
PU DAT Exam Pattern 2026: Parul Institute of Design conducts the PU DAT exam for admission to the B.Des and M. Des courses offered at the institute.
The PU DAT 2026 exam will have
- Written test
- Portfolio
The candidate must first appear in the written exam. If shortlisted, the candidate must mail the portfolio to the admission committee within the given deadline.
The Personal Interview (3rd stage) will be held for candidates who get shortlisted based on the Portfolio. The exam will be conducted online.
- PUDAT Pattern Syllabus Overview
- PU DAT Exam Pattern for Written Test
- PU DAT Exam Pattern for Subjective Round
- PU DAT Exam Pattern for Portfolio Round
- PUDAT 2026 Total Marks and Marking Scheme
- PUDAT 2026 Exam sections and important topics
- PU DAT Exam Pattern 2026 - FAQs
PUDAT Pattern Syllabus Overview
Check out the highlights for the PUDAT Entrance Exam.
Highlights of the PUDAT EXAM 2026
| Parameters | Description |
|---|---|
| Mode | Online Proctored (PC/Laptop-based exam) |
| Duration of the exam | 60 mins + 120 min |
| Total number of questions | 43 |
| Type of questions | MCQ, Match the Columns, Fill in the blanks, image-based and comprehension-based. |
| Marking Scheme |
+1 mark for every correct attempt
There is no negative marking.
|
| Total marks | 200 |
Commonly asked questions
PU DAT 2026 sample papers are good resources/ tools to prepare for an entrance exam.
So, make use of it. You can solve sample papers at any time/ stage of your exam preparation.
By solving sample papers you can get exam ready.
Also, silly mistakes can be fixed by solving sample papers. You can also improve your problem-solving and time management.
Parul University will conduct the PU DAT 2025 exam on Janaury 26, 2025. Candidates who succesfully filled out the application form could sit in the exam.
Note that PU DAT entrance exam is conducted in multiple phases.
The candidate can choose any phase that is suitable to them.
PU DAT 2026 exam will of three hours and will include 40 multiple choice based questions. Each question will carry 1 mark; total marks for the exam will be of 60 marks.
The candidate must make it a point to strictly follow the official exam pattern. Candidates need to check the pattern given by the institute.
PU DAT Exam Pattern for Written Test
PU DAT 2026 written test will have 40 multiple choice questions of 40 marks. Duration of exam is one hours. Candidates will be asked questions from Design, Logical and Analytical Reasoning, Critical Thinking, and General Knowledge.
| Section | Details | Number of Questions | Marks | Time (Minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCQ Section | Logical Reasoning, Analytical Ability, General knowledge, Design Thinking, Critical Thinking | 40 | 40 | 60 Minutes |
| Subjective Section | Candidate will be require to solve 3 questions that test creativity, design thinking, analytical & critical thinking skills. | 3 | 60 | 120 Minutes |
| Portfolio Submission | Candidate must be upload their Creative Portfolio on the same exam portal on the day of the test. The portfolio may include artworks, sketches, photography or any design-related work and will be evaluated as part of the final selection process. | - | 100 | - |
| Total | - | 43 | 200 | 180 Minutes + Portfolio Submission |
The written exam will have the following sections.
| PUD DAT Topics |
Total Questions |
Total Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Design |
40 |
40 |
| Logical and Analytical Reasoning |
||
| Critical Thinking |
||
| General Knowledge |
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
No, PU does not accept scores of any other entrance exam. So no, the NATA score will not be taken into account for the DAT. It offers BDes admissions only through PU DAT entrance exam. Candidates seeking admission to the BDes programme are therefore urged to go through the program-specific eligibility criteria before they apply for admission.
Yes, PU DAT is common for all candidates seeking BDes admissions at Parul Institute of Design. The candidate must check out the eligibility criteria for their programs before applying for admission.
So, whether you are an NRI candidate or hold Indian domicile, you may apply for admission. Just make sure that you meet the eligibility criteria for the programme you are applying for admission to.
PU DAT Exam Pattern for Subjective Round
In this round, candidates will be required to solve 3 questions that will test creativity, design thinking, analytical and critical thinking skills.
| Section | Number of Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subjective Section | 3 | 60 | 120 Minutes |
PUDAT Prep Tips
Follow easy steps below to start with PUDAT preparations for admissions:
- Go through PUDAT syllabus 2026 completely.
- Understand PUDAT exam pattern and marking scheme and prepare accordingly.
- Get all study material for PUDAT, such as prep books and previous year's question papers.
- Create a monthly plan on how much syllabus to cover daily.
- Solve question papers, sample papers and mock tests.
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
Yes, Parul Institute of Design (PID) offers scholarships to candidates based on the average scores of candidates in DAT, portfolio and interview. The criteria adopted to give scholarship is given below.
- 90% or above score – 30% scholarship on the first year fee
- 80-90% score – 20% scholarship on the first year fee
- 70-80% score – 10% scholarship on the first year fee
The PU DAT exam will inlcude sub-exams like - online test, portfolio and personal interview.
It is mandatory for the candidate to appear in all the components of the entrance exam. If a candidate doesn't appear in any exam round, he or she will not be considered for admission.
Note PU DAT exam is conducted for admisison to the B.Des program.
PU DAT 2026 sample papers are good resources/ tools to prepare for an entrance exam.
So, make use of it. You can solve sample papers at any time/ stage of your exam preparation.
By solving sample papers you can get exam ready.
Also, silly mistakes can be fixed by solving sample papers. You can also improve your problem-solving and time management.
PU DAT Exam Pattern for Portfolio Round
All candidates who have cleared the written exam are called to send their portfolios through email. There is no prescribed pattern for the portfolio round. However, here candidates are expected to showcase their best and recent artwork/designs/projects to exam authorities. The objective of conducting a portfolio round is typically to assess the creative aptitude of candidates.
The candidate must upload Creative Portfolio on the PUDAT exam portal on the day of the entrance test. The portfolio may include artworks, sketches, photography or any design-related work and will be evaluated as part of the final selection process.
| Section | Particulars | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio Submission | Uploading of Portfolio | 100 |
Also Read:
- Learn How to Create the Perfect Portfolio for Admission to Design School
- How to make a Design Portfolio: Structure, Layout, Sample and Steps
Commonly asked questions
Yes, there is no limit on number of attempts for PU DAT. Candidate must meet prescribed eligibility criteria for admission session. So, when applying for exam, make sure that you go through prescribed eligibility criteria. PUDAT Applications are open for all programmes.
PU DAT 2026 exam will of three hours and will include 40 multiple choice based questions. Each question will carry 1 mark; total marks for the exam will be of 60 marks.
The candidate must make it a point to strictly follow the official exam pattern. Candidates need to check the pattern given by the institute.
Yes, PU DAT is common for all candidates seeking BDes admissions at Parul Institute of Design. The candidate must check out the eligibility criteria for their programs before applying for admission.
So, whether you are an NRI candidate or hold Indian domicile, you may apply for admission. Just make sure that you meet the eligibility criteria for the programme you are applying for admission to.
PUDAT 2026 Total Marks and Marking Scheme
PUDAT Entrance Exam is of 100 marks. There are 43 sections.
PUDAT Marks and Marking Scheme
| Section | Number of Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| MCQ Section | 40 | 40 |
| Subjective Section | 3 | 60 |
| Portfolio Submission | - | 100 |
PUDAT Marks for Subjective Questions
There will be 3 questions and of 60 marks.
| Section | Number of Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Subjective Section | 3 | 60 |
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
The PUDAT Entrance exam was on January 10, 2026 and January 25, 2026. The exam is conducted online for all the candidates.
PUDAT Entrance Exam will be of 3 hours. Section 1 will of 60 minutes, Subjective Section will be 2 hours. Portfolio submission will be also done on the same day.
Design Aptitude is a test that is a part of most of the Design entrance exams in India. Through this test, the Design institutes examines the designing and creative ability of candidates. It includes questions related to sketching, drawing and reasoning. This test usually is the first step of any design exam. Candidates must focus on its preparations.
PUDAT 2026 Exam sections and important topics
The sections for PUDAT and important topics are given below.
| Section | Details |
|---|---|
| MCQ Section | Logical Reasoning, Analytical Ability, General knowledge, Design Thinking, Critical Thinking |
| Subjective Section | Candidate will be require to solve 3 questions that test creativity, design thinking, analytical & critical thinking skills. |
| Portfolio Submission | Candidate must be upload their Creative Portfolio on the same exam portal on the day of the test. The portfolio may include artworks, sketches, photography or any design-related work and will be evaluated as part of the final selection process. |
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
PU DAT 2026 sample papers are good resources/ tools to prepare for an entrance exam.
So, make use of it. You can solve sample papers at any time/ stage of your exam preparation.
By solving sample papers you can get exam ready.
Also, silly mistakes can be fixed by solving sample papers. You can also improve your problem-solving and time management.
Sample papers can be solved as part of PU DAT 2026 exam preparation.
Also, you can solve them very early on in your exam preparation.
If you have completed a few topics, try solving questions related to those topics. As you move deeper into the syllabus, there will be more questions to solve.
Solve as many sample papers as you can.
In the 2nd stage of the exam, candidates will be called to email their portfolios on the basis of their scores in DAT written exam (first stage). Then Personal Interview (Third Stage) shall be held. A final list will be generated by Parul University on the basis of the sum total of the weighted scores secured by the candidate in each stage of the admissions process. Note that everything is conducted online.
PU DAT Exam Pattern 2026 - FAQs
Here are a few FAQs on PU DAT exam pattern 2026 and exam.
The application for PUDAT 2026 is open for all the programmes. Candidates must check the eligibility criteria before applying for the PU DAT programmes.
Parul University will release admit cards for PU DAT 2026 exam soon after the online application form closes. The admit card has to be downloaded online using credentials. It will contain details like date and time of exam, roll number, and exam centre name and address.
PU DAT 2026 exam will be conducted by Parul Institute of Design to check aptitude, achievement, motivation and perception abilities of the candidate. Selection process will be held in three stages
1. DAT- Design Aptitude Test
2. Portfolio Round
3. Personal Interview
Parul University will conduct the PU DAT 2025 exam on Janaury 26, 2025. Candidates who succesfully filled out the application form could sit in the exam.
Note that PU DAT entrance exam is conducted in multiple phases.
The candidate can choose any phase that is suitable to them.
Eligible candidates need to email their portfolios, (the second stage of DAT) on the basis of their scores in PU DAT 2026 written exam (first stage). The candidate has to next appear in Portfolio Round. A final list will be generated by PU on the basis of the sum total of the weighted scores secured by the candidate in each stage of the admissions process.
Note that all the stages of the PU DAT 2026 exam is conducted online.
In a Design Aptitude Test, candidates are asked drawing, sketching and general reasoning questions. Candidate needs to prepare for each question type to get a good score in DAT.
Some of the top design entrance exams that candidates can take include NIFT, NID DAT, UCEED, and SEED.
Yes, PU DAT is common for all candidates seeking BDes admissions at Parul Institute of Design. The candidate must check out the eligibility criteria for their programs before applying for admission.
So, whether you are an NRI candidate or hold Indian domicile, you may apply for admission. Just make sure that you meet the eligibility criteria for the programme you are applying for admission to.
PU DAT Exam