NID Entrance Exam MDes Centres 2026: Check State wise Test Centres List

The list of NID exam centers will be published in the NID DAT 2026 Admission Handbooks for the B.Des and M.Des programs. The DAT Prelims is expected to be conducted in these cities across India: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kurukshetra, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram and Vijayawada.

A city may have more than one test centre. NID reserves the right to add or remove any test centre and allot a test centre that may not be of the candidate's choice. Any request for a change of test centre will not be entertained.

The National Institute of Design releases exam centres separately for DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. Details like the name and address of the allotted exam centre, reporting time, etc., will be mentioned on the NID DAT 2026 admit cards (which also will be released separately for DAT Prelims and DAT Mains).

Stage 1: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims

Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims will be conducted at various test centres across India. The exact names of the centres will be mentioned in the Admission Handbook of the B.Des and M.Des programmes.

Stage 2: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Mains

Candidates shortlisted after the DAT Prelims will be invited to appear for the Stage 2 DAT Mains exam. Exact details of the Test Centre will be announced later in the DAT Mains Admit Card.

Requests for a change in the NID DAT 2026 Test Centre

Requests for change in the test centre will not be entertained. However, exam authorities reserve the right to add or remove any test centre and allot an exam centre that may not be the aspirant's choice. Candidates need to note that a city may have more than one NID test centre.

Useful Resources to prepare for NID DAT 2026 (Prelims):

The NID DAT test-takers will not be provided with any stationery, and they need to carry the same with them when they appear for the NID exam. Mentioned below is a list of documents that aspirants need to carry with them when appearing for the NID Entrance Exam 2026. 

Important Documents to Carry on NID Exam Day to the Exam Centre

Admit Card: Candidates need to download their NID admit card from the official website of the design entrance exam. Next, candidates need to take a clear printout of their valid NID DAT 2026 Admit card to their allocated test center. Candidates will not be allowed to appear for the NID exam if they are not carrying a valid admit card on the day of the exam.

Photo ID Proof: Along with the admit card, candidates need to carry a valid photo ID proof to their test center. Candidates need to carry any one photo ID from the list:

• Student ID card issued by the current school/college
• Passport
• Driving License
• Aadhar Card
• Voters ID Card
• PAN Card

Stationery: Candidates need to carry their stationery for NID Entrance Exam 2026. Some materials that candidates need to carry to their NID test center are:

• Black ballpoint pen (to mark the answers in the OMR sheet)
• Lead pencils (of varying grades)
• Dry colors (such as oil pastels/color pencils/sketch pens, etc)
• Eraser
• Sharpeners
• Ruler   

What shouldn't be carried on NID Exam Day to the Centre?

Candidates will not be allowed to carry mobile phones, calculators, or any other electronic device inside the NID exam hall. Any aspirant found to be carrying any such device will be asked to leave the test centre without completing his/ her exam.

NID DAT 2026 Entrance Exam is a two-step process.

The candidate first has to appear in the DAT Prelims. The scores of the DAT Prelims are used to shortlist candidates for the next step - DAT Mains. Both steps are mandatory. NID Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims is a pen-and-paper-based exam wherein candidates need to attempt objective as well as subjective questions. On the other hand, NID DAT Mains comprises a Studio Test (+ Interview round for M.Des).

NID DAT Prelims exam is expected to be conducted in the first week of January, 2026. On exam day, the candidate needed to report to the NID DAT exam center at 8 am.

Schedule for NID DAT 2026 (Prelims)

The tentative schedule for NID DAT Prelims 2026 is: 

DAT Prelims will be conducted in 22 test cities in India. The selection of the exam city has to be done when filling out the NID Application 2026 form. The name of the exam center allocated to the candidate will be notified through the NID DAT 2026 admit card.

List of NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) Exam Cities 

The expected centres for NID DAT Prelims exam for B.Des and M.Des are:

Go through the frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the NID DAT exam center below.