The National Common Entrance Test is a national-level admission test conducted by the National Testing Agency to provide admission to various institutions such as IITs, NITs, RIEs, and colleges across the country for the four-year integrated teacher education programme (ITEP).
If you are interested in gaining admission to the BA-BEd or BSc-BEd course for the academic year 2026-27, you will need to participate in this entrance exam which will be held in 2026. Here, we have shared important dates, eligibility criteria, exam pattern, and other details.
NCET 2026 Overview
| Exam Name | National Common Entrance Test (NCET) |
| Conducting Body | National Testing Agency |
| Exam Level | National Level |
| Courses Offered | BA-BEd, BSc-BEd |
| Programme Type | 4-Year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) |
| Academic Session | 2026–27 |
| Mode of Examination | Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
| Number of Sections | 5 |
| Total Questions | 160 MCQs |
| Total Marks | 640 Marks |
| Marking Scheme | +4 for correct, −1 for incorrect |
| Exam Duration | 3 Hours |
| Medium of Exam | English & Regional Languages |
| Application Mode | Online |
| Counselling Mode | Online / Centralised Counselling |
Important Dates
The National Testing Agency will announce all the important dates for the NCET 2026 with the release of notification. Refer to table below for timeline.
| Event | Date |
| Official Notification Release | February 2026 |
| Online Application Start | February 2026 |
| Deadline to Apply | March 2026 |
| Application Correction Window | March 2026 |
| Admit Card Release | April 2026 |
| Entrance Examination | April 2026 |
| Provisional Answer Key | May 2026 |
| Answer Key Objection Window | May 2026 |
| Final Answer Key | May 2026 |
| Result Declaration | June 2026 |
| Counselling | June–July 2026 |
Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria to apply for the NCET 2026 are listed below, go through the following points to check if you are eligible to apply for this entrance exam.
- You are an Indian citizen.
- You have passed the Class 12 Exam with any stream from a government board.
- You must turn at least 18 years old as of December 31, 2026.
It is mandatory that you have secured at least a 50% score in the Intermediate exam. Students who are going to sit in the qualifying exam for the academic year 2025-26 are also eligible to apply.
Application Fee
In order to apply for the NCET 2026, it is mandatory that you pay the application fee. The payable amount varies from one another for each category, go through the table to check what you need to pay.
| Category | Amount |
| UR | ₹1,200 |
| OBC-NCL / EWS | ₹1,000 |
| SC / ST / PwBD | ₹650 |
The NCET 2026 application fee is not refundable, it can be paid using the debit card, credit card or NET banking. Your application form will be accepted only if you pay the required amount timely.
Exam Pattern
The National Testing Agency released the exam pattern for the National Common Entrance Test 2026 in online mode. There will be a total number of 160 MCQs in this entrance exam from different five different sections, which are following:
| Section | Subject | Questions |
| Section I | Language | 20 |
| Section II | Domain Subject 1 | 30 |
| Section III | Domain Subject 2 | 30 |
| Section IV | Domain Subject 3 | 30 |
| Section V | General Test | 50 |
| Total | — | 160 |
Each question carries a weightage of 4 marks, and 1 mark will be deducted for incorrect response. To solve the maximum number of questions in this admission test, exam one will get time duration of 3 hours, and the medium will be English and one of the following subjects:
- Hindi
- Assamese
- Bengali
- Gujarati
- Kannada
- Malayalam
- Marathi
- Odia
- Punjabi
- Tamil
- Telugu
- Urdu
How to Apply?
In order to apply for the NCET 2026, please go through the step-by-step instructions available below.
- Go to the official website of the National Common Entrance Test at https://exams.nta.ac.in/NCET/.
- Find and click on the ‘NCET 2026 New Registration’ option and get redirected to the next page.
- Register yourself by providing your name, mobile number, email address and other details.
- Login with your email address and password, and then fill in the application form with all.
- Upload necessary documents with photograph and signature in required size and format.
- Pay the application fee and click on the Submit button to apply for this admission examination.