Design based entrance exam, applicable to the National Institute of Design in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and some other colleges, for students who want to join courses in Design.
DAT (Design Aptitude Test) is a national level design entrance examination conducted by the National Institute of Design for students who are seeking admission into design based courses offered by NID and some other institutes. It offers 4 year Graduate Diploma Programs in various disciplines of design. NID is one of the most prestigious design institutes in India. Therefore, DAT is a very important exam for all those students who want to join courses in Design. It is a highly competitive exam and is attempted by thousands of candidates annually. There are only a total of 100 seats in the Graduate Diploma Program divided between the following disciplines:
Faculty of Industrial Design
Product Design (15)
Furniture & Interior Design (10)
Ceramic & Glass Design (10)
Faculty of Communication Design
Graphic Design (15)
Animation Film Design (15)
Film & Video Communication (10)
Exhibition (Spatial) Design (10)
Faculty of Textile, Apparel and Lifestyle Accessory Design
Textile Design (15)
The Graduate Diploma Program in Design comprises of a 1 year Foundation program followed by 3 years of specialized studies in your chosen discipline. The NID – DAT is conducted in various cities including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Nagpur. 15 percent seats in Graduate Diploma Programme in Design are reserved for applicants from foreign countries/ SAARC region/ NRIs on supernumerary basis. The amount of seats reserved for SC/ST/OBC/PH candidates will depend on the norms of the Government of India for that year.
Find out what you should do If You Can't Get Through NID/NIFT.
What are the eligibility criteria?
To be eligible for the NID – DAT, you must not be more than 20 years of age as on the 1st of June of the year of examination.
The above age limit is relaxed up to three years for reserved candidates.
You should have passed your Class 12th or equivalent examinations in any discipline.
Students who will be appearing for their Class 12th or equivalent examinations in the same year as the NID – DAT, will also be eligible, provided that they produce their Class 12th mark sheet or its equivalents before the specified date.
Please keep in mind that the first year in any discipline of the Graduate Program will be a ‘Foundation Course’. It is not necessary that you will be allotted a seat in your preferred discipline after the completion of the Foundation Courser. Your aptitude and scores along with the number of seats available in that subject will determine your discipline.
For any further information, please visit the following website: http://www.nid.edu/
How to apply?
The application forms for NID – DAT are only available online at http://www.nid.edu/
Candidates who are applying for more than one discipline need to send separate application forms for each discipline.
For any further information, read the brochure or visit: www.admissions.nid.edu and http://www.nid.edu/
What is the pattern of the examination?
Admission is on the basis of NID’s method of selection, which extends beyond the student’s previous academic qualifications.
The exam is conducted in several phases.
The first phase (Design Aptitude Test) comprises of a written examination. Based on your scores in this test, you might or might not be called for the next stage.
It comprises of questions related to drawing, proportions, story illustrations, world view, color schemes, advertising and sensitivity towards environment.
The written examination judges you on how well are you able to visualize an idea and then convert it into a design on paper. You do not need to be amazing at sketching things, but you should have the ability to understand and play with size, proportion, colors and forms.
The second phase comprises of a ‘Studio Test’ and personal interviews at Ahmadabad, Bengaluru and Gandhinagar.
The tests are designed in a way so that they test your creative abilities, mental ability, sketching, communication skills and design aptitude. The Studio Test tests you on your clay modeling skills, usage of materials, spontaneity and writing skills. There is no fixed syllabus for this exam, and you can be asked questions on anything. So it’s important to brush up your General Knowledge and portray a confident image of yourself in the Studio Test as well as the Personal Interview.
The Admission Committee of NID decides the procedures, grades and weightage every year.
It is important to regularly visit the following websites for any updates: www.admissions.nid.edu and http://www.nid.edu/
What are the prospects?
National Institute of Design (NID) is one of the most reputed colleges in India for design. It is located in Gandhinagar (Gujarat), Ahmadabad (Gujarat) and Bengaluru (Karnataka). NID – DAT is one of the most competitive and important Design based entrance exams in the country. Various other institutes apart from NID also admit you on the basis of your marks in the NID – DAT.
Important dates for NID – DAT:
Last date of receipt of application forms | November 21, 2014 |
Hall Ticket/Call Letter delivery date | December 22, 2014 |
Contact NID if you do not receive Hall Ticket by | December 31, 2014 |
Design Aptitude Test ( DAT ) for Graduate Programs | January 11, 2015 |
Call Letters for Phase 2 | March, 2015 |
Studio Test Interviews | April-May, 2015 |
