What is the syllabus for the NIFT Personal Interview?

Candidates seeking admission to the Master's courses at NIFT participating need to appear in a Personal Interview after qualifying in NIFT written exam. Personal Interview is conducted in an offline mode. The interview will evaluate the candidate on the parameters like Career orientation, Aptness for the course, Overall personal achievements in academics and co-curricular activities, Communication, General awareness and aptitude, creative and lateral thinking. Note that the Personal Interview carries 30% weightage.

What is the syllabus for NIFT situation test?

Situation Test carries 20 percent weightage. It will be a hands-on test and will evaluate the candidate's material handling and innovative ability. Candidate will be asked to make a model or design using a given set of materials. Expert panel with evaluate the model on parameters like space visualization, innovative and creative use of given material, composition of elements, color scheme, construction skill, finesse of the model and overall presentation, etc. Candidate will also have to submit a write up explaining the model.

What is NIFT 2025 exam pattern for the B.FTech program?

The participating institutes of NIFTs offer a 4-year B.FTech programme. Admission to the programme is based on GAT scores. The NIFT 2025 GAT question paper for the programme will be of 180 minutes and will be bilingual. Candidates will have the option to take the exam either in English or Hindi. 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 2025 exam for the GAT paper will be computer-based-test (or CBT).

What is the exam pattern for the NIFT CAT paper?

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.

Can I carry my own material for the NIFT Situation Test?

The NIFT Situation Test is a hands-on test that B. Des candidates need to appear in after qualifying the written exam. During the Situation Test the candidate has to make a model. Note that the material for making the model will be provided to the candidate inside the exam hall; no other material expect that provided to the candidate is allowed. So, candidates appearing in the Situation Test must not bring any additional materials for the Situation Test. The Situation Test will be evaluated on the spot. It is mandatory for the candidate to draft a write-up explaining the model.

How many questions are asked in NIFT GAT?

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.

What is the syllabus for NIFT CAT?

The CAT test will evaluate the intuitive ability, power of observation concept development and design ability of the candidate. The CAT syllabus will include topics like Design Theory, Colour Terminology, Inspiration & Design Development, Colour Psychology & Optical Illusions, Elements & Principles Of Design, Mood, Theme & Colour Inter-relationship, Natural & Geometrical Form, etc. An important aspect of CAT paper is its thrust on the creative and innovative use of color and illustration. Note that during the course of the exam, the candidate cannot reveal their identity.

What materials can be used for making the model during NIFT Situation Test?

Candidates will be provided with the items for making the model during the NIFT Situation Test. Materials that students may be provided with are Glaze Papers, Plasticine Clay, Copper Wire, Ivory Sheets, Cardboard, Thermocol (thick And Thin), Kite Papers, Handmade Sheet, Coloured Clay, Cellophane, Fabric, Thread, Ribbon, Straw, Aluminum Foil, etc. The candidate can not use any other items except the ones provided in the exam hall.

What is the NIFT syllabus for GAT paper for the design courses?

The topics for NIFT GAT paper are given below, Quantitative Ability - Addition, Multiplication, Division, Fractions, Percentage, Rate of Interest, Work and Task, Ratio and Proportion, and Distance. Communication Ability and English- Comprehension, synonyms, antonyms, words with corresponding meanings, singular, plural, one-word substitutes, idioms and phrases, correct spellings, comprehend a situation from a given passage, etc. Analytical Ability and Logical Ability - Concepts and practices of creative and lateral thinking General Knowledge and Current Affairs: General knowledge and Current Affairs

How many sample papers do I need to prepare for NIFT?

For NIFT Preparation, candidates need to solve 30-40 sample papers in 6 months. When the exams are very near, one sample paper should be solved daily.

What details will be evaluated during the NIFT Situation Test?

NIFT situation test will evaluate the candidate on Colour scheme, Space visualization, Construction skill, Finesse of the model, Composition of elements, Overall presentation, Innovative and creative use of given material, etc. The Situation Test will be evaluated on the spot. Also, the model made by the candidate will not be preserved for future reference. The candidate must make sure that their model is unique and stands out from the crowd. After making the model, the candidate must make a write-up explaining the model.

NIFT Syllabus 2026 (GAT, CAT, Situation Test and PI): Written Exams Syllabus, Important Topics, No. of Questions

575 Students Q&A

This exam is conducted for courses given below:

B.Des BFTech MDes, MFM MFTech

Updated on Oct 17, 2025 16:48 IST

By Sayeba Naushad, Assistant Manager

NIFT Syllabus 2026 will be prescribed by the NTA. The exam is expected to have two parts: GAT and CAT. NIFT 2026 GAT syllabus will include topics like quantitative analytics, analytical ability, Communication Ability & English Comprehension, etc. CAT is a Creative Ability Test, in which candidates have to display their imagination, observation and creativity.

The NIFT exam syllabus also includes NIFT Situation Test and NIFT Personal Interview. BDes aspirants have to appear for the Situation Test, which is a hands-on test and will be conducted soon after the results are declared, and is mandatory for all B.Des candidates. The test will be held in an offline mode and is designed to evaluate one's material-handling skills and innovative ability in a given situation with a given set of materials. Candidates will also be required to write a NIFT write-up for the model created.

On the other hand, PG applicants have to appear for a PI. The duration of the PI will be 15-20 minutes. The detailed NIFT entrance exam 2026 syllabus for both the written exams and the Situation Test/ Interview is given below.

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Q: Do we need to join coaching to prepare for NIFT entrance exam?

Joining a coaching for NIFT preparation is not really needed. Coaching is for those who want to learn how to draw things. But, if someone has this talent, which most students passionate about sketching and painting do possess, there is no need for coaching. One can prepare through self-study. For your understanding, I would like to give an example. In coaching, students are made to learn how to draw the 3D image by various techniques using measuring instruments but one who is natural at art can imagine what 3D image would look like if it has to be drawn on a paper and would draw the same. In both cases, the outcome is the same. Regarding theory, that is, GAT, if you are confident to solve Maths, History, Geography, General science up till class 10th level, then there is definitely no need for coaching. Though the level of English is a bit high you can improve it yourself.

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