Best books to prepare for design entrance exam

By following the best books for design entrance exam, the candidate can greatly improve their chances of cracking the exam. It is because, these books have all the ingredients the candidate needs to wholesomely prepare for the exam.

If you dream of getting admission to a top design institute, then you need to crack entrance exams like NIFT, NID, UCEED, and SEED.

The application form for NIFT 2025 is currently open; the NIFT 2025 exam will be conducted on February 9, 2025.

Meanwhile, the NID DAT 2025 prelims exam will be held on January 5, 2025.

Being national level exams, cracking these exams, especially, NIFT and NID, will take some effort. 

To get a good score in any of these exams, you must have a foolproof preparation strategy. And speaking of exam preparation, it is very important to have the best books for design entrance exam preparation. 

Latest Updates:

• NIFT application form 2025 open - Apply Here

Features of best books for design entrance exam preparation

1. These books will be published/ authored by a well-known entity.
2. Reviews, if available, of the book will be positive. 
3. The content will be error-free and the language will be easy-to-follow
4. The book will be written as per the syllabus of the entrance exam; for example, if you are appearing in NIFT, the book should ideally be aligned to the NIFT exam syllabus.
5. There will be images, illustrations, examples, tables, or other such items to make learning easy and to drive home a point.
6. Books that are considered good will also have problem sets for practice. 

The design entrance exams conduct a design aptitude test (DAT). Listed below are some of the best books to prepare for design entrance exams.

Best books for Design Aptitude Test (DAT)

Recommended books for Studio Test

If you are appearing in NID DAT, and a few other exams, you will also have to appear in a Studio Test. Note that the final merit list, in this case, will be prepared by considering the performance of the candidate in the written exam and Studio Test.

In the case of NIFT, there is a Situation Test for the UG program. Postgraduate applicants need to appear in a Group Discussion/ Personal Interview (GDPI).

NID DAT 2025 Studio Test Recommended books:

How to prepare for Design Entrance exam

Here are some useful tips the candidate may refer to when preparing for a design entrance exam:

1. Improve your sketching skills - Sketching is one skill that a designer can’t do without. So, if you are sketching skills are not up to the mark, you need to really work on it.
2. Refer to the official and updated syllabus - The syllabus for an entrance exam is not static. For instance, the UCEED syllabus and CEED syllabus were changed effective 2024. So, before starting exam preparation go to the official website and get the latest update on the exam syllabus.
3. Solve previous years' papers - This will help the candidate get an idea as to the types of questions asked, marking scheme, weightage, and trends.
4. Solve sample papers - This exercise is to improve one’s problem-solving skills, find out weak areas, and whether a topic is covered in its entirety.
5. Do timely revision - Once a chapter or topic is completed, it is almost important to carry out timely revisions.