NID DAT Pattern 2026 (Prelims & Mains): Marking Scheme & Weightage, Exam Mode, Section-wise Paper Pattern

Q: What topics will be covered in NID DAT Mains?

Candidates who qualify in the NID DAT 2025 exam has to next appear in the DAT Mains, which is the 2nd stage of the two-stage NID admission process. The DAT Mains exam will include tasks like Model Making, Audio-Visual Exercises, Evolving ideas, Material Manipulation, Importance of body language, Creative thinking, and Doodling. The Studio Test is hands-on test that will be conducted in offline mode. During the Studio Test, the material handling of the candidate will be tested, as well how creative and innovative the candidate is, and whether he or she could come up with impromptu solutions. To prepare for the Studio Test, the candidate must develop their sketching skills, including line drawing, shadow drawing, etc. They also need to practice other stuff mentioned in the syllabus, including doodling, and try to improve their creativity.

Q: Where to find NID DAT sample papers?

The National Institute of Design has uploaded the NID DAT sample on its official admission portal. To download a sample papers. Click on the sample paper link, no log in is required. The sample papers for NID DAT can be download in pdf format. The intent of these sample papers is to help the candidate get insights into the pattern and structure of the exam. By solving the sample papers, the candidate will get insights into the difficulty level of the exam, the types of questions asked, topics from which questions are asked, etc. Additionally, if the candidate solves enough sample papers, it will help him or her to develop problem solving and time management skills. So, all candidates must practice the NID DAT sample paper to gain confidence and get rid of exam fear.

Q: Who sets NID DAT question paper?

Questions in NID DAT are drafted by an exam committee formulated by the National Institute of Design. The NID DAT exam is considering one of the toughest in the land, along with other popular entrance exams like NIFT and UCEED. On particular reason why NID DAT is so competitive is there are only 425 seats available for the B. Des programme, while candidates from all over the country can apply. The NID DAT exam comprises two stages. The candidate first appears in DAT Mains, which is a Design Aptitude Test. Those who qualify in that Prelims have to next appear in the that Mains. Note that the final results will be prepared by giving weightage to both that Prelims and that Mains.

Q: What is the difficulty level of NID DAT?

The NID Entrance Exam is considered to be one of the toughest design entrance exam conducted in the country. In NID DAT, more weightage is given to subjective, drawing related questions. Thus, candidates need to be extremely creative and have a clear understanding of their concepts when appearing for the NID exam. For preparing the final results for the B. Des program, the DAT Prelims will be allocated 40% weightage, while DAT Mains will be given 60%. During the DAT Mains, which comprises a Studio Test, the candidate is tested hands-on and have to show their drawing abilities, creativity, innovativeness, and material-handling ability.

Q: What are the best study materials to prepare for NID DAT 2025?

The NID Design Aptitude Test (DAT) is a two-step entrance exam. The candidate first appears in DAT Prelims. If shortlisted, the candidate has to next appear in DAT Mains. Here are some suggested study material for NID DAT 2025. Quantitative Aptitude - Physics and Maths syllabus up to Class 10. Logical Reasoning - Step-by-Step Verbal Reasoning by Philip Kay, How to Pass Diagrammatic Reasoning Test by Mike Bryon. GK and Current Affairs - Read newspapers daily for current affairs. For static GK, read any good GK book for NID. English - The Ultimate Guide for NIFT/NID/IIFT Entrance Exam by Arihant

Q: What will be the pattern for NID DAT Prelims?

The NID DAT 2025 (Prelims) exam will be conducted on January 5, 2024. As per the official pattern, the DAT Prelims exam wil be conducted offline and will be of 3 hours duration. The test will be conducted in English language and include a maximum of 26 questions. The question paper will include both subjective and objective-type questions. The paper will be for 100 marks. Candidate who qualify in DAT Prelims have to next appear in DAT Mains. The candidate needs to consult the exam pattern along with the syllabus to prepare for the NID that exam. Note that the National Institute of Design also has the authority to make changes to the exam pattern.

Q: What is the difficulty level of NID DAT?

The NID Entrance Exam is considered to be one of the toughest design entrance exam conducted in the country. In NID DAT, more weightage is given to subjective, drawing related questions. Thus, candidates need to be extremely creative and have a clear understanding of their concepts when appearing for the NID exam. For preparing the final results for the B. Des program, the DAT Prelims will be allocated 40% weightage, while DAT Mains will be given 60%. During the DAT Mains, which comprises a Studio Test, the candidate is tested hands-on and have to show their drawing abilities, creativity, innovativeness, and material-handling ability.

Q: Is it possible to crack NID DAT without coaching?

It is not mandatory 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 cannot exactly teach you to be creative or become innovative. Instead, with a little effort these skills can learn these skills yourself. Also, a major thrust of the design aptitude test is to evaluate the drawing skills of the candidate. So, make it a point to work on your design skills, including learning how to draw lines, shadow, figure, gesture, cartoon drawing, etc. When practicing drawing, also keep a tab on the drawing speed, as it will help you complete the paper in the allotted time.

Q: Is NID exam conducted online or offline?

NID DAT 2025 (Prelims) exam will be conducted as a paper-and-pencil/pen test. The question paper will be set in English only. Also, the duration for DAT Prelims will be notified in the NID DAT 2025 admit card. Note that in the previous edition, the DAT Prelims test duration for the B.Des program was 3 hours, while the M.Des exam was 2 hours 30 minutes long. The question paper for the B. Des will include both textual and visual questions. Meanwhile, DAT Mains for the M.Des program will include objective and subjective-based questions. Questions will be asked from two sections - 1) Common Design Aptitude Test, and 2) Discipline Specific Test. Candidates who qualify DAT Prelims has to next appear in DAT Mains. DAT Mains for B. Des program includes a Studio Test, while DAT Mains for the M.Des programme, in addition, will include an interview. DAT Mains will be held in offline mode.

Q: How can I improve my sketching skills for NID DAT?

If you intend to get a good rank in NID DAT, you must be able to sketch quickly without compromising on the sketch quality. This means you must be able to able to conceive the idea as you sketch. Remember, when you are in the exam hall, time seems to just fly. So, it is vital that you are able to sketch uninhibited and fast, and with confidence. To improve your drawing skills, you can start by drawing tiny thumbnails first, then switching to the light hand and finishing with dry colours. You can use pencils, crayons, or even a pen to make the sketches.

559 Students Q&A

Registration - 11 Sep '25 - 1 Dec '25

This exam is conducted for courses given below:

BDes, GDPD MDes

Updated on Sep 12, 2025 13:01 IST

By Sayeba Naushad, Assistant Manager

NID Exam Pattern 2026 - The National Institute of Design (NID) released the NID DAT 2026 Exam Pattern at admissions.nid.edu. The exam pattern is mentioned in the B.Des and M.Des. admission handbooks. However, the handbook only provides basic information about the exam. It says the B.Des DAT Prelims exam will be conducted as a paper-and-pencil test. The paper may include text and visual questions. It doesn't mention the test duration, number of sections, or the number of questions asked per section. The test duration is expected to be announced in the NID DAT 2026 Admit card.

Latest updates:

NID DAT 2026 Application Form Released; Apply Now at admissions.nid.edu

To help the candidates, we have analyzed previous years' papers and drafted a pattern for the exam that candidates may follow. The duration of the DAT Prelims for B.Des is expected to be 3 hours. Meanwhile, the test duration for the M.Des program is expected to be 2 hours and 30 minutes.

NID 2026 Entrance Exam (Prelims) will be conducted on December 21, 2025 for B.Des and M.Des. Candidates who qualify for the DAT Prelims will have to appear in the DAT Mains. DAT Mains Exams for B.Des will be held in the last week of April 2026. The NID DAT (Mains) M. Des. Exam will be in the first week of March 2026.

Go through the rest of the article to learn the full details of the NID DAT 2025 exam pattern for both Prelims and Mains.

Q: What is the difficulty level of NID DAT?

Q: Is it possible to crack NID DAT without coaching?

Q: Is NID exam conducted online or offline?

Table of content

NID DAT 2026 Exam Pattern - Prelims
DAT Prelims Exam Pattern - Sections, Type of Questions, No. of Questions
NID DAT 2026 Exam Pattern - Mains
NID Preparation 2026
NID DAT 2026 Mains Schedule
NID DAT Exam Pattern 2026 - FAQs

NID DAT 2026 Exam Pattern - Prelims

DAT Prelims is the first stage of the two-stage NID admission process for B.Des and M.Des Programmes. The National Institute of Design will release the general outline of the DAT prelims question paper structure in the NID admission handbook

DAT Prelims 2026 Exam Pattern for B.Des program

Duration - The duration of the DAT Prelims paper for the B.Des program is THREE hours. The exam is usually conducted from 10 am - 1 pm.
Sections - The DAT Prelims question paper will have two sections - Part I & Part II
Mode - The exam will be conducted as a paper-and-pencil/pen test
Type of questions - The question paper may include textual and visual questions
Language - The paper will be set in the English language only.
Negative marking - There will be no negative marking.

NID DAT (Prelims) Exam Date and Timings

The dates and Exam timing of the Prelims 2026 Exam of the NID DAT Exams are:

Event	B.Des (Tentative)	M.Des (Tentative)
Date of the DAT Prelims exam	First week of January 2026	First week of January 2026
Reporting Time	8 AM	8 AM
Gate closing time	9.30 AM	9.30 AM
Time of the exam	10 AM - 1 PM (Part I + Part II)	10 AM - 12.30 PM (Part I + Part II)

Also Read:

NID vs NIFT - Differences, Participating colleges, Admission Process, Placemen

DAT Prelims Exam Pattern 2026 for M.Des program

The key points related to the DAT Prelims exam pattern for the M.Des program are given below.

Particulars	Description
Sections	There will be TWO sections. Common Design Aptitude Test Discipline-Specific Test These two tests will together evaluate the Design Aptitude of the candidate.
Total Questions	100
Types of questions asked	A mixture of objective and subjective
Medium of the paper	English
Maximum number of Disciplines	Candidates can appear in a *maximum* of TWO disciplines for the M.Des program. Also, Candidates applying in only one discipline have to appear in DAT Prelims comprising the test paper for one discipline only. Candidates applying in two disciplines have to appear in DAT Prelims, comprising *two test papers*, one for each discipline.
Test duration	2 hours 30 minutes
Negative Marking	There will be no negative marking

Commonly asked questions

Q: What is the difficulty level of NID DAT?

Q: What are the best study materials to prepare for NID DAT 2025?

Q: What will be the pattern for NID DAT Prelims?

DAT Prelims Exam Pattern - Sections, Type of Questions, No. of Questions

The DAT Prelims exam will be conducted in a center-based mode across various test centers in India. The question paper will be set in the English language only.

Here we bring you the sections, number of questions, and also the type of questions asked based on the analysis of previous years' papers.

DAT Prelims Exam Pattern 2026 (B.Des) - Sections, Type, and Number of Questions

The tentative question paper structure of DAT Prelims for the B.Des program is given below.

NID DAT Prelims BDes Exam Pattern
Exam Part	Type of Questions	No. of Questions
Part I	Objective type questions	22
Part II	Subjective type questions	4
Total No. of Questions		26

Marking Scheme for NID DAT Prelims 2026

The expected marking scheme for the DAT Prelims exam is given in the table below.

Type of Question	No. of Questions	Marks for Each Question
Objective type questions	Questions 1 to 14	1 mark
Objective type questions	Questions 15 to 22	2 marks
Subjective type questions	Question No. 23	15 marks
	Question No. 24	20 marks
	Question No. 25	15 marks
	Question No. 26	20 marks
Total Marks		100 marks

Commonly asked questions

Q: Which are the best books for NID Entrance Exam?

Q: How much time is needed to prepare for the NID DAT exam?

Q: What tasks I need to do to effectively prepare for NID DAT 2025 exam?

NID DAT 2026 Exam Pattern - Mains

Candidates will be shortlisted for the DAT Mains based on their performance in the DAT Prelims. The qualifying status will be mentioned in the NID DAT Prelims scorecard.

DAT Mains 2026 Exam Pattern

The exam pattern for DAT Mains for the B.Des and M.Des programs is given in the table below.

NID DAT Mains Exam Pattern Highlights
Mode of exam	Offline
Duration of exam	3 hours
Total marks	100
Language of question paper	English
Type of questions	Multiple formats (Drawing/ Sketching/ Model Making)

NID DAT 2026 Weightage for DAT Prelims and DAT Mains

The final results of NID DAT 2026 will be prepared by giving weightage to DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.

Weightage for the NID DAT Final Results - B.Des

The weightage of the B.Des NID DAT 2026 Final Result are:

Exam Component	DAT Prelims	DAT Mains
Weightage	40%	60%

Weightage for the NID DAT Final Results - M.Des

The weightage of the B.Des NID DAT 2026 Final Result are:

Exam Component	DAT Prelims	DAT Mains
Exam Component	DAT Prelims	Studio Test	Personal Interview
Weightage	30%	40%	30%

NID Studio Test and Interview

NID Studio Test for BDes Admissions: The studio test for NID admissions may comprise questions that aspirants have to solve in different formats, like drawing/sketching, hands-on model making, group discussions, presentations, etc.

NID Mains Exam Format for MDes Admissions: As part of NID DAT Mains, candidates need to appear for a studio test followed by a personal interview round.

Studio Test for M Des Admissions: This test for MDes admissions at NID is being held separately for each specialization (that is, the course for which an aspirant has applied for admission). The studio test comprises different sections wherein questions of different formats (like hands-on drawing/sketching, hands-on model making, group discussions, etc) are asked. The duration of the test will be three hours.
Personal Interview for M Des Admissions: The interview round for MDes admissions will be conducted immediately after the studio test is over.

Commonly asked questions

Q: What topics will be covered in NID DAT Mains?

Q: Where to find NID DAT sample papers?

Q: Who sets NID DAT question paper?

NID Preparation 2026

The candidate must have enough time in their hands to prepare for DAT Prelims. The DAT Prelims is a Design Aptitude Test that is administered in a center-based mode.

Here are some tips to prepare for DAT Prelims.

Follow the syllabus - While there is no official syllabus for the NID exam, there are unofficial ones, like the one on our page. It is prepared after analyzing previous years' papers.
Go through the exam pattern - The exam pattern can be the lighthouse that you need to follow when preparing for the exam. It is because the exam pattern will dictate how you prepare, and also the study material to an extent.
Make a study plan - You need to have a fixed timetable to complete the syllabus on time. Without it, you may get lost.
Solve practice questions - These questions can be found at the end of a chapter, or you can rely on specific question booklets. The more you practice, the better you will get at solving various types of problems.
Take mock tests - In the last few days leading up to the exam, you may also take a few mock tests. These tests can help you align your body clock with the exam timings, so you can take the tests at the same time of day as the exam timings. Further, mock tests can help you dust off any rust that may have gathered on your preparation. Elsewhere, mock can help you fix silly errors.
Work on your drawing and observation skills - Note a big difference between other entrance exams and design entrance exams is that the latter would test your drawing as well as observation skills. So, work on this front from the get-go.

Commonly asked questions

Q: How can I improve my sketching skills for NID DAT?

Q: What are the best study material to prepare for NID DAT 2026?

Q: Where to find NID DAT sample papers?

NID DAT 2026 Mains Schedule

NID will release the NID M.Des and B.Des Schedule for 2026 on the official website soon after the Applications are open. For reference, you can check the following schedule.

Download the M.Des. DAT Mains Schedule 2025-26 by clicking here.