NID DAT Previous Year Question Papers (2025-2016); Download Free PYQ PDFs
National Institute of Design Entrance Exam 2026 ( NID Entrance Exam )
NID DAT 2026 (Mains) Exam Result for B.Des
5 May '26 - 16 May '26
NID does not release previous year question papers online. Candidates preparing for NID DAT 2026 must download the NID PYQ PDF from here to become familiar with the pattern and exam syllabus. Get the direct link to download the NID question paper PDFs here.
NID DAT Previous Year Question Papers
NID DAT Entrance Exams are approaching now. Candidates who have applied for NID B.Des and NID M.Des programmes must be preparing for the NID DAT 2026 Prelims Exam. While preparing for the exam, students must solve NID Previous Year Question Papers and Sample Papers to know about the exam pattern, types of questions, marks, weightage, etc. Solving question papers will help candidates to gain the skill of time management and stress management.
NID DAT 2026 Prelims Exam was conducted on December 21, 2025 for UG and PG programmes. The NID 2026 Admit cards were available on the website. NID DAT Entrance Exam had two stages. Stage 1 is NID DAT Prelims and Stage 2 is NID DAT Mains.
Latest Updates:
- NID DAT Prelims 2026 Exam Pattern for B.Des program
- NID DAT Prelims 2026 Exam Pattern for M.Des program
- NID DAT B.Des Question Paper
- NID DAT M.Des Question Paper
- Benefits of Solving NID DAT Previous Year Question Papers
NID DAT Prelims 2026 Exam Pattern for B.Des program
Candidates should check the NID B.Des exam pattern.
| Particulars |
Description |
|---|---|
| Duration |
DAT Prelims paper for the B.Des program is THREE hours. The exam is usually 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 |
NID DAT Prelims 2026 Exam Pattern for M.Des program
Candidates should check the NID M.Des exam pattern.
| Particulars |
Description |
|---|---|
| Sections |
There will be TWO sections.
These two tests will together evaluate the Design Aptitude of the candidate. |
| Total Marks |
100 |
| Types of questions asked |
A mixture of objective and subjective |
| Medium of the paper |
English |
| Test duration |
2 hours 30 minutes |
| Negative Marking |
There will be no negative marking |
Commonly asked questions
NID DAT B.Des Question Paper
The question paper for NID B.Des are given below.
| NID DAT Question paper | PDFs |
|---|---|
| NID DAT Question Paper 2025 | Download Here |
| NID DAT Question Paper 2024 | Download Here |
| NID DAT Question Paper 2023 | Download Here |
| NID DAT Question Paper 2022 | Download Here |
| NID DAT Question Paper 2021 | Download Here |
| NID DAT Question Paper 2020 | Download Here |
| NID DAT Question Paper 2019 | Download Here |
| NID DAT Question Paper 2018 | Download Here |
| NID DAT Question Paper 2017 | Download Here |
| NID DAT Question Paper 2016 | Download Here |
NID DAT M.Des Question Paper
The question paper for NID M.Des are given below.
| NID DAT Question paper | PDFs |
|---|---|
| NID DAT Sample Paper 2025 | Download Here |
| NID DAT Sample Paper 2024 | Download Here |
| NID DAT Sample Paper I | Download Here |
| NID DAT Sample Paper II | Download Here |
| NID DAT Sample Paper III | Download Here |
| NID DAT Question paper 2018 | Download Here |
Commonly asked questions
The Studio Test for the M.Des programme will be conducted in offline mode at various NID campuses - NID Bangalore, NID Gandhinagar and NID Ahmedabad. The Studio Test will be conducted programme-wise and the schedule will be released soon.
The details of the campus allotted to the candidate will be mentioned on the NID DAT Mains 2026 admit card.
The NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) exam will be conducted on December 21, 2025.
As per the official pattern, the DAT Prelims exam wil be conducted offline and will be of 3 hours duration. The test will be conducted in English language and include a maximum of 26 questions. The question paper will include both subjective and objective-type questions. The paper will be for 100 marks. Candidate who qualify in DAT Prelims have to next appear in DAT Mains.
The candidate needs to consult the exam pattern along with the syllabus to prepare for the NID that exam. Note that the National Institute of Design also has the authority to make changes to the exam pattern.
There is no negative marking in NID DAT Prelims.
So, the candidate may attempt all the questions. If the wrong answer is selected, the candidate won't be penalized. However, if the correct answer option is selected, the candidate may get some free marks.
Note that the DAT Prelims exam will be conducted in an OMR-based mode. The candidate will need a blue/black ball-point pen for filling the OMR sheet.
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Benefits of Solving NID DAT Previous Year Question Papers
- NID Previous year papers help students understand format, style, and type of questions that are frequently asked. NID previous year question paper can help familiarise with the NID DAT pattern. making them more comfortable on exam day.
- Certain NID topics are repeatedly emphasized in the question paper. By solving NID previous year papers, candidates can identify these topics.
- Practising with NID question paper PDFs helps students improve their time allocation.
- By solving these papers, students can evaluate their NID preparation level and know their weak and strong areas.
- Practice with NID past papers can increase a student's confidence. Familiarity with the NID exam pattern and types of questions reduces exam anxiety.
- Continuous practice improves student's ability to answer questions quickly and accurately, which is crucial in most competitive exams.
News & Updates
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a week ago
Yes, the Admit card for B.Des In Person Sensitivity Test for 2026 has been released. It was released on April 23, 2026.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 weeks ago
Yes, the NID B.Des 2026 Studio Sensitivity Test Admit Card is out. It was out April 09, 2026. The link is active now.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months 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
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
NID will not release any Answer Key for B.Des or M.Des programme. It opens a rechecking window with the result.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months 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
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
NID released the result for B.Des on April 02, 2026. The result was released on the website of NID.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months 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
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months 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
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months 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
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months 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
S
Contributor-Level 10
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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