NID entrance exam is an aptitude test for the admission of undergraduate and postgraduate design courses at the National Institute of Design campuses. Candidates have to go through two admission tests to secure their seats for either Bachelor of Design (B.Des) and Master of Design (MDes).

The National Institute of Design has around seven campuses across the country. NID Bhopal and NID Jorhat are the two new NID campuses started in the year 2019. NID offers two courses, namely Bachelor of Design (B.Des) and Master of Design (MDes).

NID Aptitude Test is conducted once every year. It is an examination conducted offline. The exam duration for different courses differs. For BDes the duration is three hours while for MDes the duration is two hours thirty minutes.

Important Dates for NID DAT 2021

8th Jan 2021: NID declared the exam dates for NID DAT 2021 and other details about the admission on their official website.

8th Jan to 17th Feb 2021: Candidates have to fill an application form for BDes course admissions on the examination official website.

8th Jan to 17th Feb 2021: Candidates have to fill an application form for MDes course admissions on the examination official website.

4th March 2021: Admit Card for the examination will be available to download for the official website. NID DAT prelim admits cards can be downloaded using login details.

14th March 2021: Prelims for the NID entrance to be held across 21 test centres for admissions in BDes and across 16 centres for MDes entrance exam. The prelims act as a screening round for the main examinations.

Other dates regarding the NID DAT 2021 are yet to be announced.

NID DAT Prelim Exam Pattern for BDes

Mode of Examination: Offline

Duration: 3 hours

Marks: 100

Types of Question: Objective and Subjective

Out of the total questions, there are 22 objective type questions and 4 subjective type questions.

With the prelims, candidates are evaluated based on their knowledge, comprehension, analysis, creativity and visualisation.

NID DAT Prelims 2021 Exam Pattern Highlights for MDes Admissions

Mode of exam: Offline

Duration of exam: 2 hours and 30 minutes (for one discipline)

CDAT: 30-minute Discipline-specific test: 120 minutes,4 hours 30 minutes (for two disciplines)

CDAT: 30 minutes First discipline-specific test: 120 minutes,Second discipline-specific test: 120 minutes

Total marks: 100

Language of question paper: English

Type of questions: Objective & subjective

No of candidates vs No of Seats

NID is one of the most prestigious institutions for design aspirants. The seat matrix and the reservation policy of the institution are updated every year. NID now has a total of 425 seats for BDes programme while a total of 347 seats are available for the MDes course.

Level of Difficulty:

This year, it is predicted that more than 6000 candidates will apply for the NID entrance exams. Since the institution offers only 425 (B.Des) & 347 (M.Des)  seats, the competition is intense. This increases the level of difficulty too.

Is coaching necessary for NID?

If you are a design aspirant, you have two options, either receive lessons from a coaching institute or depend on learning themselves. Both of these options are great. It’s how an individual prefers to learn. Some like preparing for exams themselves while others need enough help to understand concepts, and look out for coaching classes.

Self Learning:

Self-learning is a process in itself. A student needs to be highly motivated and dedicated to preparing for the entrance examination. A self-learner must also have the ability to conduct research and then find out appropriate content online. They also need to search for learning videos on youtube and watch them.

How can coaching from a good institute help?

Those who find it tough to learn on their own have the opportunity to look out for a good institute that can help them prepare well for the entrance examination.

Experienced Faculty:

When candidates seek admission for coaching, then they have access to expert faculty that help them understand concepts well. The faculty also includes NID alumni who share their experiences and learning techniques with aspirants.

Books and digital learning:

 Coaching institutes also help candidates with the right books to refer to and study from. Some coaching classes also have their online learning app which makes it easy for students to have access to study material anywhere and at any time.

Concepts made clear:

If candidates need an explanation on a particular concept and want to clarify doubts, the expert faculty is always available to help aspirants stay doubt free and avoid confusion about concepts.

Specially designed assignments and class tests:

A reputed coaching institute specially designs assignments and class tests for students to track their growth and understanding. The coaching institute through these test drives efficiency and improves the paper solving ability of students.

Previous years papers, Mock tests and feedbacks

Coaching institutes provide question papers from previous years, conduct mock tests, and then deliver feedback based on the performance of students. This facilitates students with full proof preparations for the NID entrance exam.

It all comes down to the ability of the aspirant. If you as an aspirant are good at studying on your own, you can go for self-learning, and if you need enough guidance to crack the NID entrance exam, you can apply for a coaching institute like Silica that offers quality coaching, study material, digital learning and much more.

Also Read: Admissions to NID 2021 – Applications, Eligibility Criteria, Pattern, Topics