How to Crack NIFT Entrance Exam 2026 in 6 Months?

How to Crack NIFT Entrance Exam 2026 in 6 Months?

Ritika JonwalUpdated on 26 Jun 2025, 12:17 PM IST

NIFT 2026 exam preparation: Applicants who wish to be admitted to the NIFTs' design programs must have a clear plan for how, what, and where they will study for the NIFT 2026 exam. Keep in mind that NIFT is one of the nation's most difficult design admission tests. Each year, over 50,000 applicants take the NIFT entrance exam. You cannot afford to make a mistake. NIFT 2026 exam will tentatively be conducted in February, 2026.
In the NIFT entrance exam, the three primary components of the exam are the General Ability Test (GAT), the Creative Ability Test (CAT), and the Situation Test. As a result, the student must be prepared for the NIFT 2026 in every way. However, this post focuses solely on acing the NIFT 2026 entrance exam when time is of the essence.

This Story also Contains

  1. How to Prepare for NIFT Entrance Exam 2026
  2. How to Crack NIFT In 6 Months - Timetable
  3. Revision Plan for the NIFT 2026 Entrance Exam
How to Crack NIFT Entrance Exam 2026 in 6 Months?
How to crack NIFT in 6 Months

How to Prepare for NIFT Entrance Exam 2026

Before beginning with preparation of NIFT 2026 in 6 months aspiring students first need to go through

  • Important Topics for NIFT preparation for all the sections including NIFT- GAT, CAT, and Situation Test

  • Understand the NIFT 2026 Exam syllabus in detail without which you cannot follow any strategy.

  • Select the best books for NIFT preparation. The selection of the best books always helps in the effective and smooth preparation of any entrance examination.

  • Pick out a lot of NIFT sample papers. Solving sample papers or attempting mock tests helps in simulating the actual exam conditions. It will also help in time management, speed, and accuracy of question-solving.

How to Crack NIFT In 6 Months - Timetable

To prepare for NIFT 2026 in 6 months let's go through a good study plan. A good study plan includes a good timetable and time management skills. The month-wise preparation timetable is tabulated below.

How To Prepare For NIFT 2026 in 6 months - GAT Section

As NIFT-GAT is broken up into five sections. The detailed NIFT-GAT syllabus is included in the table below, which is broken down into preparation strategies for each month and the amount of time that should be set aside each week for each section.


Months

Quantitative Ability
(7-12 hours a week)

Logical Reasoning
(7-8 hours a week)

General Knowledge
(5-6 hours a week)

English Comprehension
(2-3 hours a week)

Month 1

  • Work, Time, Rate and Speed, Distance, Time
  • BODMAS rule, HCF, and LCM
  • Numbers, Sets, and Relations
  • Permutations and Combinations
  • Coding and Decoding
  • Blood relations
  • Direction Problems
  • Analogy

  • Indian Heritage Sites
  • Folk dance and Folk Music
  • Indian and World Geography

_________

Month 2

  • Percentage
  • Simplification and Integers
  • Probability
  • Boat and Stream Problems
  • Alphabet series
  • Statements and arguments
  • Number Series
  • Word relations

  • Indian Constitution
  • Fashion Designers and Authors
  • Indian Ministry
  • Basic Indian economics and schemes

_________

Month 3

  • Savings and Salary
  • Profit and Loss, Simple interest, Compound Interest
  • Decimals and Fractions
  • Arithmetic Progression and Geometric
  • Venn diagrams and bar graphs
  • Odd one out and Finding the missing letter
  • The angle of the arms of a clock, Calendars
  • Using appropriate arithmetic signs to solve an equation
  • Art and Culture
  • Indian Handicrafts
  • Indian Book and Authors
  • Brands, Logos and Taglines, Ambassadors
  • Cloze Reading tests
  • Synonyms antonyms
  • Spot the errors
  • Sentence correction
  • Analogies
  • Spelling errors

Month 4

  • Ratio and Proportion
  • Mensuration
  • Linear Equations
  • REVISION 1
  • Quicker ways to solve a problem
  • Shortcuts and formulae
  • REVISION 1
  • Quiz cards
  • REVISION1
  • Ordering of sentences or passages
  • One-word substitution
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Fill in the blanks
  • Prepositions

Month 5

  • REVISION MONTH 2
  • Sample question papers
  • Formula sheets
  • REVISION 2
  • Sample papers
  • Quiz cards
  • REVISION 2
  • Sample papers
  • REVISION 1

Month 6

  • REVISION MONTH 3
  • Mock tests
  • REVISION3
  • Sample papers
  • Mock Tests
  • Quiz cards
  • REVISION 3
  • Sample papers
  • REVISION 2

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How to Prepare for NIFT 2026 in 6 months - CAT Section

The complete NIFT-CAT syllabus is broken down into preparation strategies for each month, along with the amount of time that must be set aside for design theory and sketching, in the table below.

Month
(6-7 hours a week)

List of Topics

Month 1

  • Imaginative drawings, Product drawings

  • Perspective drawing

Month 2


  • Anatomy, Body Types, and Nature drawings

  • Color Theory and Gestalt Principles

  • Uniform or Mascot design

Month 3

  • Comic strip making

  • Bird’s eye view/ Ant’s view

  • Poster design

Month 4

  • Free-hand, Brief-based sketching

  • Working on individual sets

  • Sample questions

Month 5

  • Sample questions, planning sketches

  • Speed sketching

Month 6

  • Mock tests

  • Ideation, thumbnail sketches

  • Sample papers

Revision Plan for the NIFT 2026 Entrance Exam

Below are a few tips to prepare for NIFT 2026 in 6 months. These preparation tips can benefit the students if they follow these given tips and timetables with focused efforts and diligently.

  • Students can make an archive of important formulae and make formula sheets for better memorization.

  • Reading, understanding, and applying concepts with NIFT study material is necessary before solving sample papers and mock tests.

  • One must keep up-to-date with news and NIFT general knowledge questions.

  • Mock tests must be solved methodically and students must learn how to use tricks and important shortcuts to solve questions correctly. For attempting a mock test students can download a free pdf of 10 mock test series of the NIFT exam with proper answer keys and detailed solutions.

NIFT 2026 Most Important Topics
Get ready for NIFT 2026 with this comprehensive eBook covering CAT & GAT, featuring key topics, tips, and sample questions.
Download EBook
  • Aspiring students must also have immense sketching abilities and it is hence important to practice different types of sketching day-to-day, as the NIFT-CAT heavily judges candidates on these factors.

  • Enhance your model-making skills and approach a variety of materials. This will help you prepare for the NIFT Situation Test effectively.

  • Be consistent and follow the timetable above for cracking NIFT in 6 months.

  • Aspiring students need reliable NIFT study material without which no strategy is effective. Use preparation books like the Arihant NIFT entrance exam self-study guide, Manorama Yearbook for GK, and Analytical Reasoning by R.S Aggarwal.

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Also Check:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What are the key topics to focus on for the NIFT entrance exam?
A:
  • Quantitative Ability 
  • Analytical and logical reasoning
  • General Knowledge
  • English comprehension and communication ability 
  • Sketching
Q: How important is time management during the NIFT entrance exam?
A:

Time management is most important in an entrance exam such as the NIFT. Students are given a limited number of time to solve multiple problems from different sections, and they must hence know how to prioritize the questions asked in the examination. 

Q: Is 6 months enough for NIFT 2026?
A:

Yes, with student's focused efforts, reliable strategy, and good NIFT study material it is possible to crack NIFT in 6 months

Q: How much time is needed to prepare for NIFT 2026?
A:

Students can start as early as a year before, or even in 1-6 months. You will need a strong strategy and material to help you begin—practice as many mock tests as possible. 

Q: What resources and study materials are recommended for NIFT preparation?
A:

The Arihant NIFT entrance exam self-study guide is a reliable source recommended for NIFT preparation 2026. 

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Questions related to NIFT Entrance Exam

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to NIFT Entrance Exam ?

Hello,

Thank you for your question

For download NIFT previous year question paper you can check this link below:

NIFT Previous Year Question Papers PDF (http://NIFT%20Previous%20Year%20Question%20Papers%20PDF)

All the best!

Hello,
It’s completely understandable to feel disheartened after not getting a seat in the first and second rounds, especially when you’ve filled all the colleges and have your hopes set on a particular course like Fashion Communication . With an OBC rank of 1910 and CMR 7192, your chances can improve in the upcoming counselling rounds as more students withdraw or shift to other colleges.
So make sure to check the further rounds of counselling and don’t lose hope. Many students get seats in the 3rd, 4th, and mop-up rounds. You can also consider updating your preference list or keeping a wider range of courses and campuses open in case you're okay with related fields.
Keep checking the official NIFT website for updates on seat allotment and further counselling instructions.
Thank you

Dear Candidate ,
Yes , you are eligible for NIFT - UG 2026 . Based on your birthdate , you will be 19 years old as of August 1 , 2026 , which is well within the age limit .
NIFT requires applicants to be under 24 years of age on August 1 of the admission year , with a 5 year relaxation for SC/ST/PwD candidates .

Hello

The syllabus of NIFT 2026 will be released on October 2025 by Nift officials on their official website nift.ac.in . The syllabus comprises of topics General Ability Test (GAT) and Creative Ability Test (CAT). The syllabus is different for UG and PG programmes. The GAT syllabus consists of :

  • Communication ability and English comprehension
  • Quantitative ability
  • Analytical and Reasoning
  • Case study
  • General knowledge and current affairs

The CAT syllabus consists important topics like

  • Creative ability
  • Observation power
  • Discernment ability
  • Design ability
  • Colour combination ability

To download the complete syllabus kindly refer this

https://design.careers360.com/articles/nift-syllabus

Good luck !

Hello,

The Chennai NIFT entrance exam results for 2025 are usually declared a few weeks after the exam date. You can check the official NIFT website or trusted education portals like Careers360 for the latest updates and result announcements.

Make sure to keep your application details handy to access your result easily.

Hope this helps!