By Shaun D’Sa
NID DAT (Prelims) 2019 for BDes admissions was held across 21 test cities on January 6, 2019. Find out what experts had to say about test pattern & difficulty level of NID Entrance Exam along with NID cutoff for admissions 2019.
NID Entrance Exam 2019 Analysis – The NID DAT Prelims 2019 was quite a ‘twister’ from the pattern of the previous years’ papers of NID and I personally think it was quite a welcoming format, especially for students whose strengths are creative thinking, drawing and graphic. It had a very good balance of 30 marks for aptitude and 70 marks for creative / drawing skills and this is surely a very good mix of how a design entrance exam should be, unlike the previous year which was exactly the opposite in weightage of marks.
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NID Entrance Exam Analysis 2019: Aptitude Test (30 Marks)
The aptitude test of NID Entrance Exam 2019 had General knowledge questions like;
| Question |
Options Given |
| Which of the following is not an artist? |
|
| Which musical instrument was Annapurna Devi famous for? |
|
| Which is not a classical dance form? |
|
| Identify the symbol - from the given options male, female and transgender |
|
With good basic knowledge on Indian artists, performing artists and styles one would not find these questions difficult.
Questions were also asked on verbal / non-verbal reasoning and spatial ability in NID Entrance Exam 2019 like:
| S. No. |
NID DAT Prelims Question 2019 |
| 1 |
Find the odd one out: wool, cotton, coir and jute. |
| 2 |
Count the rectangles in the given figure. |
| 3 |
A graphic (pattern) was shown and from the 4 options of basic designs given, one had to choose the right option that was repeated to make the graphic. |
| 4 |
3 concentric circles (discs) were given, each disc was divided into 4 equal parts and coloured (white, grey and black). If the inner circle were to rotate 90 degrees clockwise, the middle circle 180 degrees anti clockwise and the outermost circle were to rotate 180 degrees clockwise, what would be the resultant colour combination of the circles. (Note: To further illustrate: this is on similar lines of how colour combinations change on a rubix cube when mixed, expect these are 2D concentric disc that rotate on the center). |
| 5 |
A diagram was shown of 2 planes intersecting in the middle in isometric view (like 2 pieces of paper to form like a protruded ‘Plus pattern’) , and each plane had graphic patterns on them, 3 such rotated views of this pattern was shown with graphics on each plane and the 4th view had to be interpolated from the choices given. |
| 6 |
3 sets of 5x2 grids (10 small boxes) were shown. Each of these boxes had a different colour value between white to grey to black. And a code name was given for each set. Following the logical pattern of the colour shades, the student had to guess the 4th pattern. |
| 7 |
A curved line was given and if this line was rotated on an axis, what resultant surface would this line generate? |
A math question was also asked – A mother and child has a combined weight of 70kg. The father and the same child together weigh 90 Kg. The father and mother together weigh 120 kg, what is the combined weight of the family together.
NID Entrance Exam Analysis 2019: Creative Aptitude Test (70 Marks)
Some of the questions asked in the Creative Aptitude Test of NID DAT (Prelims) 2019 is mentioned in the table below:
| S. No. |
Question |
Marks Allotted |
| 1 |
Shown a crime scene inside a room, and someone is climbing a ladder entering from the window and you have to draw his point of view, do not use colour. |
15 Marks |
| 2 |
Illustrate a real life scenario which depicts “All that is gold does not glitter” in a meaningful way, do not use colour (Do not use colour) |
20 Marks |
| 3 |
In a circular template design a 20 Rs stamp for the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhiji (Commemorative stamp). Use colour |
15 Marks |
| 4 |
Fine art with shade an compose (Do not use colour) a. A person on a table with a fork, spoon and plate in front of him. |
8 Marks |
| b. There an ant standing on the tip of a handle of a spoon, draw the view of the ant. |
6 Marks |
|
| c. Draw a spoon and fork knotted at their handles. |
6 Marks |
The Creative aptitude section of NID DAT (Prelims) for BDes admissions 2019 had a good mix of questions which would test the student for perspective, graphic and creative thinking. Ideally more of creative thinking over art questions in this section would have really made this pattern perfect, however overall this is a very good ratio of theory to drawing questions asked in the NID DAT for this year.
Also Read:
- NID Entrance Exam 2019 Student Reaction for BDes & MDes Admissions
- NIFT Entrance Exam 2019 Student Reaction
- NID Entrance Exam 2019 Analysis by Experts for MDes Course
- CEED Exam Analysis 2019
- NIFT Exam Analysis 2019 & Review for MDes Admissions
- NIFT Exam Analysis 2019 & Cutoffs for BDes Admissions
About the Author:
Shaun D’Sa has a Master’s degree in Industrial Design from IIT Delhi. He is Director at Design Quotient Labs (DQ Labs), a coaching platform for Architecture and Design entrance exams.
He began his career with General Motors Advanced Design Center at Bangalore, where he had the opportunity to work with design teams for car brands like Hummer, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Holden, Buick to name a few. Shaun has also been a part of many teams of International and Indian designers for design centric ethnographic studies across India and abroad. Due to his passion for Design and Architecture, he has travelled extensively abroad and has been a part of many design workshops in many countries across Europe.
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Student Forum
Answered a week 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 a week 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 a week 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 a week ago
NID will release the result for B.Des on April 07, 2026. The result be released on the website of NID.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week 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 a week 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 a week 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 a week 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
Answered a week 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
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week 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
S
Contributor-Level 10
Exam On - 8 Mar '26
