The Bihar Vidyalaya Pariksha Samiti has opened applications for the Secondary Teacher Eligibility Test (STET) 2026, covering both Secondary level (Paper-I) and Higher Secondary level (Paper-II) across dozens of subjects — from core languages and sciences to Music, Fine Arts, Dance, and Special Education. Unlike a direct recruitment drive, STET doesn't offer a job by itself — it hands you a qualifying certificate, valid for life, that becomes your entry ticket into future Bihar teacher recruitment cycles.

Exam Pattern

All questions are multiple-choice, each worth 1 mark. There is no negative marking. When the exam runs across multiple shifts, scores are normalized before results are declared — normalized scores, not raw scores, decide qualification.

Minimum Qualifying Marks by Category

Example: if a General category candidate scores 76 raw marks out of 150 but their normalized score works out to 74.90 — below the required 75 (50% of 150) — they will be marked unsuccessful, even though their raw score looked like a pass.

Reservation Applies Only to Bihar Domiciles

Under Bihar's reservation policy (per Bihar Act 15/2003, effective from 11 June 1996), only candidates who are permanent residents of Bihar can claim category-based reservation benefits. Candidates residing outside Bihar are not entitled to claim reservation under this Act, regardless of their category — they will be treated as Unreserved for both age relaxation and fee purposes.

Subject-Specific Rules Worth Knowing

• Multi Media & Web Technology is not taught in Bihar government schools, so Paper-II does not conduct an exam for this subject.
• For Commerce (Vanijya), Paper-II tests all three Commerce streams together — EPS (Entrepreneurship), Accountancy, and Business Studies — under a single subject code.
• For Music, Dance, and Fine Arts, candidates only need Paper-I; there is no separate Higher Secondary paper for these three subjects.
• Physical Education has its own dedicated exam only under Paper-I, following the eligibility norms laid out separately for that subject.
• Computer Science candidates are exempt from the B.Ed requirement that applies to nearly every other subject.
• Candidates holding more than one eligible qualification may choose only one subject (one subject code) to appear for.

Documents to Upload (Self-Attested)

• Matriculation (10th) certificate and mark sheet — for date of birth proof
• Intermediate (12th) certificate and mark sheet
• Graduation certificate and mark sheet
• Post-graduation certificate and mark sheet (where applicable)
• B.Ed certificate and mark sheet
• Any other relevant educational qualification certificate
• Competent-authority-issued domicile (residence) certificate
• Caste certificate for SC/ST candidates, issued by a competent authority
• Non-creamy layer certificate (current) for BC/EBC candidates
• Valid disability certificate, in the prescribed format, for PwBD candidates

Photo & Signature Upload Specifications

The photo must be recent, in colour, with a clear/light background, taken directly facing the camera. Caps and dark glasses are not acceptable while taking the photo.

Why Normalization Matters Here

Since STET is a Computer Based Test typically run across multiple shifts and dates to accommodate large applicant numbers, question papers naturally vary slightly in difficulty between sessions. To keep the comparison fair, the Samiti converts each candidate's raw score into a Normalized Score using a statistical formula — and it's this normalized score, not your raw marks, that decides your final result and qualification status. Note also that while there's no negative marking for wrong answers, incorrect answers can still slightly lower your Normalization Score through the formula's mechanics.

One point worth remembering through this whole process: the application portal locks your entries once submitted with fee payment, and corrections after that are not entertained under any circumstances. Given how granular the subject-code and category selections are — and how directly they affect your result — it's worth using the "Preview" option carefully before hitting final submit, rather than after.

Disclaimer: Based on Bihar Vidyalaya Pariksha Samiti Notification No. BR-183/2026, issued under Departmental Letter No. 09/STET-17-02/2026-1239 dated 11 August 2026. Candidates should verify their complete subject-wise eligibility and any updates on the official portal stetregistration.cbrt.co.in before applying.