NID Entrance Exam 2017 Topper Interview: Arkita shares NID DAT Mains Experience

National Institute of Design Entrance Exam 2026 ( NID Entrance Exam )

DeskCalelnderRegistration - 11 Sep '25 - 1 Dec '25

Updated on Sep 1, 2021 19:30 IST

Arkita, NID DAT Rank 8 Holder

“Pursuing Design was my dream”, shared Arkita who has cleared NID Entrance Exam 2017. She has secured Rank 8 in Strategic Design Management and Rank 11 in Universal design course offered at National Institute of Design (NID). Although she has made it to the rank list of both these courses, this design aspirants revealed that she would be opting for admission in Strategic Design Management (SDM) course offered at NID Gandhinagar.

Arkita has pursued BArch course from School of Planning and Architecture and she shared that her bachelor’s programme helped her realise her interest in design. A passionate sketch artist, Arkita loves to paint and sketch anything and everything.

Explore colleges based on NID Entrance Exam

Ahmedabad
₹16.84 L
Pune
₹35.85 L
Pune
₹12.00 L
Hyderabad
₹13.00 L

Want better recommendations?

There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
Pune
₹17.00 L
Dehradun
₹22.65 L
Sonepat
₹11.00 L
Jalandhar
₹9.60 L
Delhi
₹9.95 L
Mumbai
₹29.40 L
Confused about which college or exam to opt for?assitentRcpRhsImage
  • Chat with our counselor
  • Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
View allCollections

Arkita has already shared the NID DAT (Prelims) prep strategy that she followed to crack the written exam and in this article she will shed light on her experience of appearing for NID DAT (Mains) 2017.

Q. What was the most difficult part of the NID DAT (Mains) 2017 exam?

Ans: As per me, the most difficult part about the Mains exam for NID admissions in to “read between the lines”. The questions put to you are not that simple and straight forward.

Explore more Design exams with upcoming dates

UCEED 2026 Application DATE (R...

1 Oct '25 - 5 Nov '25

SEED 2026 Online registration ...

1 Aug '25 - 30 Nov '25

IIAD 2026 - Application

1 Sep '25 - 7 Dec '25

AIEED 2026 Application START Date

1 Nov '25 - 19 Dec '25

KALSEE 2026 Application Form S...

1 Jan '26

NIFT 2026 application form OPE...

22 Nov '25 - 6 Jan '26

MITID DAT 2026 application

17 Oct '25 - 28 Feb '26

CT SET 2024 Application Form

28 Feb '26

SMEAT 2026 Application Form Da...

15 Dec '25 - 15 Mar '26

GLS DAT 2026 Application Last Date

1 Sep '25 - 15 Jan '26

Q. How did you prepare for the Studio Test and Interview round?

Ans: So, NID DAT (Mains) has two parts which is the Studio Test and the Interview. So, for the NID Studio Test I tried to explore as many stream specific topics as I could. For the NID Interview round, I would recommend that students remain honest, presentable and humble.

Q. Could you explain the entire process that you went through in the studio test?

Ans: So, I appeared for NID DAT (Mains) twice because I applied for two courses. I appeared for the Studio Test for SDM course at NID Gandhinagar. It was a 3 hours exam and we were made to sit in an auditorium which was thankfully air-conditioned, it was very hot outside. The auditorium was full of chairs and tables. During the exam there was strict surveillance. We were not allowed to talk or borrow things or even getting up from our seats for the three hours.

The three questions that I was asked in my NID Studio Test for SDM course admissions were:

Question 1: A page containing statistical data regarding girl child education and adult literacy and female foeticide. We had to understand it and make it a visual representation so that a layman can understand.

Question 2: We had to list good and bad effects of demonetiation and represent it visually

Question 3: “To control your cow give it bigger pasture”. We had to understand the meaning, explain it in my own words in my own context with an example and represent the same visually

For the Universal Design course, my Studio Test was held at NID Bangalore’s R&D Campus

Question 1: Design a toilet for differently-abled and draw its different views/angles

Question 2: Design signage for given categories (list was given) on transportation to be put up as stickers

Question 3: Make a model of a mobile for grandmother and another one for a child with given material (thermocol) and state the difference in approach in design and elaborate

Q. Any advice for NID aspirants

Ans: I would just like to say that students should be honest, curious and always strive to better themselves.

Other related articles:

NID DAT Topper Amit Kumar shares prep tips for NID DAT Prelims

Colleges accepting NID Entrance Exam scores & seat matrix

Life at NID Ahmedabad: 24/7 learning experience

Videos you may like
About the Author
Download Important Dates for Design Exams

News & Updates

Latest NewsPopular News

Explore Other Exams

1 Oct '25 -

5 Nov '25

UCEED 2026 Application DATE (R...

6 Nov '25 -

10 Nov '25

UCEED 2026 Application DATE (L...

Nov '25

NIFT 2026 application form OPE...

Jan '26

NIFT 2026 application form (La...

Jan '25

UID DAT 2025 exam date

12 Sep '24

UID DAT 2025 Registration STAR...

Nov '25

AIEED 2026 Application START D...

20 Dec '25

AIEED 2026 Exam Date

30 May '25

Cycle 2: Semester 1 Fee Paymen...

17 May '25

Cycle 2: Acceptance Deadline

1 Aug '25 -

30 Nov '25

SEED 2026 Online registration ...

5 Jan '26

SEED 2026 Admit Card (B.Des)

Jul '25

PESSAT DAT 2025 Application Cl...

Jan '25

PESSAT DAT 2025 Exam START Dat...

Sep '25

Pearl Academy Application Form...

Jul '25

Pearl Academy Registration 202...

May '25

DEED Application 2025

Jan '25

DEED 2025 Exam Dates (Phase 1)

The list of exams are recommended based on what other exams do the students in your area show interest in
qna

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered 2 months ago

The NID DAT 2026 notification will provide information about eligibility, application process, fees, exam dates, exam pattern, and selection process. The notification provides details of seat capacity at each NID campus for both B.Des and M.Des. 

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

NID DAT 2026 notifications will be available on the official website of NID at admissions.nid.edu. Official notification of the NID entrance exam is all set to be out by the first week of September 2025. The notifications will be out for UG and PG programmes.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

National Institute of Design is expected to release the NID DAT 2026 Applications by the first week of September 2025 for B.Des and M.Des programmes. The registration for NID DAT 2026 will be on the official website of NID. Candidates can fill out the application form by registering, filling in info

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

One can follow these tips for NID 2026 preparations:

  1. Know your NID Syllabus.
  2. Understand the exam pattern of NID DAT.
  3. Make the NID DAT 2026 preparation plan.
  4. Books to refer.
  5. Practice till you are perfect using mock tests and previous year's papers.
  6. NID DAT Exam Day Strategy.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

Yes, there are placements in NID campuses. NID has separate Placement cells for the placement process. Placement in NID completely depends on the performance of the student during the selection interview. Some of the top recruiters of NID are: 

  • Malabar Gold & Diamonds
  • J.P.Morgan
  • Tcs
  • The Asian Heritage F

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

NID Ahmedabad has a good record of placements. NID Ahmedabad consistently leads in placement outcomes among NID campuses. In 2025, the average package was around ?21.3 LPA and the highest package was around ?30 LPA. The Total offers made were 620.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

Yes, there are a multitude of benefits of solving previous years’ question papers and sample papers. For one, they will help the candidate get an idea of the types of questions asked, difficulty level, weightage, etc. This exercise of solving a sample paper is a must for NID candidates. Past years’

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

It is not at all necessary to take coaching to get a good rank in NID DAT. It is because the entrance exam will test the creative, drawing, and innovative skills of the candidate. Now, a coaching institute can’t teach you to be creative or become innovative; instead, with a little effort these skill

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

If the candidate prepares well and with the correct strategy, then the NID DAT exam can be cracked. Among the first things the candidate needs to do is prepare a practical study timetable, get familiar with the syllabus and pattern, and get the book combination right.

When studying, make it a habit t

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10