This is not a breaking-news flash — it is a milestone update. With the application deadlines all but over, the next fixed date on the UP Sainik calendar is the exam itself: 20 December 2026, a Sunday. Exactly 62 days from today. The application chatter ends this month; the preparation clock is already running.
Last verified: 19 October 2026 · Exam 20 December 2026 ✅ (reported by TOI, Careers360, EdexLive, Unilist — quoting the UP Sainik Schools Society schedule) · Application: normal fee till 25 Oct 2026, 5 pm ✅, late window 26–31 Oct ✅ · Correction window 3–5 Nov ✅, admit card after 25 Nov ✅ · Paper format below is as reported in the press — confirm against the official prospectus at upsainikschool.org 🔶
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62 days sounds generous. It is not — December arrives fast, and the last two weeks will be swallowed by revision and admit cards. Here is what the stretch actually looks like:
| Stretch | What it is | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| This week | Normal-fee application closes (25 Oct, 5 pm); late window 26–31 Oct | 31 Oct |
| Weeks 2–3 | Correction window (3–5 Nov); study at full intensity | mid-Nov |
| Weeks 4–7 | The real preparation block: 4 full weeks of timed practice | mid-Dec |
| Weeks 8–9 | Admit card (after 25 Nov); revision + one mock per week | 20 Dec exam |
Nine weeks is roughly two months of usable study once the form-filling and correction chaos is subtracted. If your child has not applied yet, the form comes first — everything else waits behind it.
The UP Sainik entrance exam is a written paper followed, for shortlisted candidates, by a medical examination and interview. The written paper covers English, General Knowledge, Mathematics, and Intelligence — the same four families of sections every Sainik School aspirant already studies. Press reports describe an OMR-based objective paper of 200 marks running about two and a half hours, with section-wise qualifying marks, but coaching-site numbers vary, so treat the exact marks split as something to confirm from the official prospectus and the sample question paper, both of which the UP Sainik Schools portal publishes.
One detail worth knowing early: the medical examination and interview stage comes after the written paper, not alongside it (tentatively February 2027). Strong written scores get you through the door; fitness and temperament get you the seat.
Pick five, not fifteen. The goal for this week is momentum, not syllabus completion:
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 (this week) | Application done; baseline mock; identify weakest section |
| 2–3 | Syllabus completion push; correction window |
| 4–5 | Timed chapter tests; GK notebook grows daily |
| 6–7 | Full-length mocks under exam timing; OMR-style answering habit |
| 8–9 | Error-log revision only; admit card; sleep discipline |
When is the UP Sainik School entrance exam for 2027-28 admission? 20 December 2026, at centres across Uttar Pradesh. The date is confirmed across multiple education portals quoting the UP Sainik Schools Society admission schedule.
Can I still apply for the UP Sainik School 2027-28 exam? Yes. The normal-fee window (Rs 1,000) runs till 25 October 2026, 5 pm, and a late-fee window (Rs 2,000) runs from 26 to 31 October 2026, 5 pm. Apply only at upsainikschool.org.
Which schools does the UP Sainik entrance exam cover? Two state-run schools: Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey UP Sainik School in Lucknow and UP Sainik School in Gorakhpur, for Class 6 and Class 9 admission.
Is the UP Sainik exam the same as AISSEE? No. It is run by the UP Sainik Schools Society, separate from the NTA-run AISSEE used by other Sainik Schools. The exam comes first; a medical examination and interview follow for shortlisted candidates.
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