NID Exam Centres 2026 (OUT): Test Centre City for Studio Test & Interview, Reporting Time, Instructions

NID Centre can be changed only at the time of NID Application edit Window. After this, no centre can be changed.

NID Mains Exam will consist of Studio Test and Interview. NID 2026 Mains exam will be conducted at Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Gandhinagar. 

Details of NID DAT 2026 Exam centre, name, address, and reporting time are given in the NID DAT 2026 Admit card. DAT Prelims admit card was available for download from December 11, 2025.

No, National Institute of Design may not make any arrangements for a baggage counter. So, candidates must bear this in mind when packing for NID DAT Prelims exam.

It is recommended that candidate only pack bare essentials and not bring unnecessary stuff to exam centre. Also, expensive items like smartphones, jewellery, gadgets, etc., should be better left at home.

The NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) exam will be conducted in the first week of January 2026. The exam will be conducted in the following 22 cities - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kurukshetra, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada.

The candidate has to select their choice of exam city at the time of filling out the NID DAT 2026 Application form. Note that an exam city may have one or more test centres. The allotment of exam centres will be made considered available seats in respective centres and choice of the candidate.

The reporting time for NID DAT will be mentioned in the Admit card, along with gate closing time, and exam timings and date.

The candidate needs to report for the DAT Prelims exam at 8 am. The gates of the exam center will close at 9:30 AM (or 30 minutes before the commencement of the exam). After that no candidate will be allowed inside the exam hall.

NID DAT Exam timings:

• B.Des - 10 am - 1 pm
• M.Des - 10 am - 12.30 pm

Details of NID DAT 2026 Exam centre, name, address, and reporting time are given in the NID DAT 2026 Admit card. DAT Prelims admit card was available for download from December 11, 2025.

The NID DAT exam is conducted in two stages. First, the candidate has to appear in DAT Prelims, and if shortlisted has to appear in DAT Mains.

The results of DAT Prelims for B.Des will be declared on April 07, 2026, while results for the M.Des programme will be declared on February 12, 2026.

The candidate will be able to check their results by logging into the result portal using their email ID and date of birth. Such candidates who get shortlisted have to next appear in DAT Mains.

No, there is no negative marking in the NID Studio Test. Candidates will be evaluated based on their thinking and creative skills. Studio Test will carry 40% of the total Marks for the NID Mains Exam.

The NIDs have a combined intake of 425 seats for the B. Des programme. Of these, 45 seats are earmarked for the Industrial Design programme. The candidate can select from specializations like Ceramic and Glass Design, Furniture & Interior Design, and Product Design. The candidate will be able to select the programme of specialisation at the time of counselling. 

The NID DAT 2026 Exam will be conducted for admission to B. Des and M.Des courses. The NID DAT Mains results for the B. Des program is expected to be in the third week of May, 2026. Meanwhile, DAT Mains results for the M.Des programme will be announced in the first week of May, 2026.

The NID DAT results will be declared online at admissions.nid.edu.To check your results, log-in using your email id and date of birth. Such candidates who qualify in DAT Mains will be shortlisted for counselling and seat allotment.

NID DAT Entrance Exam 2026 Prelims exam was conducted offline in pen and paper mode. It was conducted at the NID test centres.

NID DAT Mains exam: Studio Test and Interview, will be conducted offline at the test centres in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Gandhinagar.

NID DAT Prelims 2026 exam will take place in 17 cities in India. Each of these exam cities may have one or more test centres. Candidate will have to select their choice of exam centres for the DAT Prelims exam when filling out the NID DAT 2026 Application form. Candidates must be careful when selecting the exam city, because they will not be allowed to change it after the Application edit window closes.

NID Studio Test for M.Des carries 40% of wieghtage and Interview carries 60% wieghtage. More emphasis is given on the interview by NID.

The NID DAT 2026 Studio Test and Interview for the M.Des program will be conducted from in the first week of March 2026. Candidates will be shortlisted for DAT Mains on the basis of their performance in DAT Prelims.

The Studio Test and Interview will be conducted programme-wise from. Candidates who have qualified DAT prelims are eligible to appear in DAT Mains, which comprise a Studio Test and Interview for the M.Des programme. The Studio Test is usually conducted from 9 am - 12 noon. The Interview will be conducted after the completion of the studio test.

NID DAT Mains 2026 exam for the B. Des and M.Des programme will be conducted in 17 cities. NID DAT 2026 exam was conducted on December 21, 2025 and application was closed on December 01, 2025.

The NIDs have a combined intake of 425 seats for the B. Des programme. Of these, 45 seats are earmarked for the Industrial Design programme. The candidate can select from specializations like Ceramic and Glass Design, Furniture & Interior Design, and Product Design. The candidate will be able to select the programme of specialisation at the time of counselling. 

The NID DAT 2026 Exam will be conducted for admission to B. Des and M.Des courses. The NID DAT Mains results for the B. Des program is expected to be in the third week of May, 2026. Meanwhile, DAT Mains results for the M.Des programme will be announced in the first week of May, 2026.

The NID DAT results will be declared online at admissions.nid.edu.To check your results, log-in using your email id and date of birth. Such candidates who qualify in DAT Mains will be shortlisted for counselling and seat allotment.

The results of the DAT Prelims will include the qualifying status of the candidate. If the candidate fails to qualify DAT Prelims, he or she will not be eligible to appear in DAT Mains.

Note that the Desing Aptitude Test (DAT) conducted by the National Institute of Design (NID) has two sub-exams: DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.

Both the exams are mandatory.

Also, the final merit list is prepared by giving weighatage to DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. So, if a can candidate fails to qualify DAT Prelims or doesn’t appear in DAT Mains, the candidate will be disqualified from the admission process.

The NIDs offer a full-time B.Des programme of 4-year duration, and a full-time M.Des programme of two-and-half years duration. 

The institute, in addition, also offers a PhD program. The programme can be pursed full-time or part-time. 

Admission to the design courses at the NID is conducted through a Design Aptitude Test (DAT). The exam comprise DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.

The final result or merit list is prepared by giving weightage to DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.

Admission to the NIDs is conducted through the NID Entrance Examination. The NID exam has two stages - the candidate first appears in the that Prelims. Scores of the that Prelims are used to then shortlist candidates for that Mains. The final merit list for NID DAT 2026 will be prepared by giving weightage to that Prelims and that Mains. Note that the National Institute of Design hasn't yet released the weightage for the that Prelims and that Mains.

The NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) exam will be on December 21, 2025. Meanwhile, the DAT exams for the M.Des programme will be conducted tentatively in March, whereas DAT Mains for the B. Des programme will be conducted in April 2026.

The NID DAT translates to the National Institute of Design - Design Aptitude Test. The Design Aptitude Test has two parts - DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. The candidate has to first appear in DAT Prelims. If shortlisted, the candidate has to appear in DAT Mains.

Note that NID DAT scores are accepted for admission to the B.Des and M.Des programs offered by participating colleges. This means, the NIDs will not accept scores of no other entrance exams for admission purposes.

The DAT Prelims exam is typically conducted in January.

NID Entrance Exam consists of two admissions tests: NID DAT Prelims and NID DAT Mains. NID DAT Prelims is a written entrance exam, while NID DAT Mains comprises a studio test and interview round. In NID DAT Prelims, candidates are asked both objective and subjective-type questions. Candidates who qualify in the NID DAT 2026 exam will be considered for admission to the M.Des and B. Des courses offered by participating colleges. The that Prelims exam for the B. Des programme will include questions from topics like color terminology, principles of composition, and form and function.

If you want to get a good rank in NID DAT, sketching is very important. Practice live sketching daily. Sketch daily objects. Sketch from the previous year question paper.