Last verified: 9 October 2026. All dates, fees and eligibility norms below are CONFIRMED via the NTA RMS CET 2026 information bulletin as reported by The Times of India, Education Times, EdexLive and Hindustan Times in September 2026. Figures marked EXPECTED are analyst estimates, not official announcements.
If your child is targeting one of the five Rashtriya Military Schools for the 2027–28 session, the clock is now officially loud. The regular application window for RMS CET 2026 closes on 20 October 2026 at 5 PM — that is 11 days from today. The fee-payment link stays alive until 11:50 PM the same day.
Here is the calendar in one glance:
| Milestone | Date (CONFIRMED) |
|---|---|
| Regular application window closes | 20 October 2026, 5 PM |
| Last date for fee payment (regular) | 20 October 2026, 11:50 PM |
| Late-fee application window | 21–25 October 2026, till 5 PM |
| Extra late fee | Rs 500 over the regular fee |
| RMS CET 2026 exam | 13 December 2026 (Sunday) |
| Exam mode | Pen-and-paper, OMR, MCQs |
The entrance test is conducted by the National Testing Agency for admission to Class 6 and Class 9 in the five Rashtriya Military Schools — Chail (Himachal Pradesh), Ajmer and Dholpur (Rajasthan), and Belgaum and Bengaluru (Karnataka) — English-medium residential schools run by the Ministry of Defence.
This is the part parents miss. If 20 October passes you by, the door does not slam shut. NTA keeps a late-fee window from 21 to 25 October 2026 (up to 5 PM on the 25th). You fill the same form, pay the same category-wise examination fee, and add Rs 500 as late fee.
The regular fees are: Rs 1,000 for General, OBC and OBC-NCL candidates, and Rs 750 for SC, ST and wards of Armed Forces personnel killed in action. So a General-category parent applying on 23 October pays Rs 1,500 in total.
A blunt piece of advice: treat the late window as insurance, not a plan. Late-window applicants have fewer days to arrange documents, and every year a handful of families discover an eligibility problem (usually the age calculation, below) only after paying. Apply before 20 October.
One practical note: the birth-date arithmetic is unforgiving. If your child’s date of birth falls within a few days of either boundary, re-check it against the exact inclusive ranges above before paying the fee — a rejected form costs you the money and the year.
For context on the wider defence-school exam season, see our earlier deadline reminder RMS CET 2026: 17 Days Left and the exam-day countdown RMS CET 2026: 70 Days to the December 13 Exam.
What is the last date to apply for RMS CET 2026? The regular application window closes on 20 October 2026 at 5 PM, with fee payment allowed until 11:50 PM the same day. A late-fee window runs from 21 to 25 October 2026 (till 5 PM) with an additional Rs 500.
What is the late fee for RMS CET 2026? An additional Rs 500 is charged for applications submitted between 21 and 25 October 2026, over and above the regular category-wise examination fee.
What is the RMS CET 2026 exam date? The Rashtriya Military School Common Entrance Test 2026 will be held on 13 December 2026 (Sunday) in pen-and-paper OMR mode with multiple-choice questions.
Who can apply for RMS CET 2026 Class 6 and Class 9? Class 6 applicants must be 10 to 13 years old as on 31 March 2027, and Class 9 applicants 13 to 16 years old. Class 6 requires passing Class 5 and Class 9 requires passing Class 8 from a recognised school.
Photo: Pexels
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