Never use sub-standard books to prepare for exams like NIFT and NID DAT as it will sink your preparation. So, we bring you the best books for design entrance exams recommended by toppers and experts.
Best books to Prepare for Design Entrance Exam – If you are seeking admission to a B.Des program in a top institute, you invariably must appear in one of the top design entrance exams – NIFT, NID DAT, or UCEED.
Most of these exams include a Design Aptitude Test (DAT) and are amongst the toughest in the country.
So, how do you crack them?
The answer is determined exam preparation with the help of top-notch study material.
Whether you are preparing for the NIFT entrance exam or the NID DAT entrance exam, good books will always give you an edge.
The best study material for design entrance exams are written in a simple, easy to digest language, covers the exam syllabus, contains very few errors (if any), includes problem sets for practice, etc. Go through the rest of the article to learn more about Best books to prepare for design entrance exams.
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Table of Contents
Why use best best books to prepare for design entrance exams?
There are multiple reasons why you must consult best books to prepare for design entrance exams.
- Best books will be written as per the exam syllabus. This means, if you are preparing for NID DAT exam, it is very likely that the best books will be based on the NID DAT 2025 exam syllabus.
- Are easy to follow and written in simple and easy-to-understand language – If you buy a book that is well-reviewed but you fail to understand it beyond a few points because it uses very sophisticated language, it will be more of handicap than a useful tool. So, rather go for books that are in tune with your language skills. Just ensure that these books are good and reliable enough.
- Contains examples and infographics – Bulky textual content is difficult to follow and understand. So, if the book uses tons of examples and infographics for a interactive learning session, it will make learning fun and easy.
- Includes problem sets for practice – Now unless you try to solve various types of problems, there is no way to judge how much you have learnt or how adept you have become at solving problems using various concepts. So, inclusion of problem sets will enable use to evaluate your progress and do SWOT analysis.
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- NIFT Eligibility Criteria 2025 – Academic Qualification, No. Of Attempts, Age Limit
- NIFT Exam Analysis 2025 (OUT) – GAT paper was moderate, GK was toughest section, Expected Cut-off
Best books to prepare for design entrance exams – Design Aptitude Test (DAT)
Here we have listed a set of books that you can use to prepare for the Design Aptitude Test.
| Name of the book | Author/ Publisher |
| Arihant’s Ultimate Guide for NIFT/NID/IIFT Entrance Exam | Arihant Publications |
| Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examination | R.S. Aggarwal |
| Fast Track Objective Arithmetic | Rajesh Verma |
| UCEED (B. Des) Entrance Books and Test Series | AFA |
| Guide for NIFT/NID/IIFT | Arihant Experts |
| UCEED Mock Test Series | IIT Alumni |
| NIFT Mock Test Series | NIFT Alumni |
| A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal |
| Analytical Reasoning | Arihant Publications, M.K Pandey |
| Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal |
Best books to prepare for design entrance exam – Studio Test
Here we have listed a few books that you can use to brush up your knowledge about Studio Test and master the craft. Note that NID DAT Mains includes a Studio Test (+ Personal Interview).
| Name of best books to prepare for design entrance exams | Author/ Publisher |
| Don’t make me think | Steve Krug |
| Creative Thinking for Dummies | David G. Myers |
| The Design of Everyday Things | Don Norman |
| Design Drawing | Francis D. K. Ching |
| Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things | Don Norman |
| 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People (Voices That Matter) | Weinschenk Susan |
| The Complete Book of Drawing | Andrew Loomis |
| Universal Principles of Design | William Lidwell |
| Basic Rendering | Robert W. Gill |
| Rendering in Pen and Ink | Robert W. Gill |
How to prepare for Top Design Entrance Exams
If you are preparing for an entrance exam like NIFT or NID DAT, there is no room for mistakes. So, here we bring you some quick tips that will help you in your exam preparation.
You must use these tips in tandem with the best books to prepare for design entrance exams mentioned above.
- Work on sketching skills – If you want to be a designer, you must have some decent sketching skills. If you are lacking in this front, you need to work on this aspect on a war footing.
- Consult the official syllabus – If you are preparing for NIFT, make sure that you refer to the NIFT 2025 exam syllabus. Likewise for the other exams. The syllabus will contain the subject-wise topics that you need to prepare for the exam.
- Check the exam pattern – The exam pattern will provide insights on the question paper structure, for instance the types of questions asked, marking scheme, test duration, section-wise questions and weightage, etc.
- Solve sample papers – Simple reading of the topics is not going to be enough. Instead, you need to test your learning by solving sample papers. If you are preparing for NIFT, solve NIFT 2025 sample papers. If you are appearing in NID, solve NID DAT 2025 sample papers. The exercise will help you better understand the concepts and how to solve various problems. You can also learn time management by solving sample papers.
- Solve previous years question papers – This activity will help you understand the types of questions asked, the difficulty level specific questions asked, and the topics covered. You will also be able to check if there is any specific trend that is being followed in these exams.
- Work on your observation and creative skills – Very few people are born with creative geniuses. However, with enough effort you should be able to also learn the skill.
- Revise, revise, and revise – Timely revision will go a long way in ensuring what you have learnt remains in your memory for a long long time.
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