NIFT Entrance Test 2026 General Ability Test (GAT) Preparation Tips
National Institute of Fashion Technology Entrance Exam 2026 ( NIFT Entrance Exam )
NIFT GAT comprises of MCQs in Quantitative Analysis, Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability and General Awareness. Go through NIFT prep tips and find out what to expect in GAT 2026.
The NTA will conduct the NIFT Entrance Exam 2026 on February 08, 2026. The NIFT exam will be conducted in TWO stages. The 1st stage includes the written exams - The General Ability Test (GAT) and the Creative Ability Test (CAT). The GAT is common for all the courses, meaning that irrespective of which program you select for admission, you need to take the GAT.
Meanwhile, only B.Des and M.Des candidates need to take the NIFT CAT. The GAT exam will be conducted in a computer-based mode and could be a scoring option if the candidate prepares well. In this article, we will be talking about what to expect in the GAT (General Aptitude Test) of NIFT. This test comprises MCQs in Quantitative Analysis, Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability & General Awareness. Note that B.Des candidates who qualify in the written exam need to appear in a Situation Test. Meanwhile, NIFT PG candidates need to appear in a Personal Interview.
Latest Update:
- Exam Weightage for NIFT UG Programs
- Exam Weightage for NIFT PG Programs
- Exam Structure for NIFT UG Programs
- General Ability Test (GAT) Preparation Tips for NIFT Entrance Test 2026
Exam Weightage for NIFT UG Programs
| 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% |
Exam Weightage for NIFT PG Programs
| 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% |
Exam Structure for NIFT UG Programs
| Program |
Paper Name |
Language of Written Test |
Test Duration (minutes) |
No. of Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. Des |
GAT (CBT) CAT (PBT) |
English/Hindi |
120 + 180 |
100 + 3 |
| B.F. Tech |
GAT - Section A (CBT) |
English/Hindi |
120 |
100 |
| GAT - Section B (CBT) |
English/Hindi |
60 |
50 |
|
| B.F. Tech & B. Des. |
Section A (2 hrs) (CBT) Section B (1 hr) (CBT) CAT (3 hrs) (PBT) |
English/Hindi |
180 + 180 |
150 + 3 |
Exam Structure for NIFT MFM and M. Des Programs
| Program |
Paper Name |
Language of Written Test |
Test Duration (minutes) |
No. of Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MFM |
GAT (CBT) |
English/Hindi |
180 (3 hours) |
150 |
| M. Des |
GAT (CBT) + CAT (3 hrs.) |
English/Hindi |
120 (2 hours) |
120 |
| MFM & M. Des |
Section-A (2 hrs.) + Section-B (1 hr.) + CAT (3 hrs.) |
English/Hindi |
180 (3 hours) + 180 |
150 + 3 |
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General Ability Test (GAT) Preparation Tips for NIFT Entrance Test 2026
Here are some useful tips to prepare for the GAT paper.
NIFT Chennai cutoff 2025 has been released for different categories of students belonging to the General AI quota. Considering the Round 1 cutoff, the closing ranks for General AI category students varied between 130 and 1420. The most sought-after course for admission with the lowest cutoff rank of 130 was Master of Fashion Management (MFM). For other courses and specialisations, the cutoff ranks are tabulated below:
| Course | NIFT Round 1 Cutoff 2025 |
|---|---|
| B.Des. in Accessory Design | 551 |
| B.Des. in Textile Design | 972 |
| B.Des. in Knitwear Design | 1220 |
| B.FTech. in Apparel Production | 253 |
| Master of Fashion Management (MFM) | 130 |
| B.Des. in Fashion Design | 471 |
| B.Des. in Leather Design | 1420 |
| B.Des. in Fashion Communication | 299 |
Direct admission is not possible at the National Institute of Fashion Technology NIFT Jodhpur. Candidates must follow the eligibility criteria to apply for admission to several courses at the National Institute of Fashion Technology. The eligibility criteria for the admission to undergraduate courses is passed a three or four-year Diploma recognised by the AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) or to pass Class 12 from a recognised board or the State Board of Technical Education. The accepted entrance exam is NIFT Entrance Exam and others.
Essentials:
To score the maximum marks in GAT, students are required to focus on Mathematics up to Class 10 level, should have a logical bend of mind, continuous usage of English as a language, and finally, an aptitude for garnering knowledge from around the world.
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Verbal Aptitude and Reading Comprehension:
The exam tests the all-around performance of the student, so the students should be voracious readers of newspapers and Magazines. This improves their ability in Communication Skills, Reading Comprehension and most importantly General Awareness. A habit of reading will abreast the student with vocabulary, sentence formation, usage of prepositions and other grammatical rules. This will also improve their reading speed along with comprehension techniques. With proper guidance, they should be able to understand the techniques to comprehend.
Quantitative Ability:
On the other hand, Quantitative Aptitude requires practice to the core. Any standard book or apt coaching should be sufficient to understand the basics of Quantitative Ability. However, after that, the student is required to practice the questions within a specified time limit. Some standard books for the practice of Quantitative Analysis may include Objective Quantitative Ability by RS Aggarwal and Quicker Maths by M Tyra.
During the Situation Test, the candidate will be provided with a set of materials. Using these materials, the candidate will be required to make specific models. In this test, candidates are required to create a 3D model based on the question asked for, which they are given 2 hours, within which they need to conceptualize and complete the model.
After completing the mode, the candidate will also have to draft a write-up, which is evaluated by the jury later. Note that besides material exploration & management skills, NIFT also lays great emphasis on time management skills and students are closely monitored on the fact that whether they have managed to complete the task at hand in two hours or not.
NIFT Bhubaneshwar offers admission to BDes course based on NIFT Entrance Exam. The test comprises of General Ability Test, Creative Ability Test and Situation Test. Below is the weightage of each selection parameter for BDes course:
| Entrance Exam | Weightage |
|---|---|
| CAT | 50% |
| GAT | 30% |
| Situation Test | 20% |
The reporting time for NIFT 2026 entrance exam will be mentioned on the admit card issued to candidates.
Programmes | Test | Examination Time |
|---|---|---|
Bachelor of Design | GAT | 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon |
CAT | 03:00 PM to 06:00 PM | |
Bachelor of Design (NLEA) | GAT | 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon |
Bachelor of Fashion Technology | GAT | 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
Bachelor of Fashion Technology (NLEA) | GAT | 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
Bachelor of Fashion Technology and Bachelor of Design | GAT | 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
CAT | 03:00 PM to 06:00 PM | |
Master of Design | GAT | 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon |
CAT | 03:00 PM to 06:00 PM | |
Master of Fashion Management | GAT | 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
Master of Fashion Management and Master of Design | GAT | 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
CAT | 03:00 PM to 06:00 PM | |
Master of Fashion Technology | GAT | 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
Logical reasoning:
Logical Reasoning is one section where the students are required to apply their understanding and application of mind. It tests the basic application of ideas. At the outset, the student should go through the topics that form part of the NIFT entrance exam, and then they should practice. The book by Dr RS Aggarwal for Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning will be a good source for the students for practice.
General Tips:
Nothing is better than the practice of Mock Tests and the past years' NIFT question papers. During the last week of examination, the students should take as many tests as possible to acclimate themselves to the examination conditions. Regular reading of newspapers, magazines and articles should be in the curriculum of the student.
Read More:
| Tips to prepare for NIFT Creative Ability Test | |
Dr Anup has been a facilitator in various areas of test prep for the last 18 years. His expertise has been utilized by various colleges and institutes in Delhi/NCR. He has been instrumental in guiding students for Aptitude Training for various programmes in Delhi, Gwalior, Agra, Mathura, and Jhansi. He has been associated as an Aptitude Trainer for AFA since 2008 for all its Delhi branches. He offers guidance with regard to the preparation of the Test Series for NIFT and editing the content for the AFA webpage - www.afaindia.com.
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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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 3 days ago
After the release of the NIFT Stage 1 result, NTA will conduct NIFT stage 2 exam for candidates who have cleared the Stage 1 exam. NIFT Stage 2 will have Situation test and Personal Interview.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
You will not be offered any direct admission to NIFT Delhi even if you are a class 12th topper. Candidates must fill the NIFT Entrance Application and appear for the exam. If they clear the cutoff, admission is offered.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
NIFT and NID are equally tough. NIFT has two stages: NIFT Written exam and NIFT Situation Test and Personal Interview, whereas NID DAT also has two stages: NID DAT Prelims and NID Mains, which include Studio test and Personal Interview.
Candidate who is preparing for NIFT can give NID DAT entrance e
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
NIFT and UCEED are equally tough. NIFT has more levels or stage where as UCEED has only one level. UCEED focuses more on Graphic design, Product Design, etc., whereas NIFT focuses on Fashion design, Textile design, etc. The difficulty level of the exam depends on the preparation of the candidates.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
NIFT Entrance Exam consists of NIFT Written exam: GAT and CAT. After this, the second stage is NIFT Situation Test and Personal Interview.
NIFT CAT is said to be the hardest and most time taking in the first stage. In the second stage, NIFT Situation test is considered to be hard. But all these can b
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
NTA will be releasing the NIFT 2026 Question Paper for Stage 1 along with the provisional Answer Key. Candidates will be able to download the question paper by logging into NIFT portal.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Good score for B.F.Tech is 95+ for General, 80 for OBC, 60 for SC/ST. The final result will be declared in April 2026.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, 40 is a good marks for NIFT B.Des 2026 this year (expected). For NIFT B.Des, General Category, 40 - 50 is the goodscore for the general category, for OBC, it will be around 30, for SC/ST, it will be around 30.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
The expected cutoff for NIFT M.Des is given below:
| Category | Expected Cutoff M.Des |
|---|---|
| Open | 26-70 |
| EWS | 22 |
| OBC | 22 |
| SC | 16 |
| ST | 16-18 |
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
The expected cutoff for NIFT 2026 for B.Des is:
| Category | Expected Cutoff for B.Des |
|---|---|
| Open | 30-80 |
| EWS | 26-29 |
| OBC | 26-29 |
| SC | 22 |
| ST | 19 |
S
Contributor-Level 10
The NIFT exam is among the competitive and is also considered among the toughest. So, it is recommended that the candidate starts their exam preparation early. NIFT exam has various components like written exam and Situation Test /Personal Interview. Candidates seeking admission to the B. Des and M.Des courses need to prepare for both the CAT and GAT. The CAT is a drawing-based exam. Now unless the candidate is already well-versed, the exam will be very difficult. So, start early. The same goes for the GAT.