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For a Class 8 student in a government school, the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS) can pay for four years of secondary school. It takes one state-level exam in Class 8 and steady marks after that. This post explains who can apply, what the two papers test, how the qualifying mark works with a worked example, and the renewal rules that families most often miss.
What is the NMMS scholarship?
NMMS is a central scheme of the Ministry of Education's Department of School Education and Literacy. Its revised guidelines of March 2022 say it aims to stop meritorious students from economically weaker sections dropping out after Class 8. Each year 1,00,000 fresh scholarships are awarded at the Class 9 stage, at ₹12,000 a year (₹1,000 a month), and they can continue up to Class 12. That is a maximum of four years, or ₹48,000 in total. Every state and union territory has a fixed quota of these scholarships.
Who is eligible?
According to the same guidelines:
Parental income from all sources must be no more than ₹3,50,000 a year.
The student must be a regular student in a government, government-aided or local body school. Students of Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, residential schools run by the centre or a state with free boarding and lodging, and private schools are not eligible.
The student needs at least 55% (or an equivalent grade) in Class 7 to sit the selection test, relaxed by 5% for SC/ST students.
At the time of selection the student needs at least 55% in Class 8, again with a 5% relaxation for SC/ST students.
The scholarship starts only after a clear promotion from Class 8 to Class 9.
The official NMMS FAQ lists two documents to upload when applying: an income certificate and a caste certificate.
What do the MAT and SAT test?
Each state or union territory runs its own selection test for Class 8 students; the guidelines say it is held in November every year. There are two papers:
Mental Ability Test (MAT): 90 multiple-choice questions on verbal and non-verbal reasoning, such as analogy, classification, number series, pattern perception and hidden figures.
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT): 90 multiple-choice questions on science, social studies and mathematics as taught in Classes 7 and 8.
Each paper lasts 90 minutes, so the whole exam takes three hours, as the FAQ confirms. Children with disabilities get extra time. Because states set their own papers, your state education department's notice is the place to check the date, the marking scheme and any changes for this year.
How does the qualifying mark work?
The rule in the guidelines is that a student must pass MAT and SAT with at least 40% marks in aggregate for the two tests taken together, or 32% for SC/ST students.
Worked example (sample numbers). Suppose your state gives one mark per question, so the two papers total 180 marks. Check your own state's notice, because marking can differ.
40% of 180 = 0.40 × 180 = 72 marks.
32% of 180 = 0.32 × 180 = 57.6, so with whole-number marks an SC/ST student needs 58.
A sample student scores 44 in MAT and 31 in SAT. The aggregate is 44 + 31 = 75, which is above 72, so the student qualifies.
Qualifying is not the same as winning. The state fills a fixed quota, so in many states more students qualify than there are scholarships, and the marks needed to be selected can be higher than 40%. Aim well above the minimum.
How do you keep the scholarship after Class 9?
This is where many awardees lose money. The guidelines say:
The student must get a clear promotion from Class 9 to 10 and from Class 11 to 12 in the first attempt.
The student must score at least 60% in Class 10 (relaxed by 5% for SC/ST students) to continue in Classes 11 and 12.
Applications are made and renewed every year on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). If a renewal is not filed in time, the scholarship is discontinued.
A gap of one academic session ends the scholarship, and a discontinued scholarship cannot be revived.
A student can hold only one central government scholarship at a time.
Money is paid by direct benefit transfer into the student's bank account. At the time of writing, the NSP scheme list shows NMMS open for 2026-27 student applications until 31 October 2026. Check the portal for the current window. Our guide to finding scholarships for science students explains NSP's one-time registration.
Which mistakes cost students the scholarship?
Applying from an ineligible school. A private or Navodaya school student cannot receive NMMS, however well they score.
Treating 40% as safe. It is the floor, not the selection mark.
Preparing only for SAT. MAT is half the exam and rewards practice more than reading.
Forgetting NSP renewal in Classes 10 to 12. Set a reminder each year.
A six-week practice routine
Weeks 1 and 2: one MAT question type a day. Do 15 questions of a single type (series, analogy, classification, figures). Sample question: what comes next in 3, 7, 15, 31, ...? Each term is double the previous one plus 1, so the answer is 2 × 31 + 1 = 63.
Weeks 3 and 4: SAT by chapter. Revise your Class 7 and Class 8 science, maths and social studies textbooks. After each chapter, close the book and write five questions from memory, then answer them.
Weeks 5 and 6: full timed papers. Two 90-minute papers back to back, using your state's previous papers where they are published. Mark them and log every error by type.
Testing yourself beats re-reading. In a study by Roediger and Karpicke (2006), students who practised recalling a passage remembered substantially more on tests two days and one week later than students who re-read it, even though re-reading made students feel more confident.
When a SAT science or maths idea will not stick, the Fermi Concept Library has a lesson for every concept in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and computing, so you can rebuild the idea instead of memorising an answer.
This week, find your state's NMMS notice and check the student's Class 7 marks, school type and family income against the rules above.
