Chayan Aayog. Candidates should refer to the detailed notice and syllabus available on the official website, upessc.up.gov.in, before applying.

Disclaimer

This article is for general information only and is based on the official notice available at the time of writing. Candidates are advised to read the complete notification on the official UPESSC website and verify all details, including dates, fee and eligibility, before proceeding with their application.