Okay so. Three weeks back we got the letter. The actual physical letter in the mail. My son Aryan - he got into RMS Chail.
I'm sitting here typing this and I still feel like... is this real? Did this actually happen?
Everyone's been calling and asking "what did you do?" "what's the secret?" And honestly? I don't know what to tell them. We messed up so many things. Like, so many. But somehow it worked out.
Let me just... let me tell you the whole story. The good parts and the absolutely stupid parts.
We Started Early - Total Accident
So this is funny. We didn't plan any of this smartly.
What happened was, my wife's brother - he's in the army - he mentioned something about Rashtriya Military School coaching during Diwali. We were just chatting. Aryan was in class 4 then. I wasn't even paying attention properly, if I'm being honest. I was more focused on the pakoras.
But my wife, Priya - she's the one who actually listens to things - she went home that night and looked it all up. The schools, the exams, everything.
Next morning at breakfast she goes "we should start preparing Aryan now."
I literally laughed. I'm like "for what? He's in class 4. The exam is in class 6. Relax."
She gave me that look. You know the look. The "I'm right and you'll realize it later" look.
Thank god I didn't argue. Just went along with it.
And starting that early? Best thing we accidentally did.
Aryan learned everything slowly. Math concepts made sense instead of being crammed. English improved bit by bit. No panic mode. No stress crying at 11 PM before exams.
By the time the actual exam came around in class 6, he wasn't memorizing stuff the night before. He actually knew it. Like properly knew it.
RMS class 6 & 9 preparation takes time. We gave ourselves that time without even meaning to. Sometimes being paranoid early works out, I guess.
We Switched Coaching After 6 Months - It Was Terrifying
Nobody tells you this part. Sometimes you pick wrong. And admitting it feels awful.
We enrolled Aryan at this big coaching place near Sector 18. You know the one with the huge banners? Everyone goes there. Great Google reviews. We thought we were being smart.
Two months later, Aryan starts complaining during dinner. "Papa, teacher never checks my homework." "There are 45 kids in my class." "I asked a doubt three times, nobody answered."
At first I thought... you know... kids complain. Maybe he's just being lazy. Making excuses.
Then Priya went for a parent-teacher meeting. She came back fuming.
The teacher - the actual teacher - didn't know Aryan's name. She called him "the boy who sits in the third row" or something like that.
That was it. We pulled him out the next week.
Switching was scary though. We'd already paid full fees. Aryan had made friends there. What if the new place was worse?
But we found this smaller center. Above some medical shop in Sector 22. Just three small rooms. Only 10 kids per batch maximum.
And oh my god, the difference.
Teachers knew Aryan's name on day one. By week two, they knew he was weak in reasoning questions. Strong in math but made careless mistakes when rushing. Good at English but wrote too slowly in exams.
That's what matters. Individual attention. Best Sainik coaching isn't the one with the biggest building. It's the one where teachers actually know your child.
We got lucky with the second choice. Could've easily gone wrong again.
The PT Thing - We Almost Screwed This Up Completely
This part still gives me nightmares when I think about it.
Aryan's military school entrance coaching had physical training sessions every Saturday morning. Optional, they said.
We skipped them. Like, for two whole months.
Why? Saturdays are busy, right? Aryan had school during the week, coaching after school, homework at night. By Saturday he was exhausted. We wanted to let him rest. Plus I had work some Saturdays.
We kept thinking "we'll handle the physical stuff later. Right now focus on studies."
Then his coach - Sharma sir - he called me one evening. "Aryan hasn't come for PT in two months. He needs to attend. This isn't optional if he's serious about military school."
I got defensive initially. "We'll work on fitness at home."
Sharma sir just laughed. Not mean laughing. Just... knowing. "Everyone says that. Nobody actually does it. Send him on Saturday."
So we started. Honestly just to keep Sharma sir happy. Didn't think it mattered that much.
Fast forward to medical exam day.
Aryan had to run. Do pull-ups. All that. And he cleared everything easily. Like, no problem at all.
The examiner actually commented "good preparation, young man."
Later we found out so many kids failed the physical round. Smart kids. Kids who topped the written exam. All that studying - wasted because they couldn't do 10 pull-ups.
If we'd kept skipping PT sessions... I mean, Aryan would've been one of those kids. That thought still scares me.
Don't skip physical training. I don't care how tired your kid is. I don't care how busy Saturdays are. Just don't skip it.
Mock Tests Made Him Cry - But They Worked
Every Sunday. Full-length mock test. Same as the real exam. Same timing. Same everything.
Aryan hated Sundays. Absolutely hated them.
He'd come home drained. Sometimes angry. Once - I remember this clearly - he scored really bad on a mock test. Like really bad. He cried in the car. Proper crying.
I wanted to stop the torture. Tell the coaching "enough with the tests. He's just a kid."
Priya stopped me. "He needs to get used to pressure. Real exam won't be easier just because he's never practiced."
She was right. Again. (Don't tell her I said that.)
By exam day, Aryan had taken maybe 35-40 mock tests. Could be more, I lost count.
So when he sat for the actual exam? He wasn't scared. It felt normal to him. Just another Sunday test.
Other kids were panicking. Couldn't finish on time. Made silly mistakes from nervousness.
RIMC ↗ entrance exam coaching - or any exam coaching really - it's not just about learning topics. It's about learning to stay calm when the clock is ticking.
Mock tests teach that. Even if they make your kid cry sometimes.
The Dumb Things We Did
Let me tell you our stupid mistakes too. Because we made plenty.
Extra tuitions. We hired a math tutor for three months. Thought more teaching = better scores. Totally wrong. Aryan just got more confused. Too many teaching styles clashing. Wasted ₹15,000 and three months.
Comparing him to other kids. Oh god, this was the worst. "Rakesh uncle's son scored 95 in the mock test, you got 78." Destroyed Aryan's confidence completely. Took us a month to fix that damage. Never compared after that.
Last minute schedule changes. Two months before exam we panicked and tried changing his entire routine. New timings, new study plan, everything. Terrible idea. Just made him anxious. Should've stuck with what was working.
But we learned. Eventually. That's what matters, I guess.
What I'd Actually Tell Other Parents
Start early if you can. Doesn't need to be two years. Even one year of calm preparation beats three months of panic.
Choose coaching based on batch size. Not based on how many floors the building has. Small batches. Teachers who know your kid's name.
PT is mandatory. Not optional. Not "we'll see." Mandatory from day one.
Mock tests suck but they work. Your child needs practice under real exam pressure.
Don't compare your kid with anyone. I learned this the hard way. Every child is different. Focus on your own kid's improvement.
Most importantly - and this sounds cheesy but it's true - Rashtriya Military School coaching is a long journey. Some days will be amazing. Some days will be awful. That's just how it is. You push through the awful days. That's the secret, if there is one.
So Yeah... That's Our Story
Aryan's selection didn't happen because we were perfect parents. We weren't. We made mistakes. Got lucky sometimes. Learned eventually.
Your kid can get selected too. Maybe doing things completely differently from us. That's fine. There's no one perfect way.
Start where you are. Do what you can. Keep going even when it feels impossible.
And honestly? Even if it doesn't work out - and I'm saying this seriously - your kid will still be okay. There are other schools. Other paths. Getting into RMS isn't the only way to succeed in life.
But if your kid wants this? Give them a real shot. Proper preparation. Good coaching. Time to learn.
That's all you can do.
The rest... well, the rest is up to them and maybe a little bit of luck.
Good luck to you. And your kid.
