BSTC negative marking · Marking scheme explained
Does BSTC have negative marking? No. Reports for the 2023 to 2026 exams say each correct answer earns 3 marks and wrong or unattempted questions lose nothing. The paper has 200 MCQs for 600 marks. This page gives the scheme, the sources, the one website that says otherwise, and a simple guessing plan.
बीएसटीसी में नेगेटिव मार्किंग नहीं है। हर सही उत्तर के 3 अंक मिलते हैं और गलत या छोड़े गए प्रश्न पर कोई अंक नहीं कटता। इसलिए सभी 200 प्रश्न करें।
- No negative marking
- 3 marks per correct answer
- 200 MCQs = 600 marks
- Attempt all questions
Does BSTC have negative marking? Quick answer
Quick answer
No negative marking. Correct answer = 3 marks. Wrong answer = 0. Unattempted = 0. Total: 200 questions, 600 marks (Indian Express, India Today, Times of India).
| Case | Marks |
|---|---|
| Correct answer | +3 marks |
| Wrong answer | 0 marks (no deduction) |
| Unattempted question | 0 marks |
| Total marks | 600 |
| Total questions | 200 |
BSTC exam negative marking and marking scheme table
| Part | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Mental Ability | 50 | 150 |
| General Awareness of Rajasthan | 50 | 150 |
| Teaching Aptitude | 50 | 150 |
| Language: English | 20 | 60 |
| Language: Hindi or Sanskrit | 30 | 90 |
| Total | 200 | 600 |
The sections and marks are from the official 2026 syllabus. For the full list of topics, see BSTC 2026 syllabus. For how the paper has evolved, see BSTC exam pattern.
| Correct answers | Marks | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 100 correct | 300 | General qualifying mark |
| 90 correct | 270 | Reserved-category qualifying mark |
| 132 correct | 396 | Example used in our answer key guide |
| 150 correct | 450 | Example score |
| 184 correct | 552 | About the 2026 topper (552.6076) |
What our sources say, by year
| Year | Rule reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | No negative marking; 3 marks per correct answer | Indian Express (admit-card guide), India Today, Times of India |
| 2025 | Same pattern: 200 questions, 600 marks, no negative marking | News reports cited on our 2025 old-paper page |
| 2024 | Same structure; no negative marking | News reports cited on our 2024 old-paper page |
| 2023 | 3 marks per correct answer; no negative marking | News reports cited on our 2023 result page |
| 2021 | 200 questions, 600 marks, no negative marking | News18, 27 September 2021 |
| 2018 | No negative marking, but Section C was scored 3, 2, 1 or 0 by preference, so not every question was a flat 3 marks | Booklet cover (NKP-2018 Series A) and news reports on our 2018 page |
| Other years | We did not verify the marking rule for 2015 to 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2022, so we do not claim one | — |
We looked for a marking line in the official notification and syllabus, and found sections and total marks but no negative-marking line. That is why we name news sources and tell you to read your booklet.
The one source that says there is negative marking
A Careers360 article about the DElEd answer key says “there will be negative marking in the Rajasthan DElEd exam”. It does not give a deduction amount. The same page also describes the score as depending on correct answers. Reports of the 2023 to 2026 cycles say the opposite. If a negative-marking rule were in force, it would have to state the penalty per wrong answer, and no report does. Treat the line as an error.
How to guess smartly when there is no penalty
Without negative marking, guessing helps and never hurts. Use this order:
- First pass: certain answersMark the questions you can answer in under a minute. The paper gives about 54 seconds per question (180 minutes for 200 questions).
- Second pass: eliminateOn the rest, remove options that are clearly wrong. With four options, one random guess is correct 25 per cent of the time. After removing two options, it is 50 per cent.
- Last 10 minutes: fill every blankMark an option for every unanswered question. Do not leave the OMR blank.
| Situation | Chance of being right | Expected marks per question |
|---|---|---|
| 4 options, pure guess | 25% | 0.75 marks |
| 3 options left | 33% | 1.00 marks |
| 2 options left | 50% | 1.50 marks |
The marks are our arithmetic: chance multiplied by 3. It assumes four options per question, the usual format.
OMR rules that can still cost you marks
- Fill one bubble fully for each question. In the PTET notification, filling more than one bubble makes the answer wrong; expect the same care here.
- Use the pen your instructions allow. The PTET notice, for example, says black or blue ball pen.
- Do not mark anything outside the bubbles.
- Keep time to transfer answers; do not leave the OMR for the last minute.
The OMR rules above for PTET are quoted as an example of a similar VMOU exam. For BSTC, follow your own admit-card and question-booklet instructions.
Other exams for comparison
| Exam | Questions / marks | Negative marking |
|---|---|---|
| BSTC (Pre D.El.Ed) 2026 | 200 / 600 | No negative marking (reports) |
| PTET 2026 (B.Ed) | 200 / 600, four parts of 50 | No negative marking printed; teaching-attitude questions scored 3, 2, 1 or 0 |
See BSTC vs PTET for a full comparison.
BSTC negative marking FAQs
Does BSTC have negative marking?
No. Reports for 2023 to 2026 say each correct answer gets 3 marks and nothing is deducted for a wrong or unattempted question (Indian Express, India Today, Times of India). The paper has 200 questions for 600 marks.
How many marks are given for a correct answer in BSTC?
Three marks. 200 questions at 3 marks make 600 marks.
Is there any negative marking in the BSTC 2026 exam?
No. The Indian Express admit-card article says three marks are given for every correct answer and there is no negative marking for incorrect or unattempted questions. India Today and Times of India say the same in their answer-key coverage.
Why do some websites say BSTC has negative marking?
One Careers360 answer-key article says there will be negative marking. That line contradicts the other reports and the same site’s result coverage, so we treat it as an error. If you see this claim, ask for the official source.
Should I attempt all questions in BSTC?
Yes. Since a wrong answer costs nothing, a blank answer can only lose marks. With four options, a random guess has a one-in-four chance, and removing two options raises it to one-in-two.
What is the BSTC marking scheme?
Each of the 200 MCQs carries 3 marks: Mental Ability 150, Rajasthan awareness 150, Teaching Aptitude 150 and Language 150 (English 60 and Hindi or Sanskrit 90).
Is the BSTC marking scheme printed in the official notice?
The notification and syllabus we read give the sections and 600 marks but do not print a negative-marking line. The no-negative-marking rule comes from news reports and the exam-day instructions they quote. Check your admit card and question booklet instructions.
Does PTET have negative marking?
The PTET 2026 notification we read says each correct answer gets 3 marks and gives no negative-marking rule. Its teaching-attitude section is scored 3, 2, 1 or 0 by the quality of the option chosen.
How is the score decimal like 552.6076 possible?
2026 scorecards show decimals, such as the topper’s 552.6076. We did not find an official explanation, so do not assume a rule. Your scorecard is the final word.
Last verified: 3 November 2026
Edited by Anil Kumar. Every date, number and name on this page was read in the official notice or in a news report named under “Sources” below, and key facts were matched with a second source. Where we could not confirm something we say so instead of guessing. ParinamSetu is an independent site, not a government website: see our Editorial Policy and Disclaimer.
Sources and how we checked
We name our sources so you can check them yourself. Links go only to official websites; news reports are listed by publisher, headline and date.
- Indian Express, BSTC 2026 admit-card guide: 200 questions, 600 marks, 3 marks per correct answer, no negative marking.
- India Today and Times of India (May 2026): answer-key coverage with the marking scheme.
- Careers360 (2026): one answer-key article states negative marking, which conflicts with all the other reports; 2023 and 2024 reports are cited on our result and old-paper pages.
- VMOU Pre D.El.Ed 2026 syllabus: parts and marks.
- PTET 2026 notification, VMOU, 18 February 2026: pattern and OMR rules.
Found a mistake or a newer official notice? Tell us through the Corrections Policy page and we will check and fix it. You can also contact us.