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NID Design Aptitude Test
National Institute of Design entrance — DAT Prelims (objective design aptitude) followed by DAT Mains (studio test + interview). Gates entry to B.Des at NID Ahmedabad / Gandhinagar / Kurukshetra / Bhopal / Jorhat / Amaravati.
Sourced
Source: official exam authority notification · refreshed weekly. How this works →
Free NID DAT preparation on Shishya
Take expert-curated mocks, practise previous year papers, and Ask Shishya when you're stuck — verified by students who cleared the same path. All free, no credit card. Sign in with Google to begin.
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Ask Shishya →Verified against the official notification. Source ↗ · last reconciled 2026-05.
Historical cutoffs are a guide, not a prediction. Use them to set a realistic target, not to predict next year's exact number.
NID does not publish exact cutoff scores. Composite final selection weights: Prelims 30% + Mains studio 50% + interview 20%.
| Year | Category | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | B.Des General — shortlist | ~Top 7-8% of test takers |
| 2024 | M.Des General — shortlist | ~Top 10-12% per stream |
We are sourcing PYQs from the official notification PDFs. Coming soon.
Take any mock in your preferred language — use the language picker inside the mock to switch (Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, and 15 more).
Mock test bank is being curated for this exam.
Take a mock to see where you stand on the leaderboard.
What can I get from NID DAT?
Mock-score → expected rank → likely outcome. Use the mocks below to find your current band, then plan how many marks you need to climb.
Top 30 — Guaranteed first choice
97–100% · Rank 1 – 30
Source: official ↗ · verified 2026-05.
Topic-by-topic weightage averaged across 2022-2024 papers. Use this to decide where to invest study hours, not where to skim. Source ↗ · verified 2026-05.
25/100 marks avg
Visual perception + visual analogies + observation
35/100 marks avg
Design awareness + general knowledge (history of design, famous designers, design movements)
Numerical aptitude + logical reasoning
30/100 marks avg
Drawing / sketching / spatial reasoning / scenario response
Top 100 — Premium choices
92–97% · Rank 30 – 80
Top 300 — Flagship programs accessible
86–92% · Rank 80 – 250
Top NIDs — competitive programs
78–86% · Rank 250 – 600
Established NIDs in reach
68–78% · Rank 600 – 1,500
Studio Test likely — Newer NIDs
55–68% · Rank 1,500 – 4,000
Borderline — Studio Test possible
40–55% · Rank 4,000 – 8,000
Below cutoff range
0–40% · Rank 8,000+
AI-curated from historic cut-off patterns. Always verify with the latest official notification before making decisions.
B.Des Round 1 seat allotment was released on June 9, 2026, with provisional offer letters issued on June 16-18, 2026. Round 2 seat allotment is expected in early July 2026 for candidates not allotted in Round 1 and for vacant seats after withdrawals.
A significant shift in the 2026 selection process — the Prelims score carries zero weightage in the final merit list and serves only as a qualifying filter. Final rank is determined entirely by Mains performance.
The National Institute of Design announced the B.Des Mains result on May 26-28, 2026 at admissions.nid.edu. Candidates qualified for counselling can now submit campus preferences and upload documents for seat allotment.
NID M.Des 2026 admissions have been completed with all 347 M.Des seats allotted and accepted by May 7, 2026. Final cutoffs for all M.Des disciplines are now available on the official portal.
🎓DAT Prelims Exam (B.Des & M.Des)
passedSat, 7 Mar, 2026
December 21, 2025 — Common for all NIDs
🎓B.Des Studio Sensitivity Test (Mains)
passedSun, 19 Apr, 2026
April 19, 2026
🎓B.Des In-Person Sensitivity Test (Mains)
passedMon, 11 May, 2026
May 11-17, 2026
B.Des Mains Result Declared
passedTue, 26 May, 2026
Released on May 26, 2026
B.Des Round 1 Seat Allotment & Token Fee Payment
passedTue, 9 Jun, 2026
June 9-11, 2026
B.Des Round 1 Provisional Offer Letters Released
passedTue, 16 Jun, 2026
June 16-18, 2026
Click any topic to read study notes
B.Des Round 2 Seat Allotment Expected
Wed, 8 Jul, 2026
For candidates not allotted in Round 1 and vacant seats after withdrawals
NID DAT 2027 Notification Expected
54 days awayThu, 3 Sept, 2026
Typically released in September for the next admission cycle