Candidates seeking admission to the B.Des and M.Des courses at the NIFTs must appear in a Creative Ability Test (CAT). The Creative Ability Test will evaluate the creative and drawing skills of the candidate. Importantly, CAT carries a hefty 50% weightage for B.Des. So, here we bring you a list of questions asked in the NIFT CAT exam in previous editions for practice and to provide key insights.
NIFT 2027 written exams will comprise the CAT and NIFT GAT. While GAT is common for all courses, only B.Des and M.Des candidates must take the CAT. NIFT 2027 scores will be considered for admission to the undergraduate and postgraduate design programs offered at NIFT campuses. UG programs offered at NIFT include Bachelor of Design (BDes) and Bachelor of Fashion Technology (BFTech), whereas PG courses on offer at NIFT include Master of Design (MDes), Master of Fashion Technology (MFTech), and Master of Fashion Management (MFM).
For the B.Des program, the NIFT CAT carries 50% weightage, whereas for the M.Des program, the CAT is worth 40% weightage. Given the importance of the CAT, the candidate must pay special attention to the NIFT written exam, including solving sample papers for the NIFT 2027 CAT.
Candidates who clear the written tests for the BDes course need to next appear in a NIFT Situation Test. PG applicants have to instead appear in a GD/PI round. The weightage allotted to each test conducted for NIFT admissions is as per the table mentioned below:
- Exam Weightage for NIFT UG Programs
- Exam Weightage for NIFT PG Programs.
- NIFT 2027 CAT Sample Questions
- NIFT CAT 2019 Question Paper for BDes
- NIFT CAT 2019 Question Paper for MDes
- NIFT CAT 2018 Question Paper for BDes
- NIFT CAT 2018 Question Paper for MDes
- NIFT CAT 2017 Question Paper
- NIFT CAT 2016 Question Paper
- NIFT CAT 2015 Question Paper
- NIFT CAT 2014 Question Paper
- NIFT CAT 2013 Question Paper
- NIFT CAT 2012 Question Paper
- NIFT CAT 2011 Question Paper
- NIFT CAT 2010 Question Paper
Exam Weightage for NIFT UG Programs
Check out the weightage of NIFT UG.
| Program |
Exam |
Weightage |
|---|---|---|
| B. Des. |
GAT |
30% |
| CAT |
50% |
|
| Situation Test |
20% |
|
| B.F. Tech. |
GAT (Sec-A) |
30% |
| GAT (Sec-B) |
70% |
|
| B.F. Tech. Opting for B. Des. |
GAT (Sec-A) |
30% |
| CAT |
50% |
|
| Situation Test |
20% |
Commonly asked questions
The exam pattern for NIFT GAT varies from one course to another. The total number of questions asked in NIFT GAT is mentioned below: BDes: 100 questions, BFTech: 150 questions, MDes: 120 questions, MFTech: 150 questions, MFM: 150 questions. Note that the GAT or the General Ability Test will be conducted in a computer-based mode. Questions will be objective-type. The GAT paper for the B. Des and M.Des programs will be of 120 minutes. However, the GAT paper for the B.FTech, M.FTech, and MFM courses will be for 180 minutes.
Candidates seeking admission to the B. Des and M.Des course also need to take the Creative Ability Test CAT written exam, in addition to the GAT. The CAT exam will be conducted in an offline, pen-pencil mode. CAT will be a drawing-based exam of 3 hours duration. The CAT will evaluate various skills of the candidate including Intuition skill, power of observation, innovation in the development of a concept as well as design ability. Further, it will examine the creative as well as innovative use of color and illustration skills of aspirants. It is mandatory for B. Des and M.Des candidates to appear in the CAT paper, or else they will not be invited for the Situation Test.
The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) publishes the sample papers of NIFT for all the courses offered at its 20 participating colleges. However, these official sample papers don't contain any solutions.
NIFT exam may have multiple question booklet series Booklet Series A, Booklet Series F, Booklet Series L, Booklet Series R, etc.
Candidate must download the answer keys corresponding to their own booklet series. booklet series contains the same questions, but the questions are arranged differently. So, unless the candidate downloads the answer keys corresponding to the relevant booklets series, the keys will not match. And if that happens, the candidate will not be able to accurately calculate the probable scores.
Exam Weightage for NIFT PG Programs.
Check out the weightage of NIFT UG.
| Program |
Exam |
Weightage |
|---|---|---|
| M.F.M. |
GAT (Section A and B) |
70% |
| Personal Interview |
30% |
|
| M. Des. |
GAT (Section A) |
30% |
| CAT |
40% |
|
| Personal Interview |
30% |
|
| M.F.M. opting for M. Des. |
GAT (Section A) |
30% |
| CAT |
40% |
|
| Personal Interview |
30% |
|
| M.F. Tech. |
GAT |
70% |
| Personal Interview |
30% |
Also Read:
NIFT 2027 CAT Sample Questions
1. Design a comic strip (black and white) in the four given boxes on any ONE of the topics :
a. My journey to Mars
b.Me as a fish
c. My appointment with the dentist
Give a suitable title/caption to the comic strip.
2. Colour any ONE of the patterns given below to design a fabric for any one of the following occasion/theme. Explain the reasons for the choice of the colours for the specific theme in 60-80 words.
a. Festival
b.Meditation
c. Travel
3. Using the given 4 boxes, sketch a day of your life imagining yourself as any one of the following. You can write text by making dialogue bubbles/boxes. (Attempt any one)
a. You have lost your way in a jungle and also find yourself shrunk to half your size. Sketch any one situation where you can use your reduced size to your advantage.
b. You are a superhero traveling on very bumpy terrain. Design the dashboard of your futuristic car.
c. You are invisible for a day. How will you use your invisibility for helping someone?
4. Narrate any one of the following in not more than 150 words. (Attempt any one)
a. Vipul has many friends but is not able to take any girl out on a date. He gets to a dating site. Through a series of events he realizes that the site is Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven. Narrate an experience of Vipul using the site.
b. Trend patterns indicate that in the next 10 years in India, there are going to be more senior citizens staying without the support of their children. Describe a day in the life of a senior citizen couple.
c. A new brand is conducting a test run oftheir maternity garments in metro cities. They are now looking for suitable candidates to interact with prospective clients. The candidate should possess knowledge of maternity wear and customer/user base. How will you prepare for the interview?
Previous years' NIFT CAT Questions 2010-2019
The Creative Ability Test (CAT) is conducted by NIFT to test “intuition skill, power of observation, innovation in the development of a concept and design ability of the candidate”, according to the official website of NIFT admissions.
NIFT CAT also evaluates candidates based on innovative use of colours as well as illustration skills. Shiksha has compiled the list of questions asked in NIFT CAT exam over the last nine years. Candidates are advised to go through these questions for NIFT entrance exam preparation and ace this part of the admission process.
Commonly asked questions
The exam analysis for NIFT 2027 written exam will be available soon after completion of CAT and GAT written exams. It will consist difficulty level, types of questions asked, marking scheme, and expected cut off. Also, the analysis will highlight any technical issues during NIFT. With analysis, candidates will be able to assess their performance and check what went right and what went wrong. Future aspirants can also go through the NIFT exam analysis to learn about the exam.
The candidate can find the exam analysis for NIFT over the last few years on this page. The NIFT exam analysis is available for both the CAT and GAT papers. The exam analysis for a specific year will cover the sectional and overall difficulty level of the paper, types of questions asked, and marking scheme. It will also cover the expected cut-off that candidates need to secure in their category to get shortlisted. The candidate by consulting the cut-off for previous years will learn about the emerging trends of the NIFT exam, like whether the difficulty level has increased or decreased, types of questions asked, etc.
Note that during COVID 19, the mock tests were used as a tool to help candidates get accustomed to the application and the process as the NIFT exam was held as a remote-based exam. Consequently, the mock tests were made mandatory, given candidates were appearing in the exam from their homes or a place of their picking. The mock tests in such circumstances helped to test internet strength, speed, reliability, check camera quality, for recording the test, etc. But in the last edition of the NIFT exam, the CAT and GAT written exams were conducted in a centre-based mode.
Mock tests will include representative questions or questions similar to ones asked in NIFTEE. So, by taking mock tests, candidate will get to know about types of questions asked, marking scheme, weightage, etc. Another important benefit the candidate can draw from solving a sample paper is understanding the question paper layout. For instance, the candidate will know which questions are placed where, the sequence of questions, whether the candidate needs to complete one section before moving to the next, etc.
Explore colleges based on NIFT Entrance Exam
NIFT CAT 2019 Question Paper for BDes
Q1. Visualise and draw any one of the following, as they would be in the year 2050. Colour the product using dry colours.
(i) Umbrella
(ii) Door Lock
(iii) Lunch box
Q2. Using the following shapes, that is, Circle, rectangle, Hexagon, Tear drop & Triangle, compose any one of the following: (a) Personal Computer (b) Wind Chime (c) Letter Box”. Accompany it with a write up of 100 words.
Q3. Depict the process on any one of the following in four frames.
(i) Budding & blooming of the Rose flower
(ii) A Shirt on a clothing line from wet to dry
(iii) A bird taking flight from ground to sky
NIFT CAT 2019 Question Paper for MDes
Q1. Write an essay on the process of writing with pen and paper as compared to typing on laptop in context of which one do you prefer.
Q2. Share your experience of being blind folded for a day and listing five difficulties you faced with greater details about the most uncomfortable difficulty.
Q3. Design spectacles for:
- Traffic police
- School kids
- Sports person and
- Public transport passenger
Commonly asked questions
The NIFT admission committee may take student queries in case the NIFT exam is conducted as a remote-proctored exam. In this case, special hotlines may be created to help the candidate get their system in place. But note that as of now, there is no notification yet whether the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) will conduct mock tests or not. The institute will release the relevant notification, if needed, on its official website, once the admission process gets underway. In the NIFT exam, when the exam was held in a remote-proctored mode, candidate were allowed to ask queries during the mock test.
NIFT exam analysis will be available soon after written exams are over.
Analysis will cover
- Section-wise difficulty level of the exam
- Overall difficulty level
- Types of questions
- Specific questions asked in the exam
- Weightage of questions asked
- Expected cut-off
- About any technical glitches during the exam.
National Institute of Design releases sample papers of NIFT on its admission portal. These sample papers are available for all the UG and PG courses offered by NIFT participating institutes. To download sample papers, candidate simply needs to click on the sample paper they want to download. There is no need to create an applicant account or provide any other applicant details to download the sample papers. However, if the candidate wishes to download sample papers published by coaching institutes, he or she may be required to create an account. Further, the candidate, in most cases, has to pay a fee to use the sample papers.
It is recommended that the candidate make NIFT sample papers a part of their exam preparation strategy from the very beginning. For one, it will help the candidate evaluate their progress, hone their problem solving skills, and get a taste of the types of questions that will be asked in the entrance exam. Since at the start, most of the NIFT syllabus will be untouched, the candidate may focus on the topic they are preparing at that moment. In addition to the sample papers, the candidate must also keep solving the problem Sets given at the end of the chapter or end of the book. It is also important that the candidate keeps a close tab on the exam pattern and syllabus when solving the sample papers.
NIFT CAT 2018 Question Paper for BDes
Q1. Show one of the following procedures in four steps:
(a) Placing a bulb on a holder.
(b) A paper folding into a boat.
Q2. Design and illustrate in colour with details, a bag for yourself for any one of the given topics:
(a) Wedding
(b) Picnic
(c) Shopping
Q3. Depict your personality through a geometric shape, in colour.
NIFT CAT 2018 Question Paper for MDes
Q1. Write in 10 steps (any one):
(a) Preparation of tea
(b) Playing in rain
Q2. Design a chair reflecting their personality, supporting it with a write up of 250 words explaining their concept.
Q3. Draw a scene of any one:
(a) A teal stall
(b) The Chef at work
(c) The gardener at work
Commonly asked questions
Admission to the programme is based on GAT scores.
- The NIFT GAT question paper for the programme will be 180 minutes long and bilingual.
- The question type will be multiple-choice.
- The question paper will have a total of 150 questions.
- Questions will be asked from the following FIVE sections - Communication Ability and Comprehension, Case Study, Quantitative Ability, Analytical & Logical Ability, and GK and Current Affairs.
- The mode of NIFT exam for the GAT paper will be a computer-based test (or CBT).
There is no fixed number of mock tests one should take before the NIFT Entrance Exam. A candidate should take at least one mock test daily for the NIFT Entrance Preparation. 10-15 mock tests will really help in preparing for the exam.
Yes, exam analysis for NIFT M.Des programme will be released. The exam analysis will include elements like sectional and overall difficulty, types of questions asked, specific questions asked and expected cut-off. Candidates can go through exam analysis and access their performance before the actual results are declared.
NIFT CAT 2017 Question Paper
Q1. Draw any one of the following scenes:
- The view of the traffic signal from inside the car.
- A street play being organised
- A community festival celebration
Q2. Illustrate in colour a print on a T-shirt based on any one of the following themes:
- Music is the soul of life
- Save future wild life
- Dignity to aged
Q3. Express the contrast between the given pair of words through two separate visuals in given boxes. Out of the given three, one was to be attempted:
- Balanced/ Unbalanced
- Crispy/ Soggy
- Cluttered/ Uncluttered
NIFT CAT 2016 Question Paper
Q1. Show progression from one to another only through colours which are to be filled in a series of 10 blocks. Attempt any two.
(a) Cocoon to butterfly
(b) Dawn to Night
(c) Spring to Autumn
(d) Shiny metallic to Rust
Q2. Express the below mentioned emotions through colours:
(a) Sorrow
(b) Happiness
(c) Rebellious
(d) Astonishment
Q3. Design the below mentioned products:
(a) A textile print
(b) A footwear product
(c) A table utility product
(d) A clothing utility product
NIFT CAT 2015 Question Paper
Q1. Draw a poster on any one:
- Where there is a will there is a way
- Better late than never
- On every cloud there is a silver lining
Q2. Draw a mascot in a poster on any one topic:
- Swach Bharat Abhiyaan
- Make in India
- Food Security
Q3. Draw a Hindi/English alphabet and then add or delete some lines to make a product or a picture in four steps.
NIFT CAT 2014 Question Paper
Q1. Illustrate the dress of a tourist guide of the state you belong to. Label the accessories and fabric details.
Q2. Illustrate an expedition/trip in four steps from start to end, depicting feelings and emotions.
Q3. Draw a poster for voting/creating awareness about voting. Briefly explain your concepts in a few lines.
NIFT CAT 2013 Question Paper
Q1. If you are a lizard on a wall. With your reference, draw the whole room in which you are.
Q2. Illustrate and explain briefly the given words:
- Tsunami
- Summer
- Speed
- Love
- Tornado
Q3. Draw a pattern in the given grid using any 3 of the following motifs, and also explain the concept.
NIFT CAT 2012 Question Paper
Q1. Design a mascot for any one of the following topics:
- Keep city clean
- Pulse polio
- India against Corruption
Q2. Attempt any one of the options:
a) Within the frames show “Landing of an aircraft”
Or
b) Draw landscape of Spring, summer, autumn and winter. Colour suitably.
Q3. Design a creative poster on any one and write a suitable tagline
- Bookshop
- Cyber shop
- Fruit shop
NIFT CAT 2011 Question Paper
Q1. Depict the following words into the grid
- Trust
- Joy
- Fear
Q2. Draw the following scene, use only 3 colours
- Railway station
- Temple festival
- Republic day parade
Q3. Using a lead pencil, draw any one of the following scenes:
- Educating voters
- Corruption
- Right to education
NIFT CAT 2010 Question Paper
Q1. A grid of 10 by 10 inches is provided. Depict any one word in the grid.
- Enthusiasm
- Harmony
- Shock
Fill one colour in one box. You can even leave a few boxes vacant.
Q2. Design postal stamp for any one:
- Mother’s Day
- Commonwealth Games 2010
- Earth Hour
- World Health Day
Q3. Draw any one topic from the options given below (use only lead pencil)
- Magic show
- Obey traffic rules
- Go green
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Sayeba Naushad is a commerce postgraduate from Banaras Hindu University. She has over five years of experience in content writing and editing. She has a nose for current events in design field. At Shiksha.com, she s
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