1. Introduction
NATA (National Aptitude Test for Architecture) is conducted by the Council of Architecture. Candidates must clear this test to qualify for admission to the Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) program in architecture colleges across India.
There are a few important changes in the NATA 2026 exam in the following areas:
Eligibility Criteria, Exam Dates, Number of Attempts, Score Validity, Qualifying Marks.
1. Eligibility Criteria & Reservation
1. NATA 2026 Eligibility Criteria & Reservation:
This is also an important change compared to last year. There are two types of eligibility that candidates have to consider.
● Eligibility to appear for NATA 2026:
Candidates have to fulfill the following educational qualification criteria to appear for NATA 2026:
a. Passed or appearing for 10+2 exam with the required subjects.
b. Passed or appearing for 10+3 Diploma exam with the required subjects.
● Eligibility for admission to B.Arch program 2026:
Qualifying the NATA exam does not assure admission to a candidate in an architecture college. The criteria for admission to the B.Arch program issued by the Council of Architecture is as follows:
“No candidate shall be admitted to the Architecture course unless she/he has passed 10+2 or equivalent examination with Physics and Mathematics as compulsory subjects along with either Chemistry or Biology or Technical Vocational subject or Computer Science or Information Technology or Informatics Practices or Engineering Graphics or Business Studies with at least 45% marks in aggregate, or passed 10+3 Diploma Examination with Mathematics as a compulsory subject with at least 45% marks in aggregate.”
● Reservation:
Reservation as well as relaxation in qualifying marks for reserved categories for the purpose of admission is a prerogative of the Admission/Counselling Authority of States or Private Universities and does not fall under the purview of the NATA examination conducted by the Council of Architecture.
SILICA Expert Note
We need to take into account two important points:
a. This is an important change. Candidates can no longer appear for NATA in their 11th grade, which was allowed last year.
b. Candidates must ensure they achieve a minimum 45% aggregate score in 10+2 or 10+3 exam. If not, they won’t be eligible for admission to the B.Arch program.
2. NATA 2026 Exam Dates
This is also an important change compared to last year.
● NATA 2026 will be conducted in two phases.
● Phase 1 (for regular CAP admission rounds) will be conducted from 4th April to 13th June 2026.
● Phase 2 (for vacant seats left after the CAP admission rounds) will be conducted on 7th & 8th August 2026.
● In Phase 1, the exam will be conducted every Friday (1 session) and Saturday (2 sessions) starting from 4th April to 13th June 2026.
● The CAP (Centralized Admission Process) rounds are conducted by Admission Authorities of State CET Cells or Private Universities for architecture colleges affiliated with them.
3. Number of Attempts
This is also an important change compared to last year.
● Candidates can appear for only one phase of the exam. They can appear in either Phase 1 or Phase 2 (not both).
● In Phase 1, candidates can appear for a maximum of 2 attempts.
● In Phase 2, candidates can appear for only 1 attempt on either 7th or 8th August 2026.
SILICA Expert Note:
SILICA recommends that candidates attempt NATA in Phase 1. Preferred dates for the NATA 2026 exam could be:
NATA 2026 Attempt 1 – 1st or 2nd May
NATA 2026 Attempt 2 – 29th or 30th May OR 5th or 6th June
This gives candidates enough time to study before each attempt. Also, the 2nd attempt is possible only after the result of the 1st attempt is released. The result for each attempt may take up to 2 weeks to be declared.
4. NATA Scoring & Score Cards
This is also an important change compared to last year.
● NATA 2026 candidates will receive results in 2 forms – Raw Score and Percentile Score.
● Raw Score is the marks received out of 200 in the NATA exam. A statement of marks/score card with the raw score will be issued after every attempt. Candidates must download this score card.
● Percentile Score will be created only for Phase 1 attempts. It will be computed and issued after all examinees have completed their attempts, i.e., after 13th June 2026.
● Percentile Score represents a candidate’s score compared to scores of all other candidates. For example, if you get 99 percentile, it means your raw score is better than 99% of the candidates. The best raw score (out of two attempts) will be considered to calculate the candidate’s percentile score.
● The Final Score Card issued (after 13th June 2026) will include both Raw Score(s) and Percentile Score. The Admission Authorities of State CET cells / Private Universities have freedom to prepare their merit lists based on either Raw Scores or Percentile Scores.
SILICA Expert Note:
Our estimate is that this change is not expected to affect the admission process significantly. Most admission authorities, such as the Maharashtra State CET Cell, are likely to continue using raw scores for admissions. However, this will be confirmed once the official admission guidelines are released.
The focus should be on achieving the highest possible raw score in each NATA attempt, which will naturally improve the percentile score as well.
5. Score Validity
This is also an important change compared to last year. The NATA score will be valid only for the year in which the exam is taken. E.g. NATA 2026 score will be valid only for admission in academic year 2026-27.
6. Qualifying Marks
This is also an important change compared to last year. There is no minimum raw score to qualify for NATA 2026. The final score card issued by the CoA including the best Raw Score and the corresponding non-zero Percentile Score shall be valid qualifying NATA score.
7. How to Register for NATA 2026
Registration Start Date: 10th March 2026
Mode: The NATA 2026 registration process is entirely online. Candidates must visit the following link and sign up- https://stureg.nata-app.org/auth/login
Steps in Registration Process
| Sr. No. | Steps |
|---|---|
| Step 1 | Signup, Generate User-name and Password. |
| Step 2 | Fill the Application Form with all Personal Details. Do not make errors! |
| Step 3 | Upload required Documents & Photo |
| Step 4 | Fill up the Educational details. Do not make errors! |
| Step 5 | Preview all details & Submit. Remember security Question-Answer |
| Step 6 | Book Appointment for Attempt 1. |
| Step 7 | Payment of Application Fee |
| Step 8 | Save & Print the Confirmation Page |
Notes:
● Personal Details – There are 45 fields that need to be filled. Students need to fill in important details like- Aadhaar No, Name, Gender, Category, 10th Std & 12th Std education details. See APPENDIX III of Brochure for more guidance. Do not make errors here!
● Upload Documents – You have to upload an image of the ID Document, Aadhaar card, Passport Photo and Signature photo (photo of your signature). The ID Document can be the Aadhaar card as well. Please follow the size and dimension of the images as mentioned below. They will also capture your Live photo (be in a well lit area and fill form using laptop).
| Document | Minimum Size | Maximum Size | Image Height | Image Width |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photograph | 4KB | 100 KB | 4.5 cm | 3.5 cm |
| Signature | 1KB | 30 KB | 1.5 cm | 3.5 cm |
● Educational Details – You need to upload your 10th Std and Post 12th Std Appearing or Passed details.
● Review & Submit – Review all details properly & submit. Do not make errors! There could be only one short window later for any error correction. In the next page, edit details (if required) and then proceed to booking the appointment for NATA 1st Attempt.
● Book Appointments – For Attempt 1. Choose the State, City, Date & Language and proceed to Payment. You can book the appointment for Attempt 1 at this stage and later book another appointment for Attempt 2, using the same login. Or if you are sure of the dates, you can book both attempts at this stage itself. We recommend the following dates for attempts- Attempt 1 = 1st or 2nd May’26, Attempt 2 = 29th or 30th May and 5th or 6th June
● Fee Payment – Verify your profile details before payment- Aadhar No, Name, Gender, Category cannot be wrong; payment locks your profile. The fees for each NATA attempt based on your category are as below:
| Application Fees | GEN/ OBC (N-CL) | SC/ST/EWS/ PwD | Transgender | Outside India |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per Test | ₹1750 | ₹1250 | ₹1000 | ₹15000 |
Application Form – Upon successful payment, a Fee Receipt & Application Form will be generated, which must be printed and retained.
Admit Card – The admit card will be generated 1 week prior to your NATA attempt date. The admit card will contain the Name & Address of the Test Center & Exam slot time. This has to be saved and printed. It needs to be carried to the exam center during your NATA attempt.
Allocation of Test Center: Will be allotted to the candidates, subject to availability, on the basis of their cities / area and exam date preferences. Candidates appearing for 2 attempts can generate the admit card for the 2nd attempt only after the result for the 1st attempt is released. In 2025, Results for each attempt were released within 10-14 days.
8. NATA Help Desk Contact Details
9. NATA 2026 Exam Pattern
| Part | Mode of Exam | Type of Test | No of Qs | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part A | Offline PBT | Drawing & Composition Test | 3 | 80 | 90 mins |
| Part B | Online PBT | MCQ / NCQ Objective Test | 50 | 120 | 90 mins |
| TOTAL | 53 | 200 | 3hrs |
Notes:
1. PBT = Paper Based Test, CBT = Computer Based Test.
2. The medium of the test will be both English and Hindi.
10. NATA 2026 Syllabus
The exam will assess the aptitude of the candidates for specific field of Architecture using some or all of the following:PART A – Drawing and Composition Test
This is one and half hour (90 minutes) – 80 Marks Test where the candidate has to attempt three questions. The content of the PART A Test is as follows:
● A1 – Composition and Color – 25 Marks: Creating suitable compositions for various situations and coloring them appropriately. Re-arranging various shapes in a visually appealing manner and coloring it suitably.
● A2 -Sketching & Composition (Black and White) – 25 Marks: Ability to draw, visualize, depict a situation, involving buildings / its components, people, environment, products with an understanding of scale, proportions, textures, shades and shadow etc.
● A3 – 3D Composition – 30 Marks: Creating interesting 3D composition for the given situation using the provided kit.
SILICA Expert Note: We expect A1 to be a 2D Design question on logo, poster, geometric shape composition, signage, murals using shapes or patterns with application of color based on instructions given. We expect A2 to be a 3D Still Life / Object Drawing based questions on Everyday objects, Geometric forms, Food still life, 3D sculptures and installations. Memory Drawing questions with people, buildings and scenes have not been asked yet, but may be asked. We expect A3 to be a question on 3D composition using 3D foam shapes. Students have to use glue to put the 3D forms together and create the structure.
PART B – MCQ Online Test
This is one and half hour (90 minutes), 120 Marks Test where the candidate has to appear for an online test. It shall have two type of Questions viz., MCQ – 42 Questions and NCQ – 8 Questions from the following topics:
● Visual Reasoning Ability: to understand and reconstruct 2D and 3D composition, knowledge about its composition and technical concepts.
● Logical Derivation Ability: to decode a situation, composition, context and generate meaning. Understanding the minute information hidden in a particular situation and drawing conclusions.
● G.K., Architecture & Design: General awareness of architecture and design, current issues, recent episodes etc., Knowledge about important buildings, historical progression, innovation in materials and construction technology.
● Language Interpretation Ability: to correctly & logically generate meaning of words, sentences, understanding about English grammar.
● Design Sensitivity Ability: to observe, record and analyze, people, spaces, product, environment. Critical thinking, reasoning and ability to identify the subtle communications.
● Design Thinking Ability: to understand semantics, metaphors, problem identification and definition, analysis of a given situation.
● Numerical Ability: Basic Mathematics and its association with creative thinking. To unfold a space with the use of geometry.
SILICA Expert Note: We expect the following type of questions to be asked under each topic:
| Sr. No. | Steps |
|---|---|
| 1 Visual Reasoning | Questions related to 3D visualization like Plan & Elevation, Unfolding Objects, Shadow, Counting Surfaces, Different views of Objects etc. |
| 2 Logical Derivation | Questions covering Visual Series, Verbal Reasoning, Passage & Inference, Direction test, Critical Thinking etc. |
| 3 GK, Arch & Design Awareness | Questions on famous buildings, architects, monuments, building construction techniques & materials; architectural elements, styles, recent events etc. |
| 4 Language Interpretation | Questions on language like synonyms, antonyms, ordering of sentences, idioms & phrases, spotting errors, reading comprehension etc. |
| 5 Design Sensitivity & Thinking | Questions on Elements & principles of design, Spotting the difference, Signs, Symbols & Graphic design, Usability of products etc |
| 6 Numerical Ability | Questions on Profit & Loss, Percentage, Average, Probability, Geometry, Mensuration, Time-Speed-Distance, Mixture & Allegation etc. |
Note: NCQ stands for No Choice Questions, where the answer is either a Number or a Word which the student has to enter in the given space. In the past, only Number based questions have been asked.
Note: We recommend all candidates register for the NATA 2026 as soon as possible and block their attempt dates for the exam. This will ensure there is no stress later related to availability of dates / exam centers etc.
The above covers all the information about NATA 2026. If you have any further queries, please contact us on academics@silica.co.in, career.guide@silica.co.in and chiranjeet@edit.co.in (mark all emails).
All the Best!
SILICA Team