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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.
Updated 16 Aug 2026 ·Vacancy counts change every cycle — always confirm the exact number in the latest official notification before applying.
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.
We're seeding questions for this exam. Check back soon.
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 |
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
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 200 — flagship programmes
92–100% · Rank 1 – 200
Top 600 — premium specialisations
82–92% · Rank 200 – 600
Strong contender — established campuses
70–82% · Rank 600 – 1,500
Moderate shortlist probability
55–70% · Rank 1,500 – 3,000
Borderline qualifying range
35–55% · Rank 3,000 – 8,000
Below typical cut-off range
0–35% · Rank 8,000+
AI-curated from historic cut-off patterns. Always verify with the latest official notification before making decisions.
The National Institute of Design is expected to open the NID DAT 2027 application window for B.Des and M.Des programmes in the second week of September 2026 at admissions.nid.edu. Application fee will be approximately INR 3,000 for General/OBC/EWS categories.
NID has announced the B.Des Mains result on May 26, 2026. Qualified candidates are now invited for Round 1 counselling starting June 9, 2026, with seat allotment and token fee payment scheduled from June 9-11, 2026.
In a significant structural change, NID DAT Prelims became qualifier-only with 0% weightage in NID 2026. The GAT section was removed, and the paper consisted entirely of CAT (Creative Ability Test) questions focused on drawing and design thinking.
Tap any topic for its study notes + a 10-question topic test
NID DAT 2026 Notification released
passedThu, 11 Sept, 2025
🎓NID DAT 2026 Prelims exam
passedSun, 21 Dec, 2025
Both B.Des and M.Des Prelims conducted on same date
NID DAT 2026 M.Des Prelims result
passedThu, 12 Feb, 2026
🎓NID DAT 2026 M.Des Mains exam
passedSun, 8 Mar, 2026
Conducted at Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and Gandhinagar
NID DAT 2026 B.Des Prelims result
passedThu, 2 Apr, 2026
NID DAT 2026 B.Des Mains result
passedTue, 26 May, 2026
Rechecking window was open till May 28, 2026
NID DAT 2026 B.Des counselling Round 1
passedTue, 9 Jun, 2026
Seat allotment and token fee payment from June 9-11, 2026
NID DAT 2027 Notification (expected)
19 days awayMon, 14 Sept, 2026
Last year notification was on September 11, 2025; expected second week of September 2026
NID DAT 2027 Application last date (expected)
102 days awaySun, 6 Dec, 2026
Usually first week of December
🎓NID DAT 2027 Prelims exam (expected)
116 days awaySun, 20 Dec, 2026
Usually held in third week of December; 2026 Prelims was December 21, 2025
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