Special TET 2026: Andhra Pradesh teachers to take exam from October 11

The Andhra Pradesh School Education Department is set to conduct the Special Teacher Eligibility Test (Special TET) 2026 for 68,420 in-service teachers across the state. The examination, which begins on October 11, 2026, and concludes on October 21, 2026, is a mandatory qualification for eligible teachers appointed before 2011 who do not possess a valid TET certificate.

Teachers submitted a total of 83,015 applications for the Special TET 2026, with the higher number attributed to individuals applying for more than one paper. The application window was open from August 25, 2026, to September 24, 2026, with an application fee of ₹1,000 per subject or paper.

Mandatory Qualification and Supreme Court Directions

The Special TET 2026 is being conducted to address directions from the Supreme Court, which mandated TET qualification for eligible in-service teachers appointed before 2011 who do not hold a valid TET certificate. The Andhra Pradesh government then permitted the School Education Department to conduct a separate examination specifically for these teachers.

This examination serves as an eligibility test for continuing in service or for promotion, and is not intended for future direct teacher recruitment. The qualification is applicable to teachers in various school managements, including Government, Local Body, APREIS, Government Welfare Society Residential, AP Model Schools, Private Aided, and Other Government schools.

Examination Schedule and Format

The Special TET examination will be conducted in computer-based test (CBT) mode, with two sessions held each day. Session I is scheduled from 9:30 AM to 12:00 Noon, and Session II from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM. Each session will have a duration of 2 hours and 30 minutes, with no negative marking for incorrect answers.

Hall tickets for the examination were released on October 5, 2026, and candidates can download them from the official websites cse.ap.gov.in and tet2dsc.apcfss.in. An online mock test was made available from September 25, 2026, to help candidates familiarise themselves with the examination format. Candidates are advised to arrive at their examination centres at least one hour before the commencement of the examination.

Passing Criteria and Key Dates

To qualify for the Special TET, candidates need to achieve a minimum pass percentage based on their category. General and EWS candidates must score 60%, while BC candidates require 50%. For SC, ST, Differently-abled, and Ex-Servicemen categories, the passing mark is 40%.

The initial answer key is scheduled for release on October 24, 2026. Candidates will have an opportunity to submit objections to the initial answer key online from October 25 to November 1, 2026. The final answer key is slated for November 10, 2026, with the final results expected on November 15, 2026.

Further reading

• Andhra Pradesh FA2 answer key 2026-27: unofficial keys for classes 1 to 10 available October 5-8
• Andhra Pradesh Class 8 Maths FA2 exam on October 5, 2026: check paper pattern
• NEET UG 2026 management quota phase 2 option entry begins for Andhra Pradesh, deadline October 5
• AP Special TET hall ticket 2026 released: download before October 11 exam
• Andhra Pradesh FA2 class 8 exams begin today; question papers, answer keys to be updated

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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