Design Aptitude Test Syllabus 2025: College-Wise Design Aptitude Test Syllabus

Design Aptitude Test Syllabus 2025: College-Wise Design Aptitude Test Syllabus

Edited By Team Careers360 | Updated on Aug 17, 2024 02:06 PM IST | #NID DAT
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Design Aptitude Test is one of the parts of the entrance exam conducted by many design institutes to get admission for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Candidates must familiarise themselves to understand the Design Aptitude Test syllabus to crack the entrance exam. Candidates aspiring to take Design Aptitude Test need to be aware about Design Aptitude Test syllabus and important topics from where the questions will be asked. Design aptitude syllabus consist of topics that evaluate analysing ability, observation skills and general knowledge, and current affairs. This article provides the details regarding the Design Aptitude Test Syllabus 2025, important topics, and more.

Design Aptitude Test Syllabus 2025: College-Wise Design Aptitude Test Syllabus
Design Aptitude Test Syllabus 2025: College-Wise Design Aptitude Test Syllabus

Design Aptitude Test Syllabus Topics 2025

Candidates who wish to secure admission into design undergraduate and postgraduate programmes need to appear for the design entrance examination. Candidates must go through the Design aptitude test syllabus pdf download to understand the important topics, sections, and subsections. Candidates can view the detailed information about the Design Aptitude Test Syllabus important topics to get a better idea about the DAT exam.

Design aptitude test syllabus pdf assesses the candidates aptitude towards the design, which includes the observation skills, drawing skills, problem solving skills, creativity communication skills, and general Knowledge. Generally, the BDes entrance exams syllabus is similar and includes common topics. However, aspirants are advised to refer to exam-wise syllabus. Let's delve into the Design Aptitude Test (DAT) syllabus in detail:

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Design Aptitude Test - Drawing and Sketching Skills

This section evaluates candidates' drawing and sketching skills. The design aptitude test will examine the candidates drawing fundamentals, creativity, proportion, perspective, and shading.

Design Aptitude Test - English Grammar

This section tests the candidate's English language and vocabulary skills. Generally the topics covered are correction of sentences, active and passive voice, synonyms and antonyms, incorrect words, punctuation, tenses, replacing the missing words, sentence completion, jumbled paragraphs, idioms, phrases, and more.

Design Aptitude Test - General Knowledge about Design discipline

This section assesses the students general awareness and trends in the fashion industry. The general knowledge topics may include political science, economics, technology,sports, geography, international affairs, business affairs of the country, and schemes launched by the Government.

Design Aptitude Test - Comprehension

In this section, the candidates will be allotted some passages and questions related to the passage. Candidates need to answer those allotted passage questions by using correct phrases, words, and expressions.

Design Aptitude Test - Creativity and problem-solving

The section test expects to test candidates' ability to think creatively, innovate, and solve design challenges.

Design Aptitude Test - Design Theory

In these sections, the questions related to design principles, composition, and more.

Note: Apart from the above-mentioned section, each institute has different topics, subsections, and sections. Design Aptitude Test Syllabus provides insights about the different areas they need to study for the DAT 2025 exam. Some other institutions may have other different syllabus to clear the respective entrance exam.

You may also check:

NID DAT BDes 2025 Complete Guide
NID DAT BDes eBook gives in-depth information about the entrance test including the list of courses offered by NID, exam pattern, seat matrix, section-wise analysis, preparation strategy and more.
Download EBook

College-Wise Design Aptitude Test Syllabus

Candidates can check the list of the institutes which conduct the DAT exam for their admission.

NID DAT Syllabus

The NID Design Aptitude Test is a national level conducted annually by the National Institute of Design for its UG and PG admissions. NID Design Aptitude Test is conducted in two stages: Prelims and Mains. The authorities will not release the NID DAT syllabus prelims on its official website. Candidates can check the NID Design Aptitude Test syllabus, which is derived based on past question papers.

Particulars

B.Des prelims

B.Des Mains

NID DAT syllabus

  • Innovation in design

  • Principles of composition

  • Design Theory

  • Innovation in design

  • Theme development

  • Exercises on imagination

  • Graphics & pictograms

  • Principles of composition

  • Design Theory

  • Optical illusion

  • Form & function

  • Inspiration & design development

  • Natural & geometrical form

  • Colour, pattern & texture

  • Drawing fundamentals

  • Lateral thinking

  • Design Awareness

  • Creative thinking & writing

  • Ornaments & motifs

  • Imagination & doodling

  • Understanding light & shade

  • Elements & Principles of Design

  • Colour psychology & optical illusions

  • 3D visualisation

  • Lettering

  • Developing observation

  • Good design vs. bad design

  • Optical illusion

  • Outline for beginners

  • Memory drawing

  • Innovation & Creation

  • Mood, theme & colour inter-relationship

  • Visual logic

  • Colour terminology

  • Presentation techniques

  • Picture analysis

  • Story pictures

  • Usage of colour in compositions

  • Natural & geometrical form

  • Use of measurements, scale & proportions

  • Expression & emotion

  • Developing themes & colour associations

  • Foreshortening & perspective


  • Model making

  • Questions generally asked in an interview

  • Material manipulation

  • Mock interview

  • Audio-visual exercises

  • Evolving ideas

  • Importance of body language

  • Doodling

  • Past studio test & interview questions

  • Interview tips

  • Creative thinking

  • Guidance on portfolio making


NID Design Aptitude Test Syllabus - Prelims High-Weightage Topics

Section

B.Des prelims important topics

General Knowledge And Current Affairs

Indian Geography

World Geography

IT and Computers

Sports

Environmental Awareness

Ecology

Books and Authors

Business Awareness

Indian Geography

General Awareness

Analytical Ability

Coding Decoding

Series-Non Verbal

Mirror and Water Images

Embedded/ Hidden Images

Cubes and Dices

Venn Diagram

Figure Counting

Direction and Distance Test

Paper Cutting and Folding

Linear/Circular Arrangement

NID Exam Syllabus for M.Des prelims

Section

M.Des prelims important topics

NID DAT M.Des syllabus

  • Design Outline for Beginners

  • Colour Terminology

  • Inspiration & Design Development

  • Mood, Theme & Colour Inter-relationship

  • Design Theory

  • Elements & Principles Of Design

  • Natural & Geometrical Form

  • Innovation in Design

  • Principles of Composition

  • Lettering

  • Optical Illusion

  • Understanding Light & Shade

  • Colour Psychology & Optical Illusions

  • Form & Function

  • Colour, Pattern & Texture

  • Theme Development

  • Creative Thinking & Writing

  • Picture Analysis

  • Visual Logic

  • Good Design vs Bad Design

  • Drawing Fundamentals

  • Use of Measurements, Scale & proportions

  • Optical Illusion

  • Foreshortening & Perspective

  • Developing Themes & Colour Associations

  • Inspiration & Creativity

  • Ornaments & Motifs

  • Memory Drawing

  • Usage of Colour in Compositions

  • Expression & Emotion

  • Exercises on Imagination

  • Lateral Thinking

  • Story Pictures

  • Presentation Techniques

  • Imagination & Doodling

  • 3D Visualisation

  • Graphics & Pictograms

  • Innovation & Creation

  • Design Awareness

  • Developing Observation


MIT DAT Syllabus

MIT Design Aptitude Test syllabus will be released by the MIT institutes of Design on its official website - mitid.edu. Following the MIT DAT exam, the authorities will conduct the studio test and personal interview. The authorities will release the topic-wise syllabus. Candidates must familiarise with the MIT DAT question papers to understand the type of questions and high-weightage topics. Candidates can check the syllabus from the below:

  • Drawing

  • Sketching

  • Logical Reasoning

  • General Knowledge

  • Observation Skills

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UPES DAT Syllabus

The University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) will conduct the UPES DAT for B.Des programme. To qualify the UPES DAT exam candidates need to understand the concept of the topics which are included in the UPES DAT syllabus. Before starting the UPES Design Aptitude Test preparation candidates need to go through the syllabus of UPES DAT to get an idea about the important topics. Students refer to the UPES DAT syllabus from the table below.

UPES DAT Exam Syllabus

Section

Sub-section

English grammar

  • synonyms and antonyms

  • Punctuation

  • incorrect words

  • Tenses

  • replacing the missing words

  • active and passive voice

  • sentence completion

  • correction of sentences

  • jumbled paragraphs

General Knowledge and Current Affairs

  • political science

  • Geography

  • Sports

  • Technology

  • Economics

  • business affairs

  • schemes launched by the Government.

Comprehension

passage

Logical reasoning

  • Verbal reasoning and Analogy

  • Matrix arrangements

  • Embedded figures

  • Syllogisms

  • Family Trees

  • Critical reasoning

  • Data interpretation

  • Figure Partition

  • Dot Situation.

KS DAT Syllabus

Kerala State Design Aptitude test 2025 will be conducted by LBS Centre for Science and Technology (LBS) for design programmes. Candidates are advised to check the KS DAT 2025 syllabus before starting the preparation. Kerala design entrance exam evaluates candidates design aptitude and creativity. The syllabus of KS DAT 2025 will include the following topics:

KS DAT Syllabus

Subjects

Topics

Social and Basic sciences (10th level)

Basic social

  • World History

  • Economics

  • World Geography

  • World politics

Basic Sciences

  • Physics

  • Chemistry

  • Biology


General knowledge

  • Current affairs

  • Indian culture,

  • Inventions

  • Environment

  • Sports

  • Famous books and authors

English Language

Basic Grammar & Comprehension

Numerical ability and Analytical Aptitude

  • Problems of age

  • speed and distance

  • ratio and proportion

  • Percentage

  • Average

  • missing numbers

  • simple interest

Design Awareness



  • Visual logic

  • logical reasoning

  • pattern recognition

  • 3D spatial awareness

  • Creativity

  • design thinking and problem solving

  • elements and principles of design

  • Visualisation

  • representation techniques

NMIMS DAT Syllabus

The NMIMS DAT syllabus 2025 will be prescribed by Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS). The NMIMS DAT exam will consist of two parts: Part A and Part B. The duration of the NMIMPart A is 20 minutes and Part B is 60 minutes. Refer to the below table for the NMIMS DAT syllabus

NMIMS DAT Syllabus

Particulars

Syllabus

Part - A

  • Visual & Spatial ability

  • Environmental & Social Awareness

  • Logical reasoning

  • Observation & Memory

Part - B

Design Challenge: Problem Solving & Sketching of the Concept

  • Creative thinking

  • Representation of the concept

  • The uniqueness of the solution

You may also check:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is DAT?

DAT stands for Design Aptitude Test  is a standardised entrance exam conducted by various colleges in India. 

2. Which colleges conduct DAT?

Design Aptitude Test will be conducted many design colleges such as 

  • National Institute of Design (NID) 

  • MIT Pune 

  • GLS DAT 

  • UID DAT

  • NMIMS DAT 

3. What are the topics covered in the DAT exam?

The DAT syllabus covers the various topics such as drawing fundamentals, design theory, creativity and problem solving, visual perception ability, communication skills, and many other topics as per institute requirements. 

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Questions related to NID DAT

Have a question related to NID DAT ?

Hello,

Yes, it's possible to prepare for the NID DAT 2025 exam on your own, even with limited time, by following these steps:

  1. Understand the Syllabus : Focus on key areas like design principles, creativity, visualization, and observation skills.
  2. Solve Previous Papers : Practice with past NID DAT papers to understand question types and patterns.
  3. Time Management : Dedicate daily hours to sketching, problem-solving, and revision.
  4. Strengthen Drawing Skills : Practice daily to improve speed and accuracy.
  5. Use Online Resources : Utilize free tutorials, sample papers, and design blogs.
  6. Mock Tests : Take regular mock exams to assess progress and manage time efficiently.

Hope it helps !

Hello,

There are numerous websites which give free study material and classes to prepare for entrance exams NID DAT, UCEED, or NIFT. Here are a few popular ones:

YouTube: YouTube has many educators as well as institutes, which have been uploading free video lectures on important topics, on aptitude for design, and how to give these exams. Useful content can be found in the channels "Design Coach" and "NID Preparation".

You can download free courses offered on websites like Coursera, edX, and Khan Academy on the topics of design principles, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

Official Websites: Both NID and UCEED and also NIFT would usually release sample papers and previous question papers for self-preparation.

Study Groups: One can join online forums or social media groups which are dedicated to NID, UCEED, and NIFT preparation for peer-to-peer learning assistance.

The resource utilization would bring in good preparation for the exams and, therefore, increase in confidence.

Hello,

Preparing for the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) entrance exam involves focusing on several key areas. Here’s a structured approach to get you started:

1. Understand the Exam Structure

Familiarize yourself with the NIFT entrance exam format:

  • General Ability Test (GAT): Tests general knowledge, current affairs, and quantitative ability.
  • Creative Ability Test (CAT): Assesses your creative and visual ability through sketching and design-based questions.
  • Situation Test (for B.Des): Evaluates your ability to create a design from given materials.
  • Group Discussion and Personal Interview (for M.Des/MFM): Tests your communication skills, understanding of the fashion industry, and design knowledge.

2. Gather Study Materials

  • For GAT: Use general knowledge books, current affairs magazines, and quantitative aptitude guides.
  • For CAT: Practice sketching and drawing regularly. Books on design and creativity can be useful.
  • For Situation Test: Practice creating models from various materials and understanding design principles.
  • For GD/PI: Prepare by staying updated on fashion trends, industry news, and developing a strong portfolio.

3. Create a Study Plan

  • Daily Study: Allocate time for each section based on your strengths and weaknesses.
  • Weekly Goals: Set goals for completing practice papers and revising key concepts.
  • Mock Tests: Regularly take mock tests to simulate the exam environment and improve time management.

4. Enroll in Coaching Classes (if needed)

Consider joining a coaching institute that specializes in NIFT preparation. They can provide structured guidance, practice tests, and expert feedback.

5. Work on Your Portfolio

If you’re applying for design courses, develop a strong portfolio showcasing your creative work. Include sketches, designs, and any relevant projects.

6. Refer to Previous Years’ Papers

Solving past years' question papers helps you understand the exam pattern and types of questions. It also aids in identifying important topics.

7. Stay Updated

  • Follow fashion industry news to stay informed about trends and innovations.
  • Read relevant books and articles about design and fashion.

8. Practice Creativity

Engage in activities that boost your creativity, such as drawing, painting, or crafting. Keep experimenting with new ideas and techniques.

By focusing on these areas, you'll build a solid foundation for the NIFT entrance exam. Good luck with your preparation!

You can also refer to the following articles to better understand the NIFT examination and its preperation strategy :-

1. https://design.careers360.com/articles/how-prepare-for-nift-entrance-exam

2. https://design.careers360.com/exams/nift-entrance-exam


Hope it helps !

No, diploma or polytechnic students are generally not eligible to apply for the NID DAT exam.
The eligibility criteria for NID DAT typically requires a 10+2 qualification or its equivalent. This means you must have completed your higher secondary education to be eligible for the exam.

I hope this information helps.


Stages of the Exam:

The PG NID entrance exam typically consists of two stages:

  • Prelims: This written test might include objective and subjective questions to assess your design aptitude, creativity, problem-solving skills, and knowledge of design principles.

  • Mains: Candidates who qualify in the prelims are called for the mains stage, which usually involves a studio test, design exercises, and sometimes a personal interview. The specific format might vary depending on the chosen M.Des. specialization.

Prelims Exam Pattern (General Expectations):

Here is a general idea of what the prelims might cover, though the specific weightage and question types can vary:

  • Design Aptitude: This section might assess your visual thinking, observation skills, ability to identify patterns, and spatial reasoning. Expect questions on visual perception, mental ability tests, and basic design principles.

  • Discipline-Specific Test (for some programs): Certain M.Des. specializations might have a separate test focusing on the specific design discipline.

  • General Aptitude Test: This section might include questions on analytical reasoning, verbal ability, and general knowledge.

Mains Exam Pattern (General Expectations):

The mains exam format is more program-specific, but might involve elements like:

  • Studio Test: This hands-on test assesses your design skills, creativity, and ability to translate ideas into visual form. The specific task or materials used can vary depending on the chosen specialization.

  • Design Exercises: You might be presented with design challenges or problems to solve creatively. This assesses your approach to design thinking and problem-solving.

  • Personal Interview (for some programs): Some specializations might have a personal interview to assess your motivation, interest in the field, and understanding of the program.

I hope it helps!

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