A total of 5,252 candidates appeared for Paper I of Tamil Nadu Teachers Eligibility Test (TNTET) in 16 centres across the district on Saturday.

According to Education Department officials, out of the 6,053 candidates who had registered for Paper I, 801 were absent. Of the 16 centres, 14 were in the city and two in Pollachi.

Candidates were allowed to enter the examination centre till 10.20 a.m. and were frisked for possession of electronic items and printed materials. Ballpoint pen (blue or black) and hall ticket were the only items allowed inside the hall, officials said. Police officers were deployed at each centre.

District Collector K. Rajamani, along with Chief Education Officer R. Murugan, visited one of the examination centres here and inspected the arrangements, Collectorate officials said. In a press release, the Collector said that the examination was held without any hitches.

Among the two candidates suffering from locomotor disabilities and three visually challenged candidates, only one appeared for the test, according to officials.

Candidates who gave the examination said that the paper was moderately tough, as most of them found the section ‘Child Development and Pedagogy’ difficult. One candidate told The Hindu that this was her second attempt at TNTET and she might not be able to surpass her previous score, despite being confident of clearing the test.

Paper I is for secondary grade teachers who handle classes I to V. Paper II for graduate teachers, who handle classes VI to X, will be held on Sunday. A total of 12,113 candidates have registered for Paper II.

Tiruppur

In Tiruppur district, a total of 3,976 candidates appeared in 12 centres on Saturday, education officials said.

Out of 4,482 registered candidates, 506 did not show up for the test. District Collector K.S. Palanisamy, and Chief Education Officer S. Shanthi inspected an examination centre.

A total of 7,499 candidates are set to appear for Paper – II on Sunday, a press release from the Collectorate said.