Ayush Pandey Scores 124 in CTET February 2026 Paper 2 with PW’s Online Preparation

Ayush Pandey's journey towards teaching did not begin with a fixed plan. After completing Class 12 with Biology and appearing for NEET in 2017, he eventually started teaching English while studying away from home. Over time, his connection with students and interest in explaining concepts made him consider teaching as a long-term career.

While pursuing his B.Ed., Ayush began preparing for CTET Paper 2 (SST). After spending some time figuring out where and how to prepare, he joined PW and worked on the areas that needed the most attention. His preparation eventually helped him score 124 marks in CTET February 2026 Paper 2.

From a NEET Attempt to Discovering Teaching: Ayush Pandey’s Career Shift

Ayush’s journey towards teaching began with a very different academic plan. After completing Class 12 with Science and Biology, he appeared for NEET in 2017. When that path did not work out, his career direction gradually began to change.

“Actually maine apni 12th Science Biology se ki thi aur 2017 mein mere NEET mein bas 490 marks aaye the to kuch mila nahi.”

While studying away from home, Ayush started teaching English to manage his expenses. What initially began as a practical decision slowly became an experience that made him more interested in teaching.

“English teacher ke taur pe aur jab main padha raha tha to starting mein to theek tha lekin phir jab students ke saath dheere-dheere aap connect hote ho as family ban jata hai aur phir explain karne mein bhi achha lagta hai.”

As he spent more time teaching, his relationship with students became stronger, and he started enjoying the process of explaining concepts. This eventually made him consider teaching as a profession he could pursue in the future.

Ayush Pandey Turned an Unfamiliar CDP Syllabus Into a Conceptual Strength

When Ayush initially encountered CDP, the subject was relatively new to him. Although his B.Ed. had given him some exposure, he had not studied the subject in depth before starting his CTET preparation.

As he progressed through the syllabus, he began understanding how the different concepts worked together. Rather than treating CDP as a subject that required extensive memorisation, he focused on understanding the concepts and their application.

“CTET mein jis level ka CDP hai jahan tak mujhe laga paper dekh ke to conceptual paper hai lekin bahut basic conceptual paper hai.”

This understanding also influenced the way he approached his preparation more broadly. He believed students should first understand the basic concepts of a topic and then learn to connect them with other concepts.

“Jo bhi subject mein aap jo bhi topic padh rahe ho uske jitne bhi basic concepts hai saare clear hone chahiye aur koshish ye rehni chahiye ki aap unko ek doosre se connect kar pao.”

For Ayush, this conceptual approach made CDP more manageable and helped turn a new subject into one of his strongest sections.

PW’s Online Format Gave Ayush Pandey Flexibility During Preparation

Ayush preferred online preparation because it allowed him to study from home without spending time travelling to a physical classroom. He found this particularly convenient while preparing for CTET.

“Bahut saare factors hai jin ki wajah se main online prefer karta hoon. Pehla to yahi ho gaya ki aapko kahin jaana nahi hai. Aap ghar se padh sakte ho.”

Another advantage for him was the flexibility offered by recorded classes. He could adjust the playback speed according to his own requirements and revisit content when necessary.

“To usmein facility rehti thi ki haan recorded hai. Agar main chahoon to kam speed pe bhi dekh sakta hoon. Zyada speed pe bhi dekh sakta hoon usko.”

The online format therefore allowed Ayush to structure his preparation around his own schedule while still having access to classes and course interaction.

Ayush Pandey Used Simple Measures to Control Digital Distractions

Preparing consistently also meant dealing with distractions. Ayush acknowledged that YouTube and short-form content could easily consume time without the person realising it.

Instead of relying only on willpower, he took practical steps to monitor his screen time. One such measure was using YouTube’s reminder feature.

“Lekin khud se kuch steps lene hote hain. Jaise YouTube mein for example ek chhota sa option rehta hai ki har 15 minute baad aapko bata dega ki haan reminder aa jayega ki 15 minute poore ho gaye. Ab aap off kar sakte ho isko.”

He also avoided using Instagram and Facebook regularly. Reddit was something he used occasionally, particularly because he found it useful for certain interests and hobbies.

For Ayush, the larger lesson was that students need to consciously take steps to prevent distractions from taking over their preparation time.

Personalised Notes Helped Ayush Pandey Prepare for Revision

An important part of Ayush’s preparation was note-making. Instead of relying only on the material he studied during classes, he preferred maintaining detailed and personalised notes.

“Main to matlab hamesha ye kahunga ki apne detailed aur personalised notes shayad 60-70% se zyada kaam karte honge preparation ke liye.”

For him, the value of these notes became particularly clear towards the end of preparation. Having a personalised resource made it easier to revise important material during the final weeks rather than going back through everything from the beginning.

“Agar aapke paas notes nahi hai to last week ya last month mein aap kya revise karoge.”

His approach was therefore not simply to make notes for the sake of making them, but to create a resource that could support final-stage revision.

PYQs Helped Ayush Pandey Understand How to Approach Questions

Previous-year questions became an important part of Ayush’s preparation because they helped him understand not only what was being asked but also how he needed to think while selecting an answer.

He noticed that sometimes an option could appear correct from a general perspective but might not align with the framework expected in the examination.

“Kai baar hum log question solve karte hain to ye sochte hain ki mere hisaab se kaun sa option sahi hai. Sahi bhi hota hai lekin kai baar galat ho jata hai.”

This changed the way he approached questions. Rather than relying entirely on what seemed correct according to his personal understanding, he learned to consider the relevant educational framework.

 “Jab main PYQ practice kar raha tha to wahan se ek pattern jo seekha ki matlab humein is hisaab se sochna hai ki kaun sa wala option NCERT ya phir NCF aur NEP se align kar raha hai.”

For Ayush, PYQ practice therefore became more than question-solving. It helped him understand the examination’s perspective and develop a more suitable approach to the options.

Ayush Pandey Focused on Why an Answer Was Wrong, Not Just His Score

Ayush did not judge his preparation only through the number of correct answers or the score he achieved in practice. He paid greater attention to the questions he got wrong and tried to understand the reason behind those mistakes.

“Mistakes par dhyan maine bhi jab prepare kiya tha to maine apne sahi question ya phir kitna score aa raha hai usse zyada is baat pe dhyan diya tha ki jo question galat hua wo kyon galat hua aakhir.”

Once he identified the reason behind a mistake, he made an effort to remember the relevant point so that the same error would not happen again.

“Aur wo points yaad kare the.”

This made mistake analysis an important part of his preparation. Instead of treating incorrect answers only as lost marks, Ayush used them as indicators of what he needed to learn or improve.

His preparation ultimately resulted in 124 marks in CTET February 2026 Paper 2 (SST).

From Teaching as a Career Choice to 124 Marks in CTET

Ayush Pandey’s journey is a reminder that a career path can evolve through experience. His initial plan after Class 12 was different, but teaching gradually became meaningful to him through his interactions with students.

His CTET preparation then required him to work with unfamiliar areas, manage distractions, and build an approach around concepts, notes, PYQs, and mistakes. His experience can encourage aspirants to identify their weaker areas, build a preparation method that suits them and keep improving through consistent analysis.