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Study in India · Entrance exam

NID DAT

National Institute of Design, Design Aptitude Test

Official site ↗

Know this. The Prelims mark is thrown away after shortlisting; the Mains studio and in-person tests decide the seat, so hands-on making and sketching practice matters more than solving past written papers.

Run by
National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad, common for all NIDs
Admits you to
B.Des (four years) at NID Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, and the 5.5-year Professional Education Master of Design (Integrated Pathway) at NID Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bengaluru. A separate DAT round admits to M.Des programmes.
Who can sit
Class 12 (or equivalent) in any stream (science, arts, commerce, humanities), passed or appearing in the admission cycle; those still appearing must pass at the first attempt. Age limit by date of birth: for 2027-28 entry, born on or after 1 July 2006 (general/EWS), 1 July 2003 (OBC-NCL, SC, ST), 1 July 2001 (PwD).
Pattern
Two stages. DAT Prelims: a design aptitude test at centres across India, used only to shortlist (its score does not carry forward). DAT Mains for those shortlisted: a Studio Sensitivity Test (hands-on) and an In-Person Sensitivity Test. Admission is on the Mains score; test duration is announced on the admit card and NID may run tests online, offline or mixed.
When
Applications usually close around late November/early December; Prelims in December or January; Prelims results around March; Mains around April–May.
Limits
No attempt limit is stated; the age cut-off (about 20–21 at entry for general category) is the real limit.

Courses it leads to

Sources, checked 2026-09-28: admissions.nid.edu · admissions.nid.edu

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