NID Entrance Exam MDes Syllabus 2026: Download Latest Syllabus PDF

Registration - 11 Sep '25 - 1 Dec '25

This exam is conducted for courses given below:

Updated on Oct 28, 2025 11:15 IST

By Sayeba Naushad, Assistant Manager

NID DAT Syllabus 2026 - The National Institute of Design (NID) does not release any official syllabus for the NID DAT exam. So, to help the candidate, we have analyzed the previous years' NID question papers and have distilled out the important topics that candidates need to prepare for the design entrance exam.

The important topics are compiled based on previous years' DAT Prelims and DAT Mains question papers. So, if you prepare for the NID DAT 2026 exam by consulting the important topics, you will not only know what and how to prepare but also give yourself a better chance of scoring well on the exam. The important topics will provide insights into the weightage carried by various topics, the difficulty level of questions asked, and any specific trends.

Latest updates:

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

Table of content

NID DAT Prelims Syllabus for B.Des Program
NID DAT Prelims Syllabus for M.Des
NID DAT Mains Syllabus for B.Des (Studio Test)
NID DAT Mains Syllabus for MDes (Studio Test)
Previous years' NID DAT Question Papers
NID DAT 2026 Exam Pattern
How to Prepare for NID DAT 2026 (Prelims)
NID DAT Syllabus 2026 - FAQs

NID DAT Prelims Syllabus for B.Des Program

Candidates appearing in DAT Prelims not only consult the syllabus to prepare for the exam. Some topics will carry more weight than others; please refer to previous years' DAT Prelims question papers to get an idea.

DAT Prelims Syllabus for the B.Des program

The syllabus for NID B.Des DAT are as follows:

NID DAT Prelims Syllabus for B.Des Program
Design Outline for Beginners	Colour Terminology	Inspiration & Design Development
Mood, Theme & Colour Inter-relationship	Design Theory	Elements & Principles Of Design
Natural & Geometrical Form	Innovation in Design	Principles of Composition
Lettering	Optical Illusion	Understanding Light & Shade
Colour Psychology & Optical Illusions	Form & Function	Colour, Pattern & Texture
Theme Development	Creative thinking & writing	Picture Analysis
Visual Logic	Good Design vs Bad Design	Drawing Fundamentals
Use of Measurements, Scale & proportions	Optical Illusion	Foreshortening & Perspective
Developing Themes & Colour Associations	Inspiration & Creativity	Ornaments & motifs
Memory Drawing	Usage of Colour in Compositions	Expression & Emotion
Exercises on imagination	Lateral Thinking	Story Pictures
Presentation Techniques	Imagination & Doodling	3D Visualisation
Graphics & Pictograms	Innovation & Creation	Design Awareness
Developing Observation

Also Read:

View Syllabus

NID DAT Prelims Syllabus for M.Des

Aspirants can go through the topics they should study when appearing for NID DAT Prelims for M.Des in the table below:

NID DAT 2026 Syllabus (Prelims) for M.Des Program
Design Outline for Beginners	Colour Terminology	Inspiration & Design Development
Mood, Theme & Colour Inter-relationship	Design Theory	Elements & Principles Of Design
Natural & Geometrical Form	Innovation in Design	Principles of Composition
Lettering	Optical Illusion	Understanding Light & Shade
Colour Psychology & Optical Illusions	Form & Function	Colour, Pattern & Texture
Theme Development	Creative Thinking & Writing	Picture Analysis
Visual Logic	Good Design vs Bad Design	Drawing Fundamentals
Use of Measurements, Scale & proportions	Optical Illusion	Foreshortening & Perspective
Developing Themes & Colour Associations	Inspiration & Creativity	Ornaments & Motifs
Memory Drawing	Usage of Colour in Compositions	Expression & Emotion
Exercises on Imagination	Lateral Thinking	Story Pictures
Presentation Techniques	Imagination & Doodling	3D Visualisation
Graphics & Pictograms	Innovation & Creation	Design Awareness
Developing Observation

Candidates preparing for NID DAT 2025 can also go through the links mentioned below:

NID Entrance Exam Pattern

NID Entrance Exam Preparation Tips

NID Entrance Exam Question Papers

NID DAT Mains Syllabus for B.Des (Studio Test)

Candidates can go through the topics they should ace while preparing for the NID Studio Test or NID DAT Mains 2026 exam below:

NID DAT 2026 (Mains) Syllabus for B.Des Program
Model Making	Doodling	Typical questions asked in an interview
How to Evolve Ideas	Audio–Visual Exercises	Material Manipulation
Material manipulation	Interview tips	Body language and how it is important
Previous years' question papers of Studio Test & Interview	Evolving ideas	Portfolio making

Also Read:

What to expect in NID Studio Test 2026?

How to prepare for NID DAT 2026 in 3 months

NID Entrance Exam: Last-minute tips & important documents to carry for DAT

NID DAT Mains Syllabus for MDes (Studio Test)

In the table below, aspirants can go through important topics or syllabus for NID DAT 2026 (Mains) for M.Des course.

Important Topics for DAT Mains - M.Des
Model Making	Doodling	How to evolve ideas
Audio–Visual Exercises	Material Manipulation	Creative Thinking

Previous years' NID DAT Question Papers

One of the best tools to prepare for the NID DAT 2026 exam is the previous years' question papers of the design entrance exam. Here are some of the benefits of solving previous years' papers:

The previous years' papers will include the questions asked in the previous edition of the NID DAT exam.
The candidate, by solving these papers, will be able to judge the difficulty level, types of questions asked, and emerging trends.
The candidate may also solve NID DAT question papers to improve their problem-solving and time-management skills.
Note that along with the question papers, the candidate is also urged to solve sample papers.

To solve previous years' question papers and sample papers - Click Here

NID DAT 2026 Exam Pattern

The NID DAT 2026 exam includes the DAT Prelims and DAT Mains sub-exams. The exam pattern for each exam is given below

NID DAT 2026 Exam Pattern - Prelims

The exam pattern for NID DAT Prelims is:

Particulars	Description
Exam Duration	3 hours
Mode of exam	Offline
Maximum Marks	100
Maximum Questions	26
Type of Question	Objective and Subjective type questions
Language	English

Note: The full details of the DAT Prelims exams will be notified through the NID DAT 2026 admit card.

NID DAT 2026 Exam Pattern - Mains

The exam pattern for NID B.Des DAT Mains:

Particulars	Description
Duration of the exam	3 hours
Maximum Marks	100
Language of the exam	English

Read More:

How to Prepare for NID DAT 2026 (Prelims)

With only a few months left for the DAT Prelims exam, ensure that the available time is put to the best possible use.

Here we bring you some tips that will make NID DAT 2026 exam preparation and your life easier:

Go through the NID DAT 2026 syllabus (or previous years' question papers) and understand the types of questions asked, the difficulty level, and the topics covered.
Refer to the official exam pattern
Make a study timetable. If you are in the middle of your exam preparation, take note of the topics you have covered, the topics that remain, and how much time you will need to complete the syllabus.
Start solving sample papers and previous years' question papers. You can take out the questions from the topics you have just completed and solve them. The more NID DAT sample papers you solve, the better you will get.
In the days leading up to the exam, you can take a few mock tests to align your body clock and make last-minute adjustments to your preparation if need be.
Since the NID DAT exam will test your drawing and creative abilities, you must practice sketching and work on your creative abilities.
Make sure you use the best NID DAT study material for exam preparation.

Commonly asked questions

Q: Does NID syllabus change every year?

NID syllabus largely remains the same. However, aspirants are advised to keep a close eye on NID exam notifications on Shiksha so that they do not miss out on the latest developments around NID admissions. To prepare for the exam, students are advised to be creative, practice sketching, reasoning, GK, and basic concepts. The that Mains exam for the B. Des may include questions from topics like color terminology, optical illusion, from and function, picture analysis, literal thinking, story pictures, memory drawing, etc. Note that the NID that question paper will not include questions from all of these topics. However, to stand a good chance of scoring good marks in the NID that exam, the candidate must practice all the topics.

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

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:

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

NID DAT Syllabus 2026 - FAQs

Check out the frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the NID DAT syllabus 2026 below.

Commonly asked questions

Q: Is the NID exam difficult?

NID evaluates aspirants based on their knowledge, creativity and aptitude for design. Experts share that NID is one of the most challenging design entrance exams conducted in the country. However, if prepared well, the difficulty level of NID Entrance Exam is medium. On of the main reasons why NID is such a competitive exam is there are very limited number of seats. For instance, there are only 425 seats available for the BDes programme through NID. In contrast, the NIFTs offer 2748 seats.

Q: What are the subjects in NID exam?

Some of the topics that aspirants should study as part of NID syllabus for that Prelims include Colour Terminology, Design Development, Mood, Theme & Colour Inter-relationship, Design Theory, Elements & Principles Of Design, Theme Development, Visual Logic, Memory Drawing, Exercises on Imagination, etc. Candidates who qualify that Prelims has to next appear in that Mains. The that Mains includes a Studio Test for the B. Des programme. The paper may include questions like Doodling, Material Manipulation, Audio Visual Exercise, How to Evolve Ideas, etc. The candidate needs to prepare for the NID that exam as per the updated syllabus. It is recommended that along with the syllabus, the candidate also consults the exam pattern to prepare for NID that exam.

Q: Does NID syllabus change every year?