NID Exam Pattern 2026 – The National Institute of Design (NID) will release the exam pattern for NID DAT 2026 through the respective B.Des and M.Des Admission Handbooks.
The exam pattern will provide insights into the NID DAT 2026 question paper structure, like types of questions asked, topics covered, marking scheme, no. of questions, weightage, etc.
The NID DAT 2026 exam will be conducted in TWO stages – Stage 1 – DAT Prelims and Stage 2 – DAT Mains.
DAT Prelims exam will be held in January 2026. The scores of NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) will be used to shortlist candidates for DAT Mains. DAT Mains 2026 will be conducted once DAT Prelims are declared.
The DAT Mains will include a Studio Test (+ Personal Interview for the M.Des program). The candidate must also consult the NID DAT 2026 exam syllabus to prepare for the exam.
Latest Updates:
Table of Contents
NID Exam Pattern 2026 – DAT Prelims
DAT Prelims is the first stage of the two-stage NID admission process.
The DAT prelims question paper structure for the B.Des and M.Des courses is outlined in the respective NID DAT 2026 admission handbooks.
DAT Prelims Exam Pattern for B.Des
The key features of the DAT Prelims exam for the B.Des program are described below.
- Test Duration – 3 hours. DAT Prelims exam will be held from 10 am – 1 pm
- Sections – The question paper has TWO sections – Part I & Part II
- Mode – The prelims exam will be held as a paper-and-pencil/pen test
- Question Type – Both textual and visual question may be asked
- Language – The DAT Prelims question paper will be set in English
- Negative marking – There is no negative marking
DAT Prelims Exam Pattern for M.Des program
| Particulars | Description |
| Sections | The DAT Prelims paper has TWO sections. Common Design Aptitude Test Discipline Specific Test The DAT Prelims paper will evaluate the Design Aptitude of the candidate. |
| Mode of the exam | Paper-and-pencil/pen test |
| Total Questions | 100 |
| Types of questions asked | Text- and visual-based questions may be asked |
| Medium of the paper | The question paper will be set in English language ONLY. |
| Maximum number of Disciplines | M.Des applicants are allowed to appear in a maximum of TWO disciplines. Note: Candidates applying to only one discipline have to appear in the DAT Prelims exam comprising the test paper for one discipline only. However, candidates applying in two disciplines must appear in two test papers, one for each discipline. |
| Test duration | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Negative Marking | There is no negative marking |
Also Read:
- NID Studio Test 2025 – Schedule, Pattern, Sample Tasks, Material Used, Tips
- NID Personal Interview 2025 – Date, Common Questions Asked with Answers
- NID Study Material 2025 – Recommended Section-wise Books, Study Tips, Online Resources
DAT Prelims Exam Pattern – Sections, Type and No. of Questions
The National Institute of Design will conduct DAT Prelims as a paper-and-pencil/pen test at the same time on the same day across all NID DAT 2025 test centers.
The DAT Prelims question paper will be set in English language only.
Sections, number of questions, and type of questions asked in DAT Prelims exam are compiled below based on analysis of previous years’ NID DAT papers.
DAT Prelims Exam Pattern (B.Des) – Sections, Type & No. of Questions
The DAT Prelims question paper structure for the B.Des program is given below.
| NID DAT Prelims BDes Exam Pattern | ||
| Section | Question Type | No. of Questions |
| Part I | Objective type questions | 22 |
| Part II | Subjective type questions | 4 |
| Total No. of Questions | 26 | |
Marking Scheme for NID DAT Prelims
The tentative marking scheme for DAT Prelims based on analysis of previous years’ papers is given in the table below.
| Type of Question | No. of Questions | Marks for Each Question |
| Objective type questions | Questions 1 to 14 | 1 mark |
| Questions 15 to 22 | 2 marks | |
| Subjective type questions | Question No. 23 | 15 marks |
| Question No. 24 | 20 marks | |
| Question No. 25 | 15 marks | |
| Question No. 26 | 20 marks | |
| Total Marks | 100 marks | |
NID DAT 2026 Exam Pattern – Mains
Candidates who qualify DAT Prelims have to next appear in DAT Mains. The qualifying status will be mentioned in the NID DAT (Prelims) 2025 scorecard.
The DAT Mains exam includes the following components:
- B.Des – Studio Test
- M.Des – Studio Test + Personal Interview
As given above, M.Des candidates are required to appear in an interview in addition to the Studio Test as part of DAT Mains.
Candidates will be shortlisted for DAT Mains based on their performance in DAT Prelims.
The DAT Mains exam pattern for B.Des and M.Des courses is given below.
DAT Mains 2026 Exam pattern
The DAT Mains exam pattern for the B.Des and M.Des programs is given in the table below.
| NID DAT Mains Exam Pattern Highlights | |
| Mode | Offline |
| Test Duration | 3 hours |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Language of question paper | English |
| Type of questions | Multiple formats (Drawing/ Sketching/ Model Making) |
NID DAT Studio Test Dates 2026
The National Institute of Design has released the schedule for the NID DAT 2025 Studio Test for the B.Des and M.Des courses.
NID DAT 2026 (Mains) Dates – B.Des
| Event | Tentative Dates |
| B.Des DAT Prelims result | 1st week of April 2026 |
| B.Des DAT Mains exam date | April to May 2026 |
| Declaration of results | May 2026 |
NID DAT 2026 (Mains) Dates – M.Des
| Event | Tentative Dates |
| M.Des DAT Prelims result | 3rd week of Feb 2026 |
| M.Des DAT Mains exam date | March to April 2026 |
| Declaration of results | May 2026 |
NID DAT 2026 – Test Components and Weightage
The test components and weightage of the NID Design Aptitude Test (DAT) is given below for the B.Des and M.Des courses.
B.Des NID DAT 2025 Test Components, Weightage
| Exam Component | DAT Prelims | DAT Mains |
| Weightage | 40% | 60% |
B.Des NID DAT 2025 Test Components, Weightage
| Exam Component | DAT Prelims | DAT Mains | |
| Studio Test | Personal Interview | ||
| Weightage | 30% | 40% | 30% |
Also Read:
- NIFT Fee Structure 2025 – Components, Institute & Course-wise Fee
- Key Resource to Prepare for NIFT Entrance Exam 2025
- NIFT Acceptance Rate
NID DAT 2026 Syllabus
The candidate must refer to the syllabus when preparing for any entrance exam. But since the National Institute of Design doesn’t release any official syllabus of NID DAT exam, it is recommended that candidates refer to the previous years’ question papers to understand the types of questions asked, how they are framed, the difficulty level, etc.
The previous years’ papers will also help the candidate understand what the examiners are trying to evaluate.
Important topics that candidates need to prepare for the NID DAT 2026 written exams (Stage 1) include clay modeling, wire molding, story illustration, model making, doodling, material manipulation, etc.