How to prepare for NIFT 2025 in 1 year: Preparation Tips & Strategy

How to prepare for NIFT 2025 in 1 year: Preparation Tips & Strategy

Edited By Team Careers360 | Updated on Nov 22, 2024 10:29 PM IST | #NIFT Entrance Exam

With over 16 centres throughout the nation, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) is a prestigious university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees. There is fierce rivalry for the 5,000 available places, thus each year 20,000 candidates take the NIFT entrance exam . Developing a strategic plan is therefore essential to passing the NIFT 2025 exam. The NIFT 2025 admission exam will be administered by the NTA on February 9. Online access to the NIFT application form 2025 is open from November 22 to January 6. and hence it should be noted that there are two stages to the NIFT entrance exam preparation. The first involves students taking written tests (CAT and GAT). Those that made the short list must then show up for a situation test and/or personal interview.

There are numerous ways to prepare for NIFT 2025, such as reading the best books, doing practice questions, and taking mock exams.Here is an updated approach that may be useful, keeping in mind that you give yourself a year to get ready for the admission exam. It is a tactic that offers all the essential preparation-related information and is based on the accumulation of numerous student experiences.

NIFT 2025 Syllabus and Exam Pattern

The NIFT entrance exam consists of three parts with the following weightages.

  • GAT (General Aptitude Test) - 30%

  • CAT( Creative Aptitude Test) - 50%

  • ST (Situation Test) - 20%

How to prepare for NIFT 2025 in 1 Year Online

To prepare for the NIFT exam online, let's have a brief overview of a good study plan that can help in effective preparation.

1. NIFT 2025 Study Plan

Since NIFT exam with the GAT exam which is held in February month annually. So most students often question how to prepare for the NIFT entrance exam at home. Well, it is easy and can be done by prioritizing the important topics and subjects and creating a good study plan.

Name of the Subject

Time Allotment per Subject

Focus Areas

General Knowledge and Current Affairs

45 mins-60 mins everyday

  • As GK is very memory-related, it needs to be memorized and revised every day.

Quantitative Ability

1-3 hours every day



  • Mathematics is broken down into three processes, Theory, Understanding, and Application.

  • Choose one topic every day and go through all these processes for it on the same day.

Analytical Ability

1-2 hours alternate days

  • This section is a very logic-related subject with different methods to solve each problem.

  • Always solve these with a fresh mind and do not try to memorize any one step to solve it.

Communication Ability and English Comprehension

45 minutes to 1 hour, once in three days

  • Pay the most attention to grammar.

  • Only a little here is memory-based, so this is one of the more relaxed sections of the paper.

Sketching and Drawing

1-2 hours

  • Pick out some of the best-designed products or fashion pieces, looks, etc. Understand the process behind how it came to be.

  • Familiarize yourself with a few ideation tools needed for design sprints, like S.C.A.M.P.E.R, Six Thinking Hats, Crazy 8, etc.


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How To Prepare For NIFT-GAT In a Year

Although the NIFT-GAT exam has four sections and is less weighted than the NIFT-CAT exam, passing it is nevertheless very important since only students who pass both the NIFT-GAT and CAT will be selected to take the NIFT Situation test. The preparation for NIFT BFTech GAT exam is as follows.

1. Familiarise yourself with the NIFT GAT Syllabus

This section aims to study your scholastic abilities, be it language, communication, problem-solving, practical-analytical thinking, etc. The breakdown of the NIFT-GAT syllabus is provided below.

Subject

Syllabus Overview

English Comprehension

Synonyms, antonyms, idioms & phrases, spot the errors, Cloze Reading tests, fill in the blanks, sentence correction, analogies, spelling errors, one-word substitution and ordering of sentences/passage, etc.

Quantitative Ability

Number system, ratio proportion, averages, ages, profit and loss, speed time, upstream & downstream, mixtures & allegations, pipes, and cisterns, work time, simple interest, compound interest, mensuration, set theory, trigonometry, height & distance, permutation n combination and probability, etc.

Analytical Thinking

Verbal and non-verbal reasoning topics such as series, coding-decoding, directions, ranking, sitting arrangement, syllogism, calendar, clocks, eligibility criteria, blood relations, cubes and dice, line counting, graphs, puzzles, etc., are included.


GK and Current Affairs

Brands, Logos, Folk dance and music, World Heritage sites, basics of design theory, Economics, government schemes, fashion industry, ministers, taglines, etc.

2. Time Management Tips For NIFT-GAT Exam 2025

Students must familiarize themselves with the important concepts as much as possible, and once they are thorough with exam patterns and syllabus, it becomes important to learn to manage time and attempt the mock tests to simulate the exam conditions. In this article, a time management breakdown for the NIFT-GAT paper has been provided which can help students to manage their time and to answer questions more effectively. The time management tips for the NIFT-GAT 2025 exam are as follows.

Section

(Go order-wise)

Time Allotment

(To Solve and Review)

Quantitative analysis

40 minutes

Analytical ability

30 minutes

Communication Ability and English Comprehension

30 minutes

GK and Current affairs

20 minutes

Total time allotted

120 minutes

Also Read:

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"NIFT 2024 Ultimate Mock Test eBook" – your secret weapon to conquer the National Institute of Fashion Technology entrance test.
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3. Section-wise Preparation Strategy For NIFT-GAT In a Year

The NIFT-GAT exam comprises four sections as already mentioned above. In this section, we will be discussing the detailed preparation strategy of how to prepare NIFT entrance exam in 1 year. In this section we will be focussing on the NIFT-GAT section

1. Quantitative Analysis

  • Understand that there is a set way of solving these questions and hence memorize all formulae.

  • Start early preparation. Although these are topics you might have come across in school it is important not to be overconfident and do daily revisions.

  • When you are through with the concepts, you can start to time and attempt question papers every alternate day. Pick at least 2-3 papers every day and try to solve them yourself, thus trying to solve each under 35 minutes.

  • Some topic-heavy, advanced-level questions that require relatively more time to solve might be Speed of the boat problems, Simple Interest, Salary and savings, Discount, Time, Speed and distance problems, etc.

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2. Analytical and Logical Reasoning

  • These questions are often quite tricky to solve, but some short methods and tricks come in handy while solving them.

  • You must attempt these with no ounce of overconfidence and must be solved with the most attention as you might sometimes feel like you know the answers to them, but it might not be the case.

  • Important topics that might be tricky: Finding missing numbers and alphabets in series, direction sense problems, etc.

3. English Comprehension and Communication Ability

  • In this section, you can expect grammar correction and syntax relation questions.

  • Since there is nothing much to memorize, it is important to remember certain syntaxes that are applied across multiple sections.

  • Important topics would be Vocabulary, Sentence completion, Paying attention to unseen passages, etc.

4. General Knowledge and Current Affairs

  • This section aims to check your General knowledge and how up-to-date you are with Indian history, Geography, culture, sports, etc.

  • Since it is a very memory-heavy subject, it is advisable to start early preparation and practice with short quizzes by yourself.

  • You can refer to cheat sheets and the question papers to see the more frequently asked topics like Indian Ministry, Schemes, Fashion Industry brands and logos,
    Sports etc.

Read More:

How to Prepare for NIFT CAT in a Year

With a more heightened importance compared to the GAT, with 50% weightage comes the Creative Aptitude test, which aims to test your spontaneous creativity and sketching abilities. The preparation tips are as follows.

1. Ideation and iterative processes:

Time Allotted: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Focus Areas

  • Pick out some best-designed products or fashion pieces, looks, etc. Understand the process behind how it came to be. Since research is a vast process, to simplify it for yourself, use research tools found on the internet; a good framework is the 5Ws and H.

  • Also familiarize yourself with a few ideation tools needed for design sprints, like S.C.A.M.P.E.R, Six Thinking Hats, Crazy 8, etc. These will come in handy during the examination when you need to come up with spontaneous ideas for a design brief that involves further sketching, defining, etc.

2. Sketching Practice

Time Allotted: 1-2 hours

Focus Areas

  • No easy routes for this one here! ; “Practice makes a man perfect.” There is no such thing as a “best time to sketch” but there certainly is a preference for sketching in the mornings. When you wake up, your limbs are often loose from sleep and it becomes easy to train a hand at strokes and sketching.

  • By the end of your preparation, you must be firm in your perspective drawings, one-point and two-point perspectives, ant’s perspective, bird’s eye view, product sketches, imaginative sketching, anatomy, etc.

  • While practicing, remember, that quantity is as important as quality.

  • Prototyping is drawing in 3D with materials; enhance your crafting skills for the Situation test. Expose yourself to paper modelling, clay, toothpicks, cardboard, foam, softwood, fabrics, etc. The knowledge of types of adhesives will also come in handy.

  • Once you understand the most important topics for the NIFT entrance test, make a list of the most frequently asked questions and practice based on that. For example, comic strips are an important part of entrance tests, and also anatomy.

  • Practice a set of different body types, like stout, thin, etc, that might not just help you with anatomy but also help in character-building for comics.

  • Learn how to visualize every object as a combination of simpler shapes, eg: A water bottle: The body of the bottle is made up of a cylinder, but the cap on top is also a cylinder but in a different size.

How to Prepare for the NIFT Situation Test in a Year

The NIFT Situation Test is the qualifying round and only a few shortlisted candidates can sit for this exam. Hence, even containing the least weightage of 20% it becomes a crucial part of qualifying for the NIFT entrance examination. To prepare for the Situation Test, the preparation tips are as follows.

  • Exposure to materials: Explore as many materials as you can in 10-12 months.

  • Modelling Techniques: Keeping in mind the materials that they provide, make design briefs for yourself and start making quick maquettes and sculptures.

  • Categorize materials: Hard and soft, like cardboard, wood, clay, mount boards, etc.

  • Keep your innovative spirits high! : Practice ideation tools and try to come up with solid ideas in as quick as 15 minutes.

This is a simple self-study guide that is made to help students to crack the NIFT 2025 entrance exam. Go through reliable NIFT study materials and practice well. In addition, students can also refer to the best books for NIFT preparation that can act as the best study guides in your preparation journey. The most important strategy is to consistently follow a single plan, as practice takes time to show results!

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the preparation tips to study for NIFT 2025?
  • Solve as many sample papers as possible

  • Time management 

  • Daily sketching practice 

  • Keeping up to date with current affairs and GK

2. Is solving previous year's papers enough for NIFT preparation?

It is wonderful and necessary to repeatedly understand the most asked questions and patterns of the NIFT question papers, but it is very important to go through the required syllabus with proper and ample preparation. 

3. Is one year enough to prepare for the NIFT 2025 entrance test?

One year, or even 6 months is a good amount of time for exposure, understanding, and application of learnings to be able to qualify for the GAT, CAT, and Situation tests needed to be cleared for NIFT. 

4. How can I prepare for NIFT at home?
  • Understand how much you know and how much effort needs to be put into preparing. 

  • Familiarize yourself with multiple question papers, patterns, syllabi, etc. 

  • If you are not going to any coaching, make a strong timetable and stick to it for effective understanding. 

  • There are a lot of self-study guides and NIFT study materials  at Careers360. Use them wisely.

5. What is the best stream for NIFT?

For a B.Des course, you may come from any of the streams, Science, Commerce, or arts, as design lies in an intersection of all of these, and is quite interdisciplinary. 

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Questions related to NIFT Entrance Exam

Have a question related to NIFT Entrance Exam ?

Hello aspirant,

The nationwide Institute of Fashion Technology offers a nationwide entrance exam called NIFT for admission to its fashion design programmes.

Every course has specific requirements that must be met in order to apply. For NIFT, there is no minimum age requirement, however it is evident that passing the 10+2 exam is a requirement in order to be admitted to any undergraduate programme in fashion design.


You cannot be admitted because you are in class eleven. However, you can apply to NIFT for experience and practice, and if your application is accepted, you can take the entrance exam. If you pass, however, be aware that you will not be able to retain your results for admission.

Thank you

Hope this information helps you.

Dear Aspirant,


Yes! If you want to pursue your under graduation from nift after 12th or even if you are appearing for12th exam then you are eligible to apply for the exam. There are several courses offered by nift which includes undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes.


Age (Undergraduate degree programmes) -

  • General - the maximum age should be less than 24 years as on 1st august in the year of examination
  • Reserved category - 5 years relaxation


Hope this information helps :)

Dear aspirant

NIFT 2023 ELIGIBILITY - B.DES admission

1. Aspiring students must have completed a 10+2 board exam from any recognized Central/State Board of Secondary Examination, such as Central Board of Secondary Education/State Board New Delhi, and Council for Indian School of Certificate Examination, New Delhi or,

2. Any Board/Public School/University Examination conducted in India or abroad which is equivalent to the 10+2 system and is accorded by the Association of Indian Universities or,

3. If candidates complete the General Certificate Education (GCE) Examination (London/Sri Lanka/ Cambridge/) at the Advanced (A) level/International Baccalaureate (IB) then, they are eligible to apply or,

4. Students will also be eligible if they have passed the 10+2 examination conducted by the National Open School with at least five subjects or,

5. Diploma of 3 or 4 years which is recognized by AICTE or State Board of Technical Education.

Age limit - Candidates must be of 23 years of age as of August 1, 2022. However, candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Person With Disability (PHP) get a relaxation of 5 years

Eligibility for B.F.Tech admission

1. Students must pass the Class 12 exam in the 10+2 pattern of examination with Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics as compulsory subjects from any recognized Central/ State Board of Secondary Examination, such as Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi, and Council for Indian School of Certificate Examination, New Delhi or,

2. Any Public School/Board/University Exam in India or in foreign countries which is equivalent to a 10+2 system with Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics as a mandatory subjects. It must be recognized by the Association of Indian Universities or,

3. General Certificate Education (GCE) Examination(London/ Cambridge/ Sri Lanka) at the advanced (A) level with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics/International Baccalaureate (IB) or,

4. Diploma of 3 or 4 years in any programme of engineering which is recognized by AICTE or a State Board of Technical Education or,

5. A passing grade in the Higher Secondary Education Examination held by the National Open School with at least five subjects - Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics

Age limit is same as B.des

You can check other details about eligibility criteria for NIFT from link below

https://www.google.com/amp/s/design.careers360.com/articles/nift-eligibility-criteria/amp

Hope this was informative for you

Best regards!!

Hello,

For BVoc courses in interior design, separate entrance exams are conducted by the concerned colleges. By giving NIFT you can only get admission in BDes and MDes courses in NIFTs and some other participating institutes.

Hello,

In 2022 NIFT Entrance Examination was conducted in 32 cities. The candidates have to select the preference of the examination cities while filling the application form. Based on the availability, preferences of the examination cities you will be allotted an examination center. You have to appear for NIFT Entrance Examination in the allotted examination center as per the given schedule. You can select any city where examination is conducted while filling your preferences, make sure that you select the cities such that you can commute on the day of examination easily. Next year the list of examination cities may increase or decrease, the cities may vary.

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