Indian Government is on the motive to procure the students with the necessary education and reduce the dropout rates. This has given rise to numerous scholarship schemes that allow the students to get financial help to continue with their secondary education. The NMMS is one such scholarship that is accepted all across the country and provides a chance to the students to continue with their studies without any financial barrier. The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage the students who belong to a financially weaker section to continue with their education without any barrier. This article covers all the comprehensive insights about the NMMS scholarship. So, if you wish to know more stay tuned till the end.
The NMMS is applicable for the students of the 9th to 12th standard and has eligibility based on the 8th standard. The NMMS distributes a total sum of Rs. 12,000 per year to each student that is eligible for the scholarship scheme. The decision to launch the NMMS scholarship took place observing the heavy amount of dropouts after the 8th standard. The financial assistance scheme of NMMS is applicable for students studying in government-aided schools only. The scheme was launched in the year 2008 and has been aiding around 1, 00,000 students every year with an annual scholarship.
Eligibility criteria
The NMMS scholarship scheme has a scrutiny process which makes it mandatory for the students to accomplish specific eligibility criteria. All the applied students must satisfy these criteria which include,
- The student who wishes to apply for the NMMS scholarship must be a regular student of class 9 who has been promoted from class 8.
- The student must have the least score of 55% in class 8 or equivalent grades. The students belonging to SC/ST and other backward classes will have the perk to get a relaxation of 5%.
- The total family annual income of the student must not exceed 1, 50,000.
- The candidates must be pursuing their education from Government schools or Local Schools or Government aided schools. The students from private schools will not be able to gain the advantage of this scholarship scheme. Additionally, the students of Navodaya Vidyalaya, Kendriya Vidyalaya, and Sainik Schools cannot apply for this scholarship scheme. The students of state government schools that provide the additional facilities of lodging and boarding along with education are exempted from applying to this scholarship scheme.
- In case the student fails to secure a minimum of 60% in the class 10th board exam, his scholarship is liable to get terminated.
- To continue the scholarship in class 12th, the student must secure at least 55% in the 11th class. A relaxation of 5% is rewarded for the students belonging to SC/ST category.
- The students must pass the eligibility test of the NMMS scholarship with at least 40% marks in the exam. The students belonging to SC/ST category need 32% to pass the exam and avail of the scholarship.
Exam Pattern
The NMMS exam is divided into two subsections. These are the MAT and SAT sections. The MAT section is to check the mental ability and responding capability of the students. The additional section of language proficiency in English and Hindi is also included in this section. The SAT section contains the Scholastic topics that have been covered in the previous classes (especially the 7th and 8th classes of the student). The exam pattern of the NMMS eligibility test can be described as follows.
The paper carries 180 questions and each question carries one mark. None of the questions carries a negative marking and thus students can attempt the maximum number of questions. Both the MAT and SAT sections carry an equal number of questions although the subject-wise distribution of questions varies.
The MAT section has a total of 90 questions out of which mental ability covers 45 questions. The remaining 45 questions are distributed as 20 questions for English Proficiency and 25 for Hindi Proficiency.
For the SAT section, there is a total of 90 questions divided into 35 questions for Social Studies, 35 questions for Science and the remaining 20 questions cover the topics of Mathematics.
The exam is conducted on the state level and thus the questions may alter from state to state. The number of qualifying candidates is calculated with respective the total number of students in the state to the total population of the state.
All the questions in the exam are Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) i.e. the students ought to choose one correct alternative out of the four given options. There is no negative marking if the student’s answers are wrong or if they have not attempted the question. The mode of exam is offline and thus the students have to answer all the questions on the OMR sheet. The medium of the exam may alter from state to state due to diverse language acceptance.
Exam syllabus
The NMMS Scholarship is delivered to the students only after they clear the exam with a passing score. The passing score of the NMMS exam is 40% for the general category and 32% for the reserved category. The entrance exam is divided into two sections i.e. MAT and SAT. MAT is the abbreviation of Mental Ability Test while SAT is Scholastic Aptitude Test.
The questions of both sections are based on the syllabus of the previous classes. There are no predefined topics for the NMMS exam syllabus while the difficulty level and the topics are the ones studied in the 7th and 8th classes. The candidates are thus advised to prepare for the exam accordingly. As the syllabus may alter for each state, the NMMS exam is conducted on the state level and has questions belonging to the syllabus of the state board.
The exam is to test the reasoning, critical, and language adaptability of the students and thus has the questions related to the following topics in the MAT section.
- Analogy
- Classification
- Numerical Series
- Pattern Perception
- Hidden Figures
- English Proficiency
- Hindi Proficiency
On the other hand, SAT testifies the conceptual knowledge of the students based on three distinct categorizations that include, Social Studies, Science, and Mathematics.
Exam Fees
The NMMS Scholarship scheme eligibility requires submission of a small sum of fees applicable for the candidate to fill the application form. A fee of Rs. 50 or Rs. 100 is to be paid to complete the application process. The fees may vary according to the institution, mode of form filling, and state laws. The late fee will be charged in case the forms are not filled till the due date. Thus, it’s strictly recommended to fill the application forms before the due date to avoid any inconvenience. The exam forms can be submitted for around 30-45 days depending upon the dates set by the state government and provide enough time to complete the process securely.
How To Register For NMMS Exam
There are two ways to register for the NMMS exam that is either by offline mode or by online mode.
Instructions to fill the offline form
The forms submitted by the schools are filled through an offline application process and needs to attach all photocopy of all the necessary documents including Adhar Card, Caste Certificate (For Reserved Categories), Previous year Mark sheet, Income Proof, Domicile of the state, two passport size photographs, etc.
- Use a black or blue ballpoint pen to fill the application form
- Fill all the details correctly in the Capital Letters
- Submit the form before the deadline to avoid rejections.
- Incorrect or incomplete information in the application may lead to the rejection of the application form without any notice.
Instructions to fill an online form
To submit an online application, you need to visit the official website of the National Scholarship Portal. Initially, the student needs to register themselves here for the NMMS scholarship scheme as a new user. The student will be asked to give the basic details including email id, mobile number, name, date of birth, etc. The students will receive an OTP to their mobile phones for the verification process and further the application form will display on the screen. The student must be ready with all the necessary details and the scanned copies of all the documents needed to fill the forms.
- The student must fill in all the details correctly and cross-check before the submission
- The scanned copies of the documents are the same as needed in the offline form filling process.
- The students must ensure that the size and format of the scanned copies are the same as required.
- Finally, the student will be directed towards the payment section where they will need to submit the fees through online mode.
- The students must download the application form and the payment receipt for future reference. Taking a hard copy will be more feasible.
Rahul Kumar is a passionate educator, writer, and subject matter expert in the field of education and professional development. As an author on CoursesXpert, Rahul Kumar’s articles cover a wide range of topics, from various courses, educational and career guidance.
