NID DAT Prelims 2018: Shortlisted Candidate for MDes, Mohena Nagar shares Prep Strategy

NID Entrance Exam 2018: Shortlisted candidate shares prep tips

A Product Design Graduate from the Symbiosis Institute of Design (SID), Mohena Nagar lives in Kolkata. In NID Entrance Exam she had applied for Design for Retail Experience and Furniture/ Interior Design course. In the exam, she scored 62.25/ 100 and got shortlisted for NID DAT (Prelims) 2018 for MDes admissions.

Talking about her family she said, “My father is a Chartered Accountant. My mother teaches Vedic Maths and is an amateur home baker and she sells in the name of Vandy’s Eggless Home Bakery”.

Although a Science student at the 10+2 level, Mohena's father guided her to pursue a career in the field of design. She shared that she has always been a practical and a logical thinker and analysed things and observed them keenly. Elaborating on her hobbies, she said, “I do canvas paintings and have plans to start selling soon. I love cake baking and decorating and help my mom with cake icing for her orders. I love to cook and try out new recipes by myself. I get to be creative with the flavour and ingredients and its presentation. It’s so satisfying”.

Shiksha had a detailed conversation with Mohena regarding her prep strategy for NID Design Aptitude Test 2018. Read the complete interview below:

I had prepared well, the best as per my ability and believed in myself. I advise all aspirants to not question their ability to crack the exam.

If you think you can do it, you believe in it and then you have the energy to achieve it. Do not sit idle in mere expectation. I believe in what Oprah Winfrey defines LUCK as: “Preparation meeting the moment of Opportunity”.

My score is 62.25/ 100. I secured Rank 16 in Retail Design and Rank 32 in Furniture Design in the Open Merit List.

For NID DAT part A: Indiabix.com and DQ Edge site helped me. I suggest that aspirants should solve as much questions as possible.

For NID DAT part B: Sketch daily. Sketch ideas out. Practice doodling. Practice sketching as per the size (say in a 4”x4’’ box) provided in exam to help you sketch effectively on the exam day.

Indiabix covers all the topics in detail which one needs to practice for a design aptitude test. 

I came across DQ Edge and it has been a game changer. I solved the test papers they have put up and since it needs to be completed in a given time frame, it helped me practice my time management.

I also bought their study material and it has helped a lot.

We had a webinar session for 10 days, which I attended and it has helped me clear my doubts and prepare better and feel confident about my preparation.

My secret would be that I have practised a lot of test papers. I have also followed Addylabs youtube channel of Mr Akshay Khandalkar, who is a NID alumni. His insights also helped me prepare well.

I did not join any institute/ classes for NID exam prep. I prepared for it on my own with the content available online (Indiabix.com). There are many sites. I suggest to select one and stick to it. Do not jump between multiple sites.

Apart from this, I would like to thank DQ Edge. The test papers, the comprehensive study material which they provide and their 10 days webinar were very helpful.

Aspirants who have not made it to the second round must begin their preparation right away. NID tests a candidate’s general learning, verbal and non-verbal ability, numerical ability, spatial aptitude, form perception and clerical perception. As suggested the best prep strategy is that you choose and practice the questions till you feel confident about them and are able to solve each question in less than a minute or two as per the question demand.

I prepared for 3 months in a dedicated manner, i.e., from October - December in solving papers. Knowing how to solve the paper is the first step and solving it fast needs a lot of practice. I recommend that all aspirants should do it to score well.

Apart from that, one should sketch daily. Plan your day and schedule and cover GK/ aptitude/ sketching each day. Do not spend the entire day doing one topic only. 

Please go through the past years’ papers, identify the kind of questions and start with the ones you are less comfortable solving and work on it. Cover topics like Indian dance forms, Art Movements, Artists and their famous works, Platonic solids, Indian heritage. Some non-verbal topics like cube pattern folding, counting the number of surfaces, abstract logical questions etc, should also be practiced. 

There are plenty of interesting Maths puzzles, logical reasoning exercises to be discovered each day, here comes the role of discovering new topics all year round. Do not learn new topics when a month is left for the exam, just revise.

Please use social media to your advantage. There are groups of NID aspirants on facebook, become a part of them. I am a part of a few groups to keep myself updated with important discussions. GNID Future Designers to name one.

Be a part of a whatsapp group (any useful one) and interact with fellow aspirants. Help each other out. You learn and understand better when you are able to help someone out. Have a give and take relation.

Another advice is to meditate in the morning before you start your day and stay positive and focused.

Do not stress about clearing the NID DAT exam, stay focused on preparing well, which is the only way to be confident on the day of the exam. Do not bother yourself with the cut-offs. It does not help. Trust me.

Believe in practice only. Refrain from spending time on social media on needless discussions. Do not compare yourself with anyone else’s progress and preparation style.

Do not leave out on any topic because you find it difficult. Please ask for help and get your doubts cleared.

Preparation for the design aptitude test is an ongoing process. The concept has to be clear and rest all is about practice. One can begin to revise GK and Current Affair topics in the month of December.

Time Management plays a crucial role in NID DAT Prelims.

When the exam starts at 10, start with Part A, solve all the knowledge based questions first (either you know it or you do not) and attempt it as there is no negative marking for a wrong answer. Then move to part B, just read the questions once and leave it to your brain to think about the solutions and concepts while you solve the rest of the part A questions.

Complete part A in 1.5 hours and keep 1.5 hours for part B. Do not stress while attempting questions in the exam.

Read the question twice. Do not get stuck on a question for long that you find difficult to solve. Simply move to the next question. Re-attempt the questions after you have completed part B.

There is no such thing like “the most difficult part“. There will always be a few questions which require the candidate’s ability to apply his knowledge, apply his common sense and workout the answer, the kind which he may not have come across during his/her preparation.

Do not panic when you come across such questions. Calmly work on the solution and you will surely solve the paper in the best possible way.

Preparation in the best way you can decide the outcome for yourself. Leave no stone unturned. Believe in yourself. NID will always surprise you with questions which you may not have come across during your preparation. The knowledge one has gained, the common sense and logical thinking ability of a candidate comes into play at that time.

I have been interacting with NID students and alumni to gain an insight for my preparation. I am working on my stream specific portfolio which will speak of the skills and knowledge I have developed as a designer till date.

Believe in yourself. Work hard. Give in the best you can. Don’t underestimate yourself and your capabilities. Analyse where you need more practice and work on understanding the concept.

I will complete my master’s programme and get into the Design industry. Then I plan to become a  Design Entrepreneur and would love to become a Design Faculty and share my knowledge and experience with the then young designers.