Last verified: 15 October 2026 (Thursday, ~11 AM IST). All dates, fees and school details below are CONFIRMED from the NTA announcement as reported independently by the Education Times and Moneycontrol this week: applications close 20 October 2026 at 5 PM, fee payment runs to 11:50 PM the same day, the late window is 21–25 October with a Rs 500 late fee, and the exam is on 13 December 2026. This is a deadline reminder, not a fresh announcement — the registration window opened on 23 September 2026. Apply only through the official NTA RMS CET portal.
The Rashtriya Military School Common Entrance Test (RMS CET) 2026 application window enters its final five days today. The headline date is 20 October at 5 PM — but there are actually two deadlines, and confusing them is the single most common way families end up in the late-fee window.
| Deadline | Time | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Application submission | 20 Oct, 5:00 PM | Form + document upload |
| Exam fee payment | 20 Oct, 11:50 PM | ₹1,000 (Gen/OBC/OBC-NCL) or ₹750 (SC/ST/KIA wards) |
| Late window (extra Rs 500) | 21–25 Oct | Both form and fee |
That 5 PM / 11:50 PM split matters: you can still pay after the form deadline passes on the final day, but you cannot submit a fresh form after 5 PM. If you are reading this on the 20th evening and haven’t submitted the form yet, the late window (21–25 October, Rs 500 extra) is your only option.
The Rashtriya Military School Common Entrance Test is the gateway to the five RMS schools — Chail (Himachal Pradesh), Ajmer (Rajasthan), Dholpur (Rajasthan), Belgaum (Karnataka) and Bengaluru (Karnataka) — English-medium residential public schools run by the Ministry of Defence, from Class 6 to Class 12. The exam is pen-and-paper, OMR-based, all multiple-choice questions, across 63 cities. NTA handles the application, the written test and the Stage 1 result; the schools take over the later selection stages.
Five checks most applicants still get wrong:
1. The age bands are exact to the day. Class 6: 10–13 years as on 31 March 2027 (born 1 April 2014 – 31 March 2017, inclusive). Class 9: 13–16 years (born 1 April 2011 – 31 March 2014). A birthday one day outside the window means rejection — no exceptions.
2. Class 9 applicants need a recognised school. Class 6 needs a Class 5 pass (or about to pass). Class 9 needs Class 8 from a government or recognised school — and English familiarity helps, since English is the medium of instruction.
3. Don’t mix up the two exams. Many families apply for both RMS CET and AISSEE in the same season — perfectly legitimate, and they are 49 days apart (13 Dec 2026 vs 31 Jan 2027). But keep two separate records: application numbers, fee receipts and exam cities, so you don’t pick the wrong class on the wrong form.
4. The Rs 500 late fee is real money. The 21–25 October window exists so last-minute applicants aren’t shut out, but it costs Rs 500 on top of the normal fee. No correction window has been announced — fill the form carefully the first time.
5. Read the NTA notice, not the summaries. Portals (including ours) report the NTA announcement; the official notice on the NTA RMS CET portal is the authority on photo specs, documents and the fee-payment flow.
What is the last date to apply for RMS CET 2026? Applications close on 20 October 2026 at 5:00 PM. The exam fee can still be paid until 11:50 PM the same day. A late window runs 21 to 25 October with a Rs 500 late fee.
When is the RMS CET 2026 exam? 13 December 2026, a Sunday. It is a pen-and-paper, OMR-based MCQ test conducted across 63 cities in India.
Which schools admit through RMS CET 2026? Five Rashtriya Military Schools: Chail in Himachal Pradesh, Ajmer and Dholpur in Rajasthan, Belgaum and Bengaluru in Karnataka — all English-medium residential schools under the Ministry of Defence.
Can a child apply for both RMS CET and AISSEE 2027? Yes. The two exams are 49 days apart — RMS CET on 13 December 2026 and AISSEE on 31 January 2027 — and NTA conducts both. Eligibility overlaps heavily for Class 6 and Class 9 applicants.
How helpful was this article?
