GTLE Ghana

Overview

The Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination (GTLE) is run by the National Teaching Council (NTC), which the Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020 (Act 1023) requires to regulate the teaching profession and conduct the licensing examination. Its stated purpose is to enable qualified teachers to obtain a professional licence, and the NTC says a person must pass the GTLE to be recognised as a teacher in Ghana.

Who can apply

The examination is meant for qualified teachers seeking a professional licence. Candidates who sat the examination earlier and failed some papers can register as resit candidates. The portal offers two registration routes: new registration and resit registration.

Exam pattern

The examination is organised by teaching level: Early Childhood/Early Grade, Primary, Junior High, Senior High, and Technical/Vocational. Every candidate sits these papers:

• General Professional Knowledge

• Pedagogy, set for the candidate's level

• One subject specialisation paper

Early Grade and Primary teachers take a Multiple Subjects Content paper instead of a single subject paper, because they teach all subjects at those levels. The NTC content-area page lists 54 documents covering professional knowledge, pedagogy and subjects, from core subjects such as Mathematics, English and the sciences to vocational ones such as Auto Mechanics, Metal Work and Textiles.

Questions are spread across four Depth of Knowledge levels.

The pages reviewed do not give the number of questions, the duration or the pass mark.

Syllabus

The NTC publishes content areas, tables of specification and sample questions for each paper, together with past questions, through its online portal. Candidates should use the content-area page for their own level and subject.

Important dates

Dates change with each sitting. The portal showed registration for the September 2026 sitting as closed. For reference, the earlier traditional-format resit examination (Essential Professional Skills, Literacy and Numeracy) in 2023 had a registration deadline of 25 April 2023 and was held on 4 and 5 May 2023. The NTC said that after two resit chances in 2023, the traditional papers would no longer be offered from 2024, and anyone wanting to write again would start under the reformed, subject-based examination.

Fees

Fees are in Ghana cedis. For the 2023 resit of the traditional papers, the NTC charged GH¢150 for one paper, GH¢210 for two papers and GH¢385 for all three. Check the portal for the current fee for the sitting you plan to take.

How to apply

1. Pay the fee at a Prudential Bank branch or by mobile money through the short code given in the notice. In 2023 the code was 77251#.

2. Collect the e-voucher PIN and serial number.

3. Log on to the NTC examinations portal and enter the serial number and PIN.

4. Complete the form and upload a passport-size photograph. The NTC does not accept photograph changes after the examination.

5. Review, submit and print the summary, after accepting the examination regulations.

Keep the PIN and serial number safe, as they are needed again after the examination.

After the exam

Results are checked on the portal with the serial number and PIN. Candidates who forget their details can recover them using their examination ID with phone number, or their email with phone number. Candidates who fail a paper may register again as resit candidates.

Preparation tips

• Use the NTC content areas and tables of specification for your level and subject.

• Practise the sample and past questions on the portal.

• Prepare for questions that test applying and reasoning, since over half the questions are at the two higher thinking levels.