NIFT Entrance Exam

NIFT Lateral Entry Admission (NLEA) provides an opportunity to candidates who have completed their Diploma in relevant or related fields of Design & Technology for direct admission to the third semester of UG programmes of NIFT. 

The exam timings for NIFT exam are given in the table below.

NIFT Situation Test will be conducted at 28 centres in 20 cities. The exact name of the centre will be mentioned in the Admit card.

PG candidates will be evaluated on the various parameters as listed below by a panel in the Personal Interview:

1. Career orientation 

2. Aptness for the course 

3. Overall personal achievements in academics and co-curricular activities 

4. Communication 

5. General awareness, aptitude, creative and lateral thinking 

The NIFT exam is among the most competitive and is also considered among the toughest. So, it is recommended that the candidate start 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. Unless the candidate is already well-versed, the exam will be very difficult. So, start early. The same goes for the GAT.

The Situation Test/ Personal Interview (PI) is the 2nd stage of the NIFT entrance exam. Candidates were shortlisted for the Situation Test/ PI based on the NIFT written exam scores.

• If the candidate fails to qualify for the 2nd stage, he or she is not considered for admission to various design courses offered by the NIFTs.
• The only exception is B.F.Tech program, where the merit list for admission will be prepared solely on the basis of GAT scores.

No, candidates are not allowed with an option to change their NIFT exam centre once the admit cards for the Situation Test have been released. So, it is recommended that the candidate take care when booking a centre. Considering exam centres will be allocated on a first-come, first served basis, it is also advisable to book slots as soon as the slot booking window opens. The admit card for the NIFT Situation Test will be issued soon after the slot booking process is over. The admit card will be issued to all candidates who have qualified in the written exam.

Admit card for NIFT will contain the important guidelines that candidates need to follow at the NIFT exam centre. 

• Candidate needs to report at the NIFT exam centre one hour before the commencement of the exam. 
• Candidate can't leave the exam hall until the exam ends.
• Entry to the exam centre will only be allowed when the candidate produces their id card and a valid photo id proof.
• The candidate must refrain from adopting unfair means inside the exam hall, including cheating, etc.
• For the CAT the candidate will have to bring along stationery items like blue or black ballpoint pen, HB pencils, eraser, sharpener and dry colours.

NIFT 2027 GAT paper for all the B.Des and M.Des courses will be conducted from 9 am - 11 am. Meanwhile, the GAT written exam for B.F.Tech, M.F.Tech, and M.F.M. courses will be conducted from 9 am - 12 noon.

The NIFT sample papers are meant to be used as practice material only. So, they can only be a part of the NIFT study material. To learn the basic concepts and theoretical aspects of the subject, you will still need to refer to NIFT textbooks.

 In addition to the sample and question papers released by the National Institute of Fashion Technology, the candidate may also solve sample papers published by leading publishers like Arihant.