Admissions in the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas take place on the basis of a Selection Test conducted by CBSE.

The test is called the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test (JNVST) it is of non-verbal nature, class neutral and so designed to ensure that children from rural areas are able to compete without facing any disadvantages due to poor communication facilities in rural areas special care is taken to ensure that children from far flung rural areas get admission form free of cost without any problem.