NID Exam Center 2026 : B.Des and M.Des Test City, Reporting Time, Exam-day Guidelines

The NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) exam will be conducted in the first week of January 2026. The exam will be conducted in the following 22 cities - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kurukshetra, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada.

The candidate has to select their choice of exam city at the time of filling out the NID DAT 2026 Application form. Note that an exam city may have one or more test centres. The allotment of exam centres will be made considered available seats in respective centres and choice of the candidate.

The National Institute of Design (NID) may not make any arrangements for a baggage counter. So, the candidate must bear this in mind when packing for the DAT Prelims exam.

It is recommend that the candidate only packs the bare essentials, and don’t bring unnecessary stuff to the exam centre.

Also, expensive items like smartphones, jewellery, gadgets, etc. should be better left at home.

The other thing is to dress up in a comfortable attire. 

While there is no official notice binding the candidate to dress up in a particular way, it is recommended to dress comfortably and sensibly. For instance, don't wear something too tight or too loose.

The Studio Test for the B. Des programme will be conducted from April 26 to May 4, 2025. The studio test will be conducted in the following six cities - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Gandhinagar, Kolkata & Kurukshetra. The candidate will be given the option to select a test city before that. Candidates who have qualified DAT Prelims are eligible to appear in DAT Mains. On exam day, the candidate needs to bring with them the admit card and a valid photo id proof.

The application form for NID DAT 2025 is currently open from September 3 - December 3, 2024. 

The NID DAT exam is conducted is conducted in two stages. First, the candidate has to appear in DAT Prelims, and if shortlisted has to appear in DAT Mains.

The results of DAT Prelims for B.Des will be declared on April 1, 2025, while results for the M.Des programme will be declared on February 17, 2025.

The candidate will be able to check their results by logging into the result portal using their email ID and date of birth. Such candidates who get shortlisted has to next appear in DAT Mains.

The NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) exam is expected to be conducted in the first week of January 2026. The exam is expected to administered in 22 cities across India. Note that each of these exam cities may have one or more test centres.

The candidate will have to select their choice of exam centres for the DAT Prelims exam when filling out the NID DAT 2026 Application form. The candidate must be careful when selecting the exam city, because they might not be allowed to change it later on.

The NID DAT 2025 Prelims exam will be conducted in a pen-and-paper based mode for B.Des and M.Des programmes. 

The NID DAT 2025 Mains exam for the B. Des programme comprise a Studio Test, which will also be conducted offline mode. Meanwhile, the DAT Mains exam for the M.Des programme comprises a Studio Test and Interview, which will also be conducted offline.

The Studio Test may include multiple formats (Drawing/ Sketching/ Model Making). In case of the M.Des programme, candidates are shortlisted for the Interview based on the performance of the candidate in the Studio Test.

The details of the NID DAT 2026 Exam centre, including the name, address, and reporting time will be notified to the candidate through the NID DAT 2026 Admit card.

The DAT Prelims admit card will be available for download in the last week of December, 2025.

The candidate after downloading the admit card needs to carefully go through the information mentioned in it, including the allotted exam center, exam timings, reporting time, etc. Note that candidates who arrive at the exam center after the reporting time mentioned in the admit card may face undue difficulties. On exam day, the candidate must also remember to carry the admit card and id proof.

The NID DAT 2026 Studio Test and Interview for the M.Des program will be conducted from in the first week of March 2026. Candidates will be shortlisted for DAT Mains on the basis of their performance in DAT Prelims.

The Studio Test and Interview will be conducted programme-wise from. Candidates who have qualified DAT prelims are eligible to appear in DAT Mains, which comprise a Studio Test and Interview for the M.Des programme. The Studio Test is usually conducted from 9 am - 12 noon. The Interview will be conducted after the completion of the studio test.

The NID DAT Mains 2026 exam for the B. Des programme will be conducted in the following cities - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Gandhinagar, Kolkata & Kurukshetra. The candidate will be given the option to select the exam city after results are declared for DAT Mains.

The details of the exam centre, including name and address and reporting time will be mentioned on the NID DAT 2026 admit card. The NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) exam is expected to be conducted in 22 cities across India. 

The NID DAT 2026 (Mains) exam for B.Des will be conducted around the last week of April 2026. Meanwhile, the DAT Mains exam for M.Des will be conducted starting March 2026.

The NIDs have a combined intake of 425 seats for the B. Des programme. Of these, 45 seats are earmarked for the Industrial Design programme. The candidate can select from specializations like Ceramic and Glass Design, Furniture & Interior Design, and Product Design. The candidate will be able to select the programme of specialisation at the time of counselling. 

The NID DAT 2026 Exam will be conducted for admission to B. Des and M.Des courses. The NID DAT Mains results for the B. Des program is expected to be in the third week of May, 2026. Meanwhile, DAT Mains results for the M.Des programme will be announced in the first week of May, 2026.

The NID DAT results will be declared online at admissions.nid.edu.To check your results, log-in using your email id and date of birth. Such candidates who qualify in DAT Mains will be shortlisted for counselling and seat allotment.