PSTET Eligibility Shock: Already Passed & Recent Candidates Barred from Re-appearing

PSTET Eligibility Big update: The Office of the Director, School Education (Secondary), Punjab has issued a significant clarification regarding the eligibility for the Punjab State Teacher Eligibility Test (PSTET), specifically for Paper-2 (Upper Primary). Citing a recent Supreme Court judgment, the department has barred specific categories of candidates from re-appearing in the upcoming PSTET.

Major Changes in Eligibility Rules for PSTET

The official notice (Memo No. P-1047075/2026) outlines strict new rules based on the Supreme Court’s September 2025 judgment.

1. Ban on In-Service Teachers with Expired Validity The notice states that if a candidate has:

• Already passed PSTET-2 in the past,
• Is currently teaching at the upper primary level, AND
• The 5-year validity of their certificate has expired… …they will NOT be allowed to reappear in PSTET-2. (Note: This suggests a shift in policy regarding validity extension or re-validation for serving teachers.)

2. Ban on Recent Test Takers Candidates who appeared in the recently conducted PSTET-2 exams on the following dates are also barred from reappearing if their results have been declared:

• November 12, 2025
• December 24, 2025
• January 4, 2026
• January 5, 2026

3. Who CAN Apply? The notice clarifies that only candidates who have NOT passed PSTET-2 earlier will be allowed to appear, provided they fulfill the strict NCTE eligibility conditions.

Official Statement

“In view of the Hon’ble Supreme Court judgment… eligibility conditions for upper primary teachers must strictly be followed… provisions mentioned in office memo dated 14.09.2017 stand modified to this extent.”