“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
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.
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
News & Updates
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) |
Student Forum
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
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
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
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
One can follow these tips for NID 2026 preparations:
- Know your NID Syllabus.
- Understand the exam pattern of NID DAT.
- Make the NID DAT 2026 preparation plan.
- Books to refer.
- Practice till you are perfect using mock tests and previous year's papers.
- NID DAT Exam Day Strategy.
S
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
S
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
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’
S
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
S
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
S
Contributor-Level 10
Registration - 11 Sep '25 - 1 Dec '25
What details will the NID DAT notification 2026 include?