The test is conducted by Himachal Pradesh University, usually once a year, and is a common admission route for the government and private BEd colleges affiliated to the university. The question paper is generally objective and multiple choice, and covers areas such as general knowledge and current affairs, reasoning and mental ability, language ability in English and Hindi, and questions on teaching aptitude and the general understanding of education and schooling. There is no interview stage in the ordinary course, and the merit list is prepared from the written test alone. After the result, the university announces counselling in which qualified candidates fill college preferences and are allotted seats according to merit, category and the seat matrix of participating institutions. The number of papers, the marking scheme, the duration and any negative marking are stated in the prospectus released with the notification each year, and candidates should prepare from that document.