NATA 2021 Preparation Tips: Here’s Your Complete Guide

Here is all you need to know about NATA 2021 preparation tips which includes NATA 2021 pattern, syllabus, best books, preparation tips and previous year NATA questions papers.

The biggest struggle for a student is to prepare for an exam. With architecture as one of the most popular streams among the candidates, NATA 2021 is one of the most popular architecture entrance exams among students. For this exam, aspirants must have an effective preparation plan for a good result. As far as a preparation plan is concerned it must include components such as a proper strategy, subject-wise allocation of study hours, good quality study material, mock tests and previous year NATA question papers. This article below will cover the following sections and we will help you know various aspects of NATA 2021 preparation tips for BArch exam related topics:

• What is NATA?
• Preparation Strategy for NATA 2021
• How to prepare for NATA in lockdown
• Understand NATA exam pattern
• Know NATA Exam syllabus
• Sections wise NATA preparation strategy
• Best books for NATA preparation
• Importance of NATA mock test

NATA is one of the major entrance exams in the country through which candidates will be able to get admission to the B.Arch course in colleges across the country. The Council of Architecture (CoA) conducts the NATA exam in two sessions, the first session takes place in April and the second one in May. This year the first session has been postponed and the dates for the second session are likely to be revised due to the Coronavirus epidemic and complete lockdown situation in the country. 

NATA entrance examination is tough to crack shiksha.com is going to help students by helping them in devising an effective study plan. Now the students who have registered themselves for NATA 2021 must start preparing from now on for good results. Read on to know the preparation strategy for the NATA exam.

Preparation Strategy for NATA 2021

Various entrance exam experts, candidates seeking good score/marks in the NATA entrance examination should start preparing as early as possible. To score well in the NATA entrance examination, drawing skills alone will not help and more than drawing. There will be questions asked from the topics like composing 3-D elements, memory drawing, understanding scale & proportions, sense of perspective drawing, effects of light & shadow, etc.

Candidates expecting good marks and scores need to be creative and think unconventionally for the best fruitful result. Preparation for every exam always depends on the individual's ability, dedication, and how effective is their strategy. For all the NATA 2021 candidates, it is very important to know them that - how long to study for or how much time they must devote to study? But above all they must know is how to study. Each candidate needs to create a concept before they begin their preparation for the NATA entrance examination.

Now that a candidate knows how to study, the next step would be to focus on the NATA syllabus and how much they can cover within a given time frame. It also suggested that aspirants must devote their last month to mock tests and solving NATA previous year question papers. This way, they will be able to gain speed and accuracy required to solve the NATA questions.

Understand NATA exam pattern

CoA (Council of Architecture) along with the exam notification has also released the guidelines related to the NATA 2021 exam pattern. The exam pattern for NATA is not changed. As the exam pattern of NATA 2021 has been announced, candidates can look at some of the changes made in the question paper pattern below. The duration of the Drawing test will be of 135 minutes. The time duration for the NATA 2021 aptitude test has been reduced to 45 minutes.

For detailed NATA exam pattern - Click here

NATA 2021 will be divided into two parts - Part A and Part B

Exam Pattern for Mathematics & General Aptitude Test

• Only one option will be correct among the options
• Every correct response will be awarded 1.5 marks
• There will be no negative marking for incorrect answers
• Attempting wrong answers will be penalised in case of tie-breaking

Exam Pattern for Drawing Test

• Candidates will be judged on their ability to sketch a given object proportionately and rendering the same in a visually appealing manner and perspective drawing skills
• Visualising and drawing the effects of light on the object and shadows cast on surroundings
• Combining and composing given three-dimensional elements to form a building or structural form and creating interesting two-dimensional compositions with the help of given shapes and forms
• Creating visual harmony using colours in a given composition and basic understanding of scale- proportions
• Drawing sketches from memory through pencil various themes from day to day experiences

Know NATA Exam syllabus

The Council of Architecture (CoA) will release the syllabus guidelines for the NATA 2021 exam. All the questions asked in the NATA entrance exam are from the prescribed syllabus released by the exam authorities. Questions will be from various categories and will test candidates' intelligence and the ability to apply concepts. We advise all the students not to go beyond the exam syllabus because it is very vast and exhaustive. The syllabus prescribed by the exam authority will cover almost all the aspects of the exam.

For detailed syllabus - Click Here

Sections wise NATA preparation strategy

The NATA 2021 entrance exam will be divided into two sections. Section A comprises of Maths and Aptitude which have Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). In this section, candidates are required to select one correct option that has to be answered online. In Section B, there will be a Drawing-based test that a candidate has to take on the A4 size sheet. The best thing about NATA examination is that there is no negative marking done. So, a candidate can attempt all the questions without any fear of marks deduction.

NATA 2021 Part A

General Aptitude

• In the case of the Aptitude section, a candidate must keep his/her general knowledge updated
• They must have gained information on various topics such as:
  • Buildings in India and the World
  • Important Architects of India and the World, Logical and Reasoning Ability questions
  • General Maths questions like area, volume Mirror Images
  • Building Materials and Terminology, Common Architectural Terminology, what is 2D, speed/distance/time
  • What are 3D objects and their plans and elevations, etc

Mathematics

• For Maths questions, candidates can go through the CBSE books
• The math portion in the NATA exam is usually easy and there will be high chances to score well in this section

NATA 2021 Part B

Drawing: In this paper, candidates are required to attempt two drawing questions in the time frame of 90 minutes. Marks will be awarded to candidates after considering the following factors:

• Drawing things from day to day experiences
• Understanding of scale and balance
• Creating visual harmony using colours in a given proportion
• Creating an interesting 2-D composition using given shapes and forms
• Combining and composing given 3-D elements to form a structure
• Sense of perspective drawing/thinking ability

Best books for NATA preparation

We advise all the candidates to choose correct books for NATA preparation. However, it a tough to decide from the best books available in the market and which one we must pickup for further help. To simplify this equation, below is the list of some books that the candidates must follow for preparation.

Subject wise Reference Books

Importance of NATA Mock Test

All the candidates who have decided to appear to appear for NATA examination must consider NATA 2021 Mock tests as one of the best ways of revision as it will help you understand the NATA 2021 exam pattern. The mock test will include questions from Mathematics, General Aptitude, and Drawing. The duration of the mock test will be 3 hours. Read the below important points to know better:

• Practising NATA Mock tests will give a fair idea as to how the questions will be asked in the actual exam
• Taking up the Mock tests will help candidates work on their test-taking strategies and help them prepare well in advance
• With the help of NATA mock tests, students will be able to increase their paper attempting speed and accuracy
• Solving mock tests will increase the confidence and productivity of the candidates
• With more practice, candidates will get to know about their weak areas and can start practicing more

One more thing, it is very important to follow the schedule mentioned in the NATA Brochure and NATA 2021 Admit Card. All the candidates must not forget to take your NATA to admit card with you on examination day. Also, carry their pencils and coloured pencils for drawing exam, avoid asking for these at the time of examination.

Also Read:

• NATA 2021 Application Form (Out), Exam Date, Eligibility, Syllabus