NID DAT Admit Card Date:11 Dec' 25 - 21 Dec' 25
The National Institute of Design will notify the NID mains exam date 2026 on its official website- admissions.nid.edu. The NID mains 2026 is the second stage in the NID entrance exam. Candidates who are shortlisted in the NID DAT 2026 prelims will be invited to participate in the NID 2026 mains. In this article, get the NID mains exam date 2026 as per past year trends, and other details.
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Candidates must appear for all components of the NID mains exam to be able to secure NID admission. As per the revised NID 2026 selection criteria, only the scores obtained in NID mains will be considered for final selection.
The NID mains 2026 will be conducted across several days in offline mode. Candidates have to appear for the NID mains 2026 at the designated exam centres. The NID Mains exam for B.Des and M.Des programmes is expected to be conducted separately.
The table below provides the tentative dates for the NID Mains exam 2026 as per trends seen last year.
Particulars | Dates |
NID B.Des mains exam date 2026 | Fourth week of April 2026 to First week of May 2026 |
NID M.Des mains exam date 2026 | First week of March 2026 to First week of April 2026 |
The NID Mains exam is the second stage in the NID 2026 admission process. The NID syllabus for the mains is designed to assess the candidate's creative aptitude, practical skills, and overall personality. Only the score in the NID mains exam will be considered for the final selection of the candidate.
The NID B.Des mains consists of a studio sensitivity test and an in-person sensitivity test, while the NID M.Des mains consists of a studio test and an interview. For NID M.Des mains, a faculty stream-specific studio test will be conducted for all disciplines under each faculty stream; however, interviews will be conducted discipline-wise.
Particulars | Weightage |
Studio Sensitivity Test | 60% |
In-person Sensitivity Test | 40% |
Particulars | Weightage |
Studio Test | 40% |
Interviews | 60% |
The National Institute of Design has notified that the candidates qualifying for NID B.Des mains will be 1.5 times the number of seats available. The authorities have not specifically mentioned the number of students who will be called for the NID M.Des mains exam.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, candidates have to appear for NID mains to secure admission.
The NID 2026 mains exam will be tentatively conducted in March 2026 for M.Des.and in April 2026 for B.Des.
NID mains 2026 will be conducted in offline mode.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
Yes, if you are in Class 12, you are eligible to sit for the NID DAT 2026 (BDes) exam. The National Institute of Design allows students who are in their final year of Class 12 or have already passed to apply.
To know more access below mentioned link:
https://design.careers360.com/articles/nid-admission-2026
Hope it helps.
You can get the NIT DAT SYLLABUS, updated version from careers 360 in detail from careers 360 article. Follow the link given from The link of the syllabus article is given below from careers 360
https://design.careers360.com/articles/nid-dat-syllabus-2026
Yes you are eligible to appear for NID DAT for the M.Des programme. Since you are in final make sure you will have completed your BA by the required deadline. Also go through the specific specializations you want to apply for, some may require certain specific backgrounds to be eligible to apply for them. You can find more details here design.careers360.com/articles/nid-dat-eligibility-criteria
Hello,
To prepare for M.des exams like CEED or NID DAT, here are some points which you can follow:
Understand the pattern – focus on creativity, design aptitude, and problem-solving.
Practice sketching daily and improve visualization.
Study basics of color, form, and design concepts.
Solve previous papers and build a strong portfolio.
Stay consistent and observe everyday designs for new ideas.
THANKU.
Hi daksh
As 563 rank in nid dat exam cannot guarantee admission in designing college but it could be a good chance to explore some campus as if you are not from general category as category role plays an important role . But now you can do one thing focus on your strengthening your protofile or preparing for the studio test (bdes) or interview (mdes).
Thanks.
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