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OTET- Everything You Need to Know

Teachmint • 4 min read

The annual State Teacher Eligibility Test in Odisha is conducted by the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha annually. This examination aims to shortlist and select candidates who plan to become teachers of classes I-VIII in Government/Private aided/Private unaided schools in Odisha. This examination is conducted in two parts Category 1 also known as Paper-I and Category 2 also known as Paper-II.

Teachers who clear this examination are provided with Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test certification and their score is valid up to 7 years from the date of clearing the examination. Obtaining this certification does not guarantee the selection of an individual in the state. The validity of certification once received is also subject to change as per the protocols and rules of the issuing board.

Below is a list of necessary details that you may want to be thorough with before applying for OTET:

Eligibility Criteria

The Board of Secondary Education has set certain eligibility criteria for OTET to shortlist the applications submitted by candidates, matching which an applicant is allowed to sit for the examination. The eligibility criteria for this examination vary based on the part of the examination an individual is appearing for. These eligibility criteria may vary as per the decision of the Board. Eligible candidates above the age of 21 can apply for the examination.

Category-I for Teaching Primary Classes (Class I-V)

A candidate has to meet one of the following minimum qualification categories to appear for the examination:

  • A minimum of 50% for General category and 45% for SC/ST/SEBC/OBC/PwD is required in Higher Secondary Education or equivalent with a pass certificate or appearing in the final year of a 2-year diploma degree in Elementary education (CT or DElEd) from any renowned organisation/institution.
  • A minimum of 45% for the General category and 40% for SC/ST/SEBC/OBC/PwD is required in Higher Secondary Education or equivalent with a pass certificate or appearing in the final year of a 2-year diploma degree in Elementary education from any organization/institution affiliated with National Council for Teacher Education.
  • A minimum of 50% for the General category and 45% for SC/ST/SEBC/OBC/PwD is required in Higher Secondary Education or equivalent with a pass certificate of four years Bachelor degree in (B.El.Ed).
  • A Graduation Degree in any subject with a pass certificate or appearing in the final year of a 2-year Diploma in Elementary/Special education
  • A Graduation Degree in any subject with a minimum of 50% for General Category and 45% for SC/ST/SEBC/OBC/PWD along with a pass certificate or appearing in the final year of 2-year Diploma in Special education.

Category-II for Teaching Upper Primary Classes (Class VI-VIII)

  • A Graduation Degree in any subject with a minimum of 50% for the General Category and 45% for SC/ST/SEBC/OBC/PWD along with a pass certificate of one-year degree of Bachelor of Education (B.Ed).
  • A Graduation Degree in any subject with a minimum of 45% for the General Category and 40% for SC/ST/SEBC/OBC/PWD along with a pass certificate of one-year degree of Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) from NCTE affiliated organizations.
  • A Graduation Degree in any subject with a minimum of 50% for the General Category and 45% for SC/ST/SEBC/OBC/PWD along with a pass certificate of one-year degree of Bachelor of Education in Special Education.
  • A Graduation Degree in any subject with a minimum of 50% for General Category and 45% for SC/ST/SEBC/OBC/PWD along with a pass certificate of 4 years B.Sc. B.Ed./B.A B.Ed. course.

All applicants who fulfill the qualifying criteria for Category B (Paper-II) are barred from applying for Category A. (Paper-I).

How to Apply?

Eligible candidates can apply for OTET by going to the Board of Senior Education, Odisha’s website. A sum of INR 500 from general category candidates and INR 350 from the reserved category is charged as a registration fee for the examination which is collected via an online gateway and via Bank Challan for offline mode. One should fill in all the details carefully before applying as it will not be changed later. If you have any questions, their website provides several helplines to assist you to find an answer to your queries.

After the application is accepted and processed an Admit Card is generated which enables an individual to sit for the OTET examination. As per the statement provided on OTET’s official website, OTET does not promise an individual’s confirmed placement in schools.

The pattern of the Examination

The questionnaire is MCQ-based, with a total of 150 questions divided across five and four sections, respectively, for Papers I and II. The weightage for each part varies depending on how the questions are divided and the importance of the curriculum.
Syllabus for the Examination

For Category-I for Teaching Primary Classes (Class I-V)

The syllabus for Category-I is divided into five sections where each section is allotted 30 marks.

  • Language I - Odia/Bengali/Hindi/Urdu/Telugu
  • Language II - English
  • Environmental Studies
  • Mathematics
  • Pedagogy and Child Development (Relevant for the age group 6years-11years)

For Category-II for Teaching Primary Classes (Class VI-VIII)

The syllabus for Category-II is divided into four sections where three sections are allotted 30 marks each and the discipline-specific section is allotted 60 marks.

  • Pedagogy and Child Development (Relevant for the age group 11 years -14 years)
  • Language I - Tamil/Kannada/Malayalam/Urdu
  • Language II - English
  • Mathematics and Science or Social Science

How to Prepare?

You can prepare for this exam either through online sources or you can refer to specific books which have relevant content related to the syllabus. A few books that you can refer to are: Child Development and Pedagogy for CTET & TETs (Paper-I & II) by Arihant Publication, Annual OTET Teacher Preparation Book by Jeet Exam Publication, Series of a Complete Guide for OTET By I-Care publications. Make sure you revise all the necessary topics and practice previous year's question papers before appearing for the exam.

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