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

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 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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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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