PSC Mastery

K-TET categories and Kerala PSC teaching posts

K-TET has four categories tied to the school stage a post teaches, not to its subject: Category I for Lower Primary, Category II for Upper Primary, Category III for High School, and Category IV for language, specialist and physical education teachers. It is conducted by Pareeksha Bhavan, a separate body from Kerala PSC. The category you need is fixed by the post you are applying to, not chosen by you.

Steps

  1. Identify your post’s school stage first

    Lower Primary Assistant maps to Category I, Upper Primary Assistant to Category II, High School Assistant to Category III, and language, specialist or physical education posts to Category IV.

  2. Check the base qualification for that category

    Each category has its own qualification ladder, published by Pareeksha Bhavan: Category I requires Higher Secondary with at least 45% and a two-year teacher training qualification; Category II a degree with a two-year Diploma in Elementary Education or equivalent; Category III a degree with at least 45% and a B.Ed in the subject concerned.

  3. Match your B.Ed subject to the post at High School level

    The High School Teacher (Malayalam) notification under Category 601/2024 states that the B.Ed should also be in the concerned language, Malayalam. A mismatched B.Ed subject is a real rejection risk at this level rather than a formality.

  4. Higher Secondary posts do not use K-TET at all

    Higher Secondary School Teacher posts require the State Eligibility Test instead, conducted by the LBS Centre. Three different bodies are involved across the teaching ladder — do not assume one certificate covers the next stage up.

  5. Register with Pareeksha Bhavan, not with Kerala PSC

    K-TET is not conducted by the Commission. You obtain the certificate separately and then submit it with your Kerala PSC application.

  6. Treat "or other equivalent qualification" carefully

    Each category page ends with a catch-all for equivalent qualifications. That is not self-certifying — it routes back into the same Government-Order machinery described in the equivalency guide.

Frequently asked questions

Which K-TET category do I need?#

The one matching your post’s school stage: Category I for Lower Primary, II for Upper Primary, III for High School, IV for language, specialist and physical education posts. The post decides, not you.

Does a K-TET certificate expire?#

We could not find a validity period stated on Pareeksha Bhavan’s own qualification pages. Lifetime validity is widely reported but we could not trace it to an official statement, so check the validity printed on your own certificate rather than trusting a blog.

Does K-TET cover Higher Secondary posts?#

No. Higher Secondary School Teacher posts require the State Eligibility Test, conducted by the LBS Centre, not K-TET.

Does Kerala PSC conduct K-TET?#

No. Pareeksha Bhavan conducts it. Kerala PSC requires the certificate as a qualification; it neither runs the exam nor accepts substitutes for it beyond the exemptions published in the notification.

Official sources

Steps last verified against official Kerala PSC sources on 25 August 2026.

Where the Commission has not published a rule, this guide says so rather than guessing. Anything marked “not officially published” is exactly that.

This is an independent guide for aspirants, written from the Commission’s own published instructions. Portal screens and rules change — always confirm on keralapsc.gov.in and in your own Thulasi profile before acting. PSC Mastery is not affiliated with the Kerala Public Service Commission.