Introduction
Objective: Rashtriya Military School is a Group of Residential Military Schools in India run by the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. Military schools are English-medium residential schools affiliated to the CBSE. These schools are the oldest Public Schools in India. RMS prepare cadets academically, physically, and mentally to join the NDA, the Navy, and other training academies for officers.
History: Rashtriya Military Schools was established by King George V in 1922, impressed by the Bravery of Indian soldiers. The main purpose of these schools is to prepare students academically and physically for careers in the armed forces. Originally called King George’s Royal Military Schools. Later, it was renamed and recognised as Rashtriya Military Schools.
Importance of RMS: The main goal of Rashtriya Military Schools is “to improve quality education and prepare cadets to join Defence services”.
List of RMS: There are a total of 5 RMS Schools in 3 states of India.
- Rashtriya Military School CHAIL (Founded in 1922 by the Prince of Wales)
- Rashtriya Military School Ajmer (Founded in 1930)
- Rashtriya Military School Belgaum (Founded in 1945)
- Rashtriya Military School Bengaluru (Founded in 1946)
- Rashtriya Military School Dholpur (Founded in 1962)
All the RMS were formed to give quality education and prepare the children of defence personnel for Military service. Later, all the RMS were opened for both civilian and defence service officers’ children.
Admission process
Eligibility: Students can apply for classes 6th and 9th. For admission in class 6th, the age should be between 10 - 12 years, and must have passed or be in class 5th, and for class 9th, the age should be between 13 - 15 years and must have passed or be in class 8th.
Admission Process: Candidate must appear for the RMS CET (Common Entrance Test) for admission in classes 6th and 9th. The exam is held once a year, in December. CET is an objective-based exam. Candidates who cleared the CET exam are called for an Interview at their respective RMS. Eligible candidates go through a Medical exam at designated military hospitals. The final selection is based on all these exams. Seats are reserved for state students, defence, General, OBC, SC, and ST as per government rules.
Important Dates: Exams are held 1 time a year (December), and the application filing process is between September and October. The next exam will be conducted in December 2025. Results come out in January 2026.
Exam
Exam pattern: RMS CET exam is offline and it is OMR-based. For class 6th, 200 objective questions of 200 marks, and for class 9th, 200 objective questions of 200 marks. No Negative marking for wrong answer.
Syllabus: for class 6th, total 4 subjects as language, Math, Intelligence and general knowledge, based on Class V CBSE Syllabus. For class 9th, a total of 5 subjects are English, Math, Intelligence, General Science and Social Science, based on Class VIII CBSE Syllabus. Each subject carries its own weightage.
Marking: Let’s understand each subject’s marking system.
For Class 6th
For Class 9th
Duration of Examination
Exam for admission to Class VI: 150 minutes
Exam for admission to Class IX: 180 minutes
Qualifying criteria: A candidate is eligible for admission to the Military Schools if he/she secured below the Minimum Marks in each subject.
For class 6th
- English – 35%
- Intelligence – 40%
- Maths – 40%
- GK – 40%
For class 9th
- Paper 1 – 50%
- Paper 2 – 50%
Selection Process
OMR-Based Exam: Candidates need to attend an Offline OMR-based exam, where there are Objective questions, each question has 4 options, and candidates have to choose 1 correct answer to qualify.
Interview: The candidate who qualifies in the OMR-based exam and is shortlisted will be called for the interview. An interview will be held on one of the RMS. Marks will be added to the final score.
Medical: All the selected candidates will be required to undergo a medical fitness examination as per norms. Medical will be held in the hospital mentioned in the application form. Candidates will be required to remain medically fit during the course at RMS
Career
Students join NDA (National Defence Academy), Indian Military Academy, Air Force Academy, Civil Services and many sectors.
