National Institute of Design (NID) Entrance Exam Guide 2024

What is the National Institute of Design Entrance Exam?

Commonly referred to as NID DAT, the NID Design Aptitude Test is a two-tiered design entrance exam comprising preliminary and mains exams. Annually, the entrance exam is administered nationwide to select candidates for admission to NID campuses’ B.Des. and M.Des. programmes. The NID DAT evaluates candidates’ knowledge, skills, and behavioural talents. The results of candidates’ NID DATs determine their admittance to NID in full.

Purpose of the National Institute of Design Entrance Exam

The National Institute of Design administers the NID Design Aptitude Test (DAT).

This is a national entrance exam, for candidates who want admission in undergraduate and graduate design programmes. NID Ahmedabad, NID Andhra Pradesh, NID Haryana, NID Madhya Pradesh, and NID Assam all offer the Bachelor of Design (B.Des. – 4 Years) programme.

NID aims to provide the right candidate for admission in undergraduate design courses.

Highlights & Exam Pattern of the National Institute of Design Entrance Exam

The NID exam is widely popular for its way of conducting smooth and hassle-free exams. Here are some highlights of the NID entrance test:

Name of the Exam	The National Institute of Design Aptitude Test
Conducting Body	The National Institute of Design
Exam Level	Undergraduate and Graduate
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Mode of Exam	Offline
Sections	2
Types of Questions	– Objective Type – Subjective Type
Interview	In the Mains exam, there will be a – Studio Test and – Personal Interview
Marking Scheme	No negative marking
Exam Duration	3 hours
Total Questions	Part I- 27 Questions Part II- 5 Questions
Total Marks	Part I- 40 Marks Part II- 75 Marks
Medium of Exam	English
Official Website	NID

Eligibility Criteria

NID Exam requires common eligibility as most of the undergraduate programmes. But there are few specific requirements for different courses. You can check the official website to learn more about the coursework details and their eligibility. Here are the eligibility criteria:

1. 1. B.Des. Programme:

      Applicants must have completed 12th grade in any stream (Science, Humanities, or Commerce) from an approved board such as the CBSE, IB, ICSE, or a similar one. Applicants who plan to sit for the Class 12 examinations in 2024 are also welcome to apply. It is to be noted that only those candidates who are born on or after July 1, 2003 (July 1, 2000 for SC/ST & July 1, 1998 for PwD) can apply.

   2. M.Des. Programme:

      Must hold a bachelor’s degree of minimum four years of duration from an accredited college or university. It is to be noted that only those candidates who are born on or after July 1, 1992 (July 1, 1989 for SC/ST & July 1, 1987 for PwD) can apply.

National Institute of Design Entrance Exam Date 2024

Event	Tentative Dates
Registration Process Start Date	08 September 2023
Registration Process Ending Date	01 December 2023
Date for Editing Application Form	05 December – 07 December 2023
Mock Tests Release Date	December 2023
Admit Card Release Date	NID DAT Prelims: 12 December 2023
Declaration of NID DAT Prelims Results	28 March 2024
NID DAT Mains Exam Admit Card	14 April 2024
NID DAT Mains Exam/ NID 2024 Exam Date	27 April 2024 and 28 April 2024
Declaration of NID DAT Mains Results	21 May 2024
Window for Submission of Campus Preference	21 May 2024 to 23 May 2024
Rechecking Request	21 May 2024 to 22 May 2024

Registration Process & Fee

To register for the NID exam, follow the below-mentioned steps:

1. Visit the official website of NID and click on the “Register” button
2. Fill in the requisite details and register yourself at the portal
3. After this, log in using your user ID and password
4. Fill out the detailed application form which consists of six sections, that is, personal details, academic details, work experience, programmes, test city, etc.
5. While filling out the form, you will be required to upload the photograph, signature and category certificate in the prescribed format
6. After this, you will have to pay the application fee and print the form

Application Fee

The application fee for the NID entrance exam is given below, please check out the latest application fee for NID 2024:

Category	Registration Fee
General/ EWS/ NC-OBC	INR 3,000
SC/ST/PwD	INR 1,500

National Institute of Design Entrance Exam Admit Card

The admit card for the NID DAT Prelims has been released on the official website. The same can be downloaded from the official website of the NID.

National Institute of Design Entrance Exam Centres 2024

Check out the latest exam centres for the NID entrance exam 2024:

Ahmedabad	Hyderabad	Nagpur
Bengaluru	Jaipur	New Delhi
Bhopal	Kochi	Patna
Bhubaneshwar	Kolkata	Raipur
Chandigarh	Kota	Ranchi
Chennai	Kurukshetra	Thiruvananthapuram
Dehradun	Lucknow	Vijayawada
Guwahati	Mumbai

National Institute of Design Entrance Exam Syllabus 2024

NID Entrance Syllabus	Syllabus of NID Exam	NID Aptitude Test Syllabus
Design Outline for Beginners	Colour Terminology	Inspiration & Design Development
Mood, Theme & Colour Inter-relationship	Design Theory	Elements & Principles Of Design
Natural & Geometrical Form	Innovation in Design	Principles of Composition
Lettering	Optical Illusion	Understanding Light & Shade
Colour Psychology & Optical Illusions	Form & Function	Colour, Pattern & Texture
Theme Development	Creative thinking & writing	Picture Analysis
Visual Logic	Good Design vs Bad Design	Drawing Fundamentals
Use of Measurements, Scale & Proportions	Optical Illusion	Foreshortening & Perspective
Developing Themes & Colour Associations	Inspiration & Creativity	Ornaments & Motifs
Memory Drawing	Usage of Colour in Compositions	Expression & Emotion
Exercises on imagination	Lateral Thinking	Story Pictures
Presentation Techniques	Imagination & Doodling	3D Visualization
Graphics & Pictograms	Innovation & Creation	Design Awareness
Developing Observation

NID 2024: Section Wise Distribution of Question Paper

Preliminary exam marking schemes can change from year to year.

The preliminary marking scheme for the M. Des programme is tentative and can be found in the table below:

Parts	Pattern	Question numbers
Part I	Objective type questions	1 to 27
Part II	Subjective type questions	28 to 32
Total		32

Colleges that Accept the NID Exam  Score

The NID entrance exam is for students who want to pursue B.Des. and M.Des. Here are top universities that accept NID exam scores:

1. Pearl Academy
2. The National Institute of Design
3. IILM Gurgaon
4. Pearl Academy
5. World University of Design (WUD)
6. Shiv Nadar University
7. Srishti Manipal – Art, Design & Tech Institute
8. LPU
9. Indian Institute of Art and Design
10. UPES
11. Arch College of Design and Business
12. MIT WPU
13. KL University Guntur

NID 2024: Expected Exam Cut-off

Minimum Qualification Marks for NID NID DAT Cut Off B.Des. 2023

The General category’s NID DAT cutoff marks were 50 last year. The NID DAT cutoff 2024, which includes the minimal score needed to pass the exam, will be announced by the National Institute of Design at admissions.nid.edu along with the results. NID DAT 2024 will have distinct deadlines for each category. The campus-specific NID DAT 2024 cutoff will also be made public by the authorities. Aspirants can check this page for the NID cutoff from prior years in the meantime. In August 2024, using the NID DAT BDes Cutoff, the authority will make public the rank and score of the final candidate admitted for a B.Des. at NID Admissions 2024–25. Depending on the discipline and candidate category, the final candidate admitted will have a different rank and score. Different disciplines and candidate categories share the NID slots.

Minimum Qualification Marks for NID NID DAT Cut Off B.Des. 2023:

Category	NID DAT Cutoff Marks
OPEN	50
OBC – NCL	45
EWS	50
ST	40
SC	40
PwD	40

Minimum Qualifying Marks (M.Des.) for the NID DAT Cutoff in 2024

In July 2024, the authorities will make public the rank and score of the most recent candidate admitted for the M.Des. Admissions 2024–25. This will assist candidates in understanding the minimal score and rank needed to be admitted to the NID campuses’ M.Des. programmes. Following the preliminary and mains tests, the NID DAT 2024 final merit list will determine the rank and score of the final candidate admitted. Depending on the discipline and candidate category, the final candidate admitted will have a different rank and score.

NID DAT Cutoff M.Des. – Campus Wise

Institute	Open	OBC – NCL	SC	ST
NID Ahmedabad	96.84	79.41	65.27	63.49
NID Andhra Pradesh	94.17	71.72	53.33	50.51
NID Haryana	91.15	65.82	46.12	47.91
NID Madhya Pradesh	88.16	60.95	50.17	46.19
NID Assam	87.10	57.17	45.98	NE

NID Important Exam Guidelines

1. Candidates must submit at least one form of identification with their complete date of birth for verification in addition to their NID DAT 2024 admission card.
2. Without a hall pass, no student will be able to take the NID DAT 2024 exam.
3. The DAT Mains for B.Des. will take place on April 27 and 28, and for M.Des., between March 3 and April 6, by the NID exam date of 2024.
4. The NID admit card 2024 is made up of four pages, and applicants must print a clear copy of each page of the admissions ticket.
5. Candidates can obtain part A and part B of the NID DAT admission card 2024 authenticated by the principal of their current school or college or a Gazetted officer if they lack a valid form of identification.
6. The examination centre’s gates will close thirty minutes before the start of the test, at which point no candidate will be permitted to enter.
7. All electronic gadgets are strictly prohibited inside the examination centre. Do not carry them with you.
8. No candidate will be allowed to leave the examination hall before the completion of the examination.
9. Do not use the keyboard during the test as it will result in the locking of the computer system.
10. No printed or other textual material is allowed inside the examination hall.
11. Candidates who recently tested positive for COVID-19 and are under mandatory quarantine per government directives will not be permitted to take the exam or visit the exam centre.

NID Preparation Tips

1. The first step in getting ready for NID Entrance is to familiarise yourself with the exam format by going over the syllabus and past years’ question papers.
2. Make a schedule for yourself after you have a copy of the syllabus. Each segment should be divided into manageable goals, each with a deadline for completion.
3. Make it a habit to practise mock exams from the start. You get better the more you practise.
4. During the exam, do not panic. Ignore the questions you find hard to understand and return to them at a later time. This will help you avoid wasting time answering fictitious inquiries.
5. Never disregard your well-being. Exercise and partake in other physical pursuits.

Mock Tests

There are multiple websites that provide mock tests. You can check out these websites for a mock test:

1. SILICA
2. DQ Labs

FAQS

Q. How many sections are there in the NID entrance exam?

There are 2 sections in the NID exam. Section 1 has 27 Questions and Section 2- 5 Questions Total – 32 Questions. Both are important and mandatory to pass the entrance exam.

Q2. How to register for the NID exam?

You can register on the official website of NID. The steps for registration are given above in the article.

Q3. Who can give the NID exam?

Applicants are eligible for NID if, in the academic year 2023, they finished their 10 + 2 (Higher Secondary) from an AISSCE, IB, ICSE, or other recognised board.