NID DAT (Prelims) 2017 Rank 12 holder shares prep tips

With a score of 67.9 in NID DAT (Prelims) 2017, Pavitra SV secured Rank 12 in the first stage of NID Entrance Exam.

A Fashion Design graduate from NIFT Chennai, Pavitra also possesses other degrees like Executive Diploma in Marketing Management and Executive Diploma in Supply Chain and Analytics Management from LIBA, Chennai. She is currently working with a coaching institute to help aspirants crack NIFT Entrance Exam and NATA.

Belonging to a family of four which includes her parents and her four legged sibling, Pappu, Pavitra shares that she is “passionate about primarily 2 things, one would be sketching and the other would be spending time with animals”.

Shiksha got talking to Pavitra on how she managed to clear NID DAT (Prelims), go through the interview below to find out how you should formulate your prep strategy for NID Entrance Exam.

Q. Congratulations on clearing NID DAT (Prelims) 2017? Which design specialisation did you apply for?

Ans. I had applied for Design for Retail Experience and Universal Design.

Q. Did you expect to get shortlisted in NID DAT?

Ans. Yes, I had taken the exam last year and missed by a small margin. That helped me inch closer towards my goal this time around.

Q. What is your score and rank in NID DAT Prelims?

Ans. I selected Design for Retail Experience as my course and my score in NID DAT Prelims was 67.9 and my rank was 12 (OPEN) / 11 (GEN).

Q. How did you prepare for the exam?

Ans. As far as the Prelims were concerned, to prepare for Part A of the exam, I read news articles online and solved previous years’ papers of CEED, NID and NATA (MCQ questions). Preparing for this section of NID DAT includes understanding the areas of design and strengthening them.

To prepare for Part B of NID Entrance Exam, I practiced sketching questions related to different scenarios, perspective, people, places, expressions, articles, etc. I aimed at achieving a sketch which is visually distinctive, well narrated and balanced in terms of composition.

Q. Which coaching institute did you join?

Ans. AFD India (only for Prelims preparation). The primary aim of this exercise was to ensure fixed hours of practice and enhance my skill-set to achieve my goal.

Q. When should one start preparing for NID DAT?

Ans. Well, I personally feel that this is a call that one needs to take depending on individual needs. It is also dependent on one’s skill-set and quest to improve self. Ideally, I would say it’s a continuous process of up-scaling one’s ability rather than a roadmap to crack an exam.

Q. How long did you prepare for the exam and how many hours did you study in a day?

Ans. I clocked in a clear 6 hours on weekends, which I dedicated toward solving papers. Time management and apportioning the time in hand as per one’s strength was the key learning while preparing for the exam. A daily routine of reading design articles and small design quiz really helped keep the mind alert to details.

Q. Are there any important topics to score well?

Ans. Things that are required to perform well in NID DAT (Prelims) are keeping abreast with current happenings, design elements and expressing thoughts clearly though simple strokes.

Q. Any preparation tips from your experience?

Ans. Firstly, read current developments in different spheres which widen one’s thought process and way of approaching a challenge. Secondly, developing the habit of mind mapping and creating miniature versions to achieve clarity of thought along with distinctive presentation.

Q. What as per you are the mistakes one should avoid while preparing for the exam?

Ans. Plan how to attempt the questions after a calm glance at the paper. Based on the requirement, apportion time for each section. Other things that should be paid attention to are, gathering thoughts, making quick trials in rough before sketching the final answer (to avoid repeated alterations) and ensure uniqueness in approach.

Q. When did you start revising the syllabus?

Ans. I never followed a strict syllabus while preparing for NID DAT. I touched upon different design aspects and other related areas as part of my prep strategy.

Q. How did you manage time while giving the exam?

Ans. When I was given the NID DAT (Prelims) paper, I quickly glanced through the questions and planned how to solve Part A of the exam. I chose Part A to be solved first because it is a question of white or black (one either knows it or just move to the next). Then I marked out the questions that I wanted to check at the end, if time permitted. I managed to complete Part A in an hour with about 4 questions requiring a revisit.

I spent a clear 1.30 hours for Part B, where I kept 30 minutes to map my thoughts and try different versions before finalising the answer that I wanted to present. After this, it was a case of recreating my selected option with refined details. It gave me time to revisit question in both sections which I could easily check and attempt with confidence.

Q. What mistakes should one avoid while giving the exam in order to score well?

Ans. Failing to apportion time and sticking to one question for way too long. By doing this, one can easily miss out on solving the easy questions.

Q. Which as per you was the most difficult part of the NID DAT exam?

Ans. I would say all stages of the exam were equally challenging with new innovative methods of testing the candidate’s skill.

Q. Is there any section that plays the “deciding factor” for getting shortlisted in the exam?

Ans. The requirement is always a balance of both sections. But, this year I personally felt the “deciding factor” was Part B in NID DAT (Prelims). The nature of questions and the spread of questions made it challenging for some and a scoring ground for some others.

Q. Why did you think of pursuing your studies in your design stream?

Ans. I want to make a career in Design for Retail Experience field. Be it design or a product it is termed to be successful only when it reaches the market and address the need of the consumer which is the key role of retail space. My work experience and educational path has drawn me to this specialisation.

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