Rashtriya Military School entrance: applications open until 20 October, exam on 13 December

The National Testing Agency has opened applications for the Rashtriya Military School Common Entrance Test (RMS CET) 2026, for admission to Class 6 and Class 9 in the academic year 2027-28.

The schools

The five Rashtriya Military Schools are English-medium residential schools run by the Ministry of Defence, open to the children of defence personnel and of civilians, from Class 6 to Class 12. They are at Chail (Himachal Pradesh), Ajmer and Dholpur (Rajasthan), and Belgaum and Bengaluru (Karnataka). They were founding members of the Indian Public Schools' Conference.

Who can apply

• Class 6: 10 to 13 years old on 31 March 2027 — born between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2017.
• Class 9: 13 to 16 years old on 31 March 2027 — born between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2014.
• Wards of armed forces personnel killed in action get six months' relaxation in the upper age limit.

Dates and fees

• Apply online: 23 September to 5 pm on 20 October 2026. Fee payment until 11:50 pm on 20 October.
• Late window: 21 to 25 October, with a ₹500 late fee.
• Fee: ₹1,000 for General, OBC and OBC-NCL; ₹750 for SC, ST and wards of personnel killed in action.
• Exam: Sunday, 13 December 2026, pen and paper (OMR), multiple choice, in 63 cities.

Families preparing for Sainik School entrance often overlook RMS CET, which runs on a separate calendar. Children eligible for both can sit both.

CareerBox News Desk — reporting on the public notice of the National Testing Agency dated 23 September 2026 inviting applications for RMS CET 2026. Official portal: exams.nta.nic.in/rmscet/. Dates and eligibility change; confirm them on the official portal before you act.