NID DAT 2026 B.Des Exam Analysis (OUT): Difficulty Level, Section-Wise Review & Student Reactions

National Institute of Design Entrance Exam 2026 ( NID Entrance Exam )

DeskCalelnderExam On - 21 Mar '26 - 1 Apr '26

Sayeba
Sayeba Naushad
Assistant Manager
Updated on Dec 21, 2025 15:34 IST
The National Institute of Design will be conducting NID DAT 2026 on December 21, 2025, for B.Des. NID DAT Prelims exam will be conducted offline. Read on to know about the difficulty level of the exam. The exam will have two stages: Prelims and Mains. Mains exam will be conducted in April-May 2026 for those who have cleared the Prelims.

The National Institute of Design conducted NID DAT 2026 today, December 21, 2025, for B.Des. NID DAT Prelims exam will be conducted offline. Read on to know about the difficulty level of the exam.

NID DAT 2026 Exam Analysis

NID DAT 2026 Exam Analysis

NID DAT 2026 exam analysis is released now after the exam is conducted. The exam started at 10 AM and ended at 1 PM. NID conducted the NID DAT 2026 exam offline in pen-and-paper mode. Candidates who appeared for NID DAT 2026 exam can check all the exam analysis, questions, and student reactions here. NID DAT Exam was conducted today, on December 21, 2025 for B.Des programme at 10 AM.

Latest Update: 

NID DAT 2026 B.Des Exam Analysis: Overview

The overview of NID DAT B.Des exam is given below.

Particulars NID DAT Details
Exam Name NID Entrance Exam 2026
Full Form National Institute of Design Entrance Exam
Exam Level Undergraduate (B.Des) 
Exam Frequency Once a year
Courses Offered B.Des, M.Des
NID 2026 Registration Start Date September 11, 2025
Last Date to Apply December 01, 2025
Application Form Fee INR 3,000 (General/OBC), INR 1,500 (SC/ST/PWD)
Admit Card Release Date December 11, 2025
Exam Mode DAT Prelims: Pen-and-Paper, DAT Mains: Studio Test/Interview
Exam Date December 21, 2025 for B.Des and M.Des
Exam Duration 3 Hours
Exam Centers Across major cities in India
Counselling Process Start Date June 2026
Seat Intake 425 seats for B.Des and 347 seats for M.Des 
Official Website www.nid.edu
NID DAT Prelims 2026 Exam Pattern for  B.Des  program

Candidates should check the NID B.Des exam pattern. NID DAT 2026 will be held in pen-and-paper mode. The question paper may include textual and visual questions. The NID DAT exam pattern 2026 is given in the table below.

Particulars

Description

Duration

DAT Prelims paper for the B.Des program is THREE hours. The exam is conducted from 10 am - 1 pm.

Mode

The exam will be conducted as a paper-and-pencil/pen test

Sections

DAT Prelims question paper will have two sections - Part I & Part II

Total Questions

26 (approx.)

Total Marks

100 (25 Marks Part A and 75 Marks Part B)

Types of questions asked 

 Question paper may include textual and visual questions

Medium of the paper 

English

Test duration 

3 hours

Negative Marking

There will be no negative marking
Table of contents
  • NID DAT B.Des Section-Wise Exam Analysis 2026
  • Good Attempts in NID DAT B.Des 2026
  • NID DAT B.Des Section-Wise Exam Analysis 2025
  • NID DAT B.Des Section-Wise Exam Analysis 2024
  • NID DAT B.Des Section-Wise Exam Analysis 2023

NID DAT B.Des Section-Wise Exam Analysis 2026

Go through the expected exam analysis of NID DAT prelims B.Des.

Section/part Weightage (expected) Difficulty Level Sections/Topics 
Part A  -   -
Part B  100% Difficult Scene creation, Product Design: Redesign a product, Everyday objects: Complete the object, Sequential Drawings, storytelling, Perspective drawing, Process Drawing

Student 1: There were no aptitude questions. GAT section was not present at all.

  • Question 1: Make a 3-story scene.
  • Question 2: A spec was given, make three conventional use of it.
  • Question 3: A bottle was given. Draw it when it three different situations: When kept in hospital near bedside; When it is in a restaurant, When it is to be used in a get-together in your house.

Student 2: There were 6 drawing questions. Candidates have to draw 14 drawings altogether in 3 hours.

Students 3: More focus was on drawing, sketching and writing part.

  • Question 4: Solar panel was given and the effect of lithium was explained. Make three Instagram posts for this. Give title, content and draw.
  • Question 5: With the help of a hand given. Interpret and draw, rope, plant, hammer with hand. 
  • Question 6: There is a bus, and students are inside the bus. Draw how you will protect yourself in the bus when the brake is applied.

Good Attempts in NID DAT B.Des 2026

Attempt all the questions. Do not leave any questions as there is no negative marking. Read the questions carefully and break them down to understand.

NID DAT B.Des Section-Wise Exam Analysis 2025

GO through the analysis of B.Des 2025.

Section/part Weightage Difficulty Level Sections/Topics
Part A 25% Easy  Questions were from GK, current affairs, and non-verbal reasoning.
Part B 75% Difficult

Questions were lengthy and a bit difficult.

Included sketching and drawing questions.

NID DAT B.Des Section-Wise Exam Analysis 2024

GO through the analysis of B.Des 2024. There were total 36 questions of 100 marks.

Section/part Weightage Difficulty Level Sections/Topics
Part A  25% Easy to Moderate Aptitude (MCQ) for 25 marks
Part B 75% Easy to Moderate Drawing Questions for 75 marks

NID DAT B.Des Section-Wise Exam Analysis 2023

GO through the analysis of B.Des 2023. There were total 36 questions of 100 marks.

Section/part Weightage Difficulty Level Sections/Topics
Part A  25% Easy to Moderate MCQ
Part B 75% Easy to Moderate Drawing/Subjective Questions

 Marking Scheme of 2023 Paper

Question Number Marks 
Questions 1 - 31 31 marks
Question 32 15 marks
Question 33 06 marks
Question 34 09 marks
Question 35 and Question 36 15 marks

 

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About the Author
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Sayeba Naushad
Assistant Manager

Sayeba Naushad is a commerce postgraduate from Banaras Hindu University. She has over five years of experience in content writing and editing. She has a nose for current events in design field. At Shiksha.com, she s

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Student Forum

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Answered 4 weeks ago

If there were any clashes of the interview dates with the college/ university exam, then candidates could inform the NID before February 23, 2026. Candidates needed to attach a copy of the timetable attested by the principal and a letter from the principal confirming that the examination dates clash

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 weeks ago

NID will not release any Answer Key for B.Des or M.Des programme. It opens a rechecking window with the result. 

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 weeks ago

Yes, NID has a rechecking Window for the NID Result. This window will check whether all answers are checked or not, and whether the total is correct.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 weeks ago

NID will release the result for B.Des on April 07, 2026. The result be released on the website of NID.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 weeks ago

NID Studio Test for M.Des carries 40% of wieghtage and Interview carries 60% wieghtage. More emphasis is given on the interview by NID.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 weeks ago

No, there is no negative marking in the NID Studio Test. Candidates will be evaluated based on their thinking and creative skills. Studio Test will carry 40% of the total Marks for the NID Mains Exam.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 weeks ago

Yes, NID Studio Exam is a bit tough because it will check your creativity and imagination. You can learn some formulas here and apply them to get the answer. The main objective is to evaluate technical skills and critical thinking skills. So, it is said to be a bit tough.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 weeks ago

It is not at all necessary to take coaching to get a good rank in NID Entrance Exam. It is because the entrance exam will test creative, drawing, and innovative skills of the candidate. Now, a coaching institute can't teach you to be creative or become innovative. But you can take coaching classes f

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

National Institute of Design (NID) will release the NID DAT 2026 admission cut-off for the B.Des and M.Des programmes at the time of seat allotment, around May-June 2026. The cut-off will be released as the rank and score of the last candidate admitted to the M.Des program. 

NID DAT cut-off for B.Des

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S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

NID DAT, along with NIFT and UCEED are among the most competitive national-level entrance exams in the country. The fact that there are only 425 seats for the B. Des and 347 seats for the M.Des programme makes it very competitive. But that being said, if the candidate prepares well and with the corr

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10