NID 2021 Topper Interview: Khushi Purohit, AIR 1, says stay focused, be original in ideas
Khushi Purohit topped the NID 2021 exam with All India Rank (AIR) 1 in open category. Know about her NID preparation strategy, success mantra and a lot more.
Khushi Purohit, who belongs to Jaipur, Rajasthan, bagged AIR 1 by securing 85.5/100 marks in NID DAT Prelims 2021 and 99.94 percentile in NID DAT Mains 2021. Khushi, who has largely grown up in Vadodara, Gujarat, believes that one with a creative, innovative and curious mind can easily crack NID. She is currently pursuing BDes from the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad. She is an avid learner and likes to read, write, draw and watch movies in her leisure time. She is currently trying her hand at snooker and digital illustrations.
Shiksha spoke with Khushi where she shared NID Entrance Exam preparation strategy, important books and tips. Read the complete interview below.
Q. Did you expect to be the topper of NID exam?
A. I did not expect to qualify for NID Mains 2021, let alone be the topper. I did not see it coming at all.
Q. Could you tell us about your preparation strategy that helped you crack NID 2021?
A. My strategy was simple – Prepare for NID the way IITians prepare for JEE. I used to work on something or the other daily, be it sketching or GK or creative thinking. Even when I wanted to take a break I used to go for walks to observe things around me or observe tiny details in movies and read books and all of that helped me in my NID preparation. I was not following a particular timetable or anything, I just used to question everything around me. Why does a lady finger have a hexagonal dissection? Why do hummingbirds fly backward? What if we reach another galaxy someday? Are there aliens? Asking myself such questions helped me tap into my creativity and believe in the power of creation. And that is all you need to crack NID -- a creative, innovative and curious mind.
Q. Did you take any coaching for NID 2021?
A. Yes, I took coaching from a private institute, which helped me in my NID preparation.
Q. Which books or study material did you read to clear the exam?
A. I consulted books from various design coaching institutes. I also referred to a few books recommended by various platforms such as Shiksha.com. I also read other books such as Gaptopedia and Manorama alongside novels for my personal NID preparation.
Q. Are there any important topics to score well?
A. General knowledge is one topic in NID that is by far the most scoring if you have prepared well and watched news regularly. People should not fear it. Even logical and visual reasoning is very scoring -- the MCQ altogether should be given equal priority because that is where you fetch sure-shot marks. Everything else in the paper is subjective and so, you cannot say anything for sure. That is the thing about design exams, there is no correct answer unless it is an MCQ and that makes MCQ the most scoring part of the paper.
Q. What as per you are the mistakes one should avoid while preparing for the exam?
A. Don’t stress -- It will only hinder your creativity, having fun while preparing for NID is important.
Don’t use references -- If you look at ideas before you put your brain to work, it is not your idea and copying anything that is intellectual property of someone else is a crime in the design industry. Also, using references makes you dependent and you cannot be original then.
Don’t lose focus – It is extremely important to be focused.
Q. How did you manage time while taking the exam?
A. My time management technique was simple. If you notice the NID exam pattern, you will realise that if you take a minute per MCQ you are left with twice the time of the marks allotted to drawing questions. NID DAT is a three-hour paper. We have 40 MCQs, so 40 minutes for that. Now, 60 marks means I need 120 minutes more which is two hours. So, I have a buffer of 20 minutes for touch ups, checking, rechecking all of that.
My time management strategy was do not give more than one minute to an MCQ. In fact, do it as fast as you can and then allot twice the time to the drawing questions in line with their weightage. If it is a six-mark question, try to do it under 12 minutes.
Q. Which as per you was the most difficult part of NID exam?
A. The most difficult part of NID 2021 is generating an idea which should be original, unique, hits the brief and is creative. This kind of idea needs time, which you do not have while writing the NID paper. And coming up with solutions without time is difficult.
Q. How did you deal with your strengths and weaknesses while preparing for the exam?
A. I worked on my weaknesses during my NID preparation, but ultimately I only played on my strengths. I am pretty bad at sketching but I am great at cartooning. I am not good with painting or colouring, but I am good at pen work so I stuck to my strengths during most of my paper and wherever I felt the need to sketch or colour or shade, I did it a little to enhance my answers because I had practised it. My focus remained on my strengths and ways in which I could project them.
Q. What other design entrance exams did you take or are planning to take?
A. I took and qualified both UCEED and NIFT exams. In UCEED, I bagged a rank of 108 in open category and in NIFT, I qualified with a rank around 700. I cannot recall the exact number.
Q. Was design always your first preference? Why did you think of pursuing your studies in design stream?
A. Yes, I was pretty clear that I wanted to study design. I will be exploring communication design at large. Design was very much my first preference and I chose this field because I have always had an interest in it and post my career counselling, my reports showed that I also have an aptitude for it. It was a clear cut choice for me.
Q. Any tips for students who are planning to take the exam next year?
A. I would like to tell future aspirants to follow the below mentioned tips to ace the NID exam.
- Observe everything in your surroundings
- Learn as much as you can. Try to explore something new everyday
- Sketch daily because it is one thing that cannot be learned overnight
- Take up challenges and participate in art and design events
- Do not forget about GAT (General Ability Test)
- Do not be overconfident about CAT (Creativity Ability Test)
- Explore yourself and your personality because that’s what you will have to put on paper
- Solve previous years’ NID question papers and analyse your mistakes
Q. What are your future plans?
A. I am currently pursuing BDes from NID Ahmedabad. After that, I may pursue MBA or enrol in an MDes programme and eventually research. I have not decided on anything in particular yet. I am flexible, I will go wherever the wind takes me.
Read more:
News & Updates
Photos & Videos
+2
Contact Details
Address
Opposite Tagore Hall, Rajnagar Society
Paldi, Ahmedabad ( Gujarat)
Other Popular NIDs
Get details of Similar Colleges
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 weeks ago
Yes, NID Ahmedabad offers a BDes course. This course is offered to students who wish to pursue a design course. The level of the programme is undergraduate. Moreover, it runs for a duration of four years. Students who wish to know more can visit the official website of the university.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
To get admission in NID Bangalore you must meet the eligibility criteria of the desired course. Elgible students are then required to appear for the NID Entrance Exam based on which the final selection is done. If selected, you need to pay the admission fees to confirm your seat at the institute.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
National Institute of Design is expected to release the NID DAT 2026 Applications by the first week of September 2025 for B.Des and M.Des programmes. The registration for NID DAT 2026 will be on the official website of NID. Candidates can fill out the application form by registering, filling in info
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Candidates will be able to apply online by registering on the official portal, filling out the form, uploading documents, and paying the application fee. The registration process will start after the release of the NID DAT 2026 official notification. National Institute of Design is expected to relea
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
NID DAT 2026 notifications will be available on the official website of NID at admissions.nid.edu. Official notification of the NID entrance exam is all set to be out by the first week of September 2025. The notifications will be out for UG and PG programmes.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The NID DAT 2026 notification will provide information about eligibility, application process, fees, exam dates, exam pattern, and selection process. The notification provides details of seat capacity at each NID campus for both B.Des and M.Des.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
NID notification for 2026 is expected to be out by the first week of September 2025. The official notification will be out on the official website of the NID and will contain details about the NID entrance examination.
The NID notifications will include:
General Information
Important Dates
Intake Capa
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
No, it is generally not mandatory to have prior work experience to apply for an M.Des in UI/UX or Communication Design at IITs or NIDs
p
Beginner-Level 5
Does NID Ahmedabad offers BDes?