How to Prepare for Design Entrance Exams, Books, Important Topics

Preparing for competitive design assessments becomes more difficult as the number of applicants to the top design schools rises annually. Among India's most popular design entrance exams include NIFT, NID DAT, CEED, UCEED, FDDI AIST, and others. In this case, in order to do well on the, design aptitude test students must know how to study for it. The design aptitude test requires systematic study to do well because of its extensive syllabus, which covers every area of expertise. To find out more about the best design entrance exam books and how to prepare for the design aptitude test, read the article through to the end.

Latest: Top design entrance exams in India

Also See: Top B.Des colleges in India

This Story also Contains

1. Top Design Entrance Exams Preparation Tips
2. How to prepare for NIFT entrance exam?
3. How to prepare for the NID entrance exam?
4. How to prepare for UCEED?
5. How to prepare for CEED?
6. How to prepare for FDDI AIST exam?
7. How to prepare for Pearl entrance exam?
8. Tips & Tricks to qualify Design Aptitude Test

Top Design Entrance Exams Preparation Tips

Getting selected into the top design colleges in India requires students to crack the entrance test conducted at national level, state level or university level. These design aptitude tests are designed to test the problem solving skills of the students along with their drawing skills in most cases. We have discussed all the top entrance examinations in the design field along with their design aptitude test preparation books. Here are some of the best design aptitude tests that students should appear for a career in design.

How to prepare for NIFT entrance exam?

The National Institute of Fashion Technology is one of the best colleges to study fashion designing in. The National Testing Agency conducts the entrance exam for the NIFT campuses every year. This NIFT entrance exam has two major parts in it which we are going to discuss. Candidates can below check tips to prepare for NIFT entrance exam.

NIFT GAT

The GAT exam stands for General Ability Test which consists of MCQs from the section of Communication Ability, English Comprehension, Quantitative Ability, Analytical Ability, General Knowledge and Current Affairs. As per NIFT exam pattern, duration of this exam is 2 hours and it is a Computer Based test with total questions being 100. The preparation tips and best NIFT design aptitude test preparation books are given below for you to check out.

How to prepare for NIFT GAT exam 2025?

Communication Ability: The candidates need to focus on the language skills of day to day communication in English to perform well in this section. Questions are made from the sections of synonyms, antonyms, meanings of words, singular and plurals, word substitution, idioms and phrases, and choosing the correct spelling.

Tip: Besides solving the questions from this section the students can read newspapers and watch TV shows to improve their communication ability and vocabulary.

Also Check: NIFT Questions with Solutions for Communication Ability & English Comprehension

English Comprehension: For English comprehension the students need to improve the reading speed and understanding abilities in order to solve questions based on a given piece of text. The students need to read quickly and understand the overall meaning of the text given.

Tip: A good advice would be to check out the questions first and know what they need to find in the given paragraph.

Quantitative Abilities: Being well versed with 10th level math would be enough for solving the questions for this section. The students need to know basic multiplication, division, fraction, percentage, rate of interest, work task, ratio and proportion, and distance questions and solve them to get the answers.

Tip: The students must practice quantitative ability questions from the beginning of their preparation in order to not stress them as most of the students struggle with mathematical questions.

Analytical Abilities: Analytical abilities test the students problem solving skills and logical abilities. The students need to be creative and understand the logic behind each question which is given to them. Questions such as dice problems, blood relations, number series, coding decoding, age problems etc. are a part of this section.

Tip: Students should aim for solving as many NIFT GAT questions paper as possible from this section to get an exposure.

Also Check: NIFT Analytical Ability Questions with Answers

General Knowledge and Current Affairs: GK for design exams is one of the most commonly asked sections. The students must be aware of the questions which are commonly asked in the previous years.

Tip: One should have a basic general knowledge level and along with that they can read current affair magazines and newspapers to be well versed with this section.

Also Check: NIFT GK Questions

Best Books for Design Entrance Exams: NIFT GAT

Some of the best books for NIFT entrance exam for GAT are given below:

• Word Power Made Easy

• Arihant Fast Track Objective Arithmetic Paperback

• Oswaal Objective General English For All Competitive Examinations Chapter-wise & Topic-wise

• A Complete Book on English Language

NIFT CAT

The Creative Ability Test is designed to evaluate the students based on their drawing skills and observational skills. The students who are design aspirants such as BDes or MDes students need to appear for this exam. The students need to draw the answers of questions given which requires critical thinking as well as creative thinking.

Tip: The best way to attempt such NIFT CAT questions is to practice sketching and rendering of drawings from the very beginning of the preparation. Drawing skills are an important part of design aptitude tests and the students must understand how to make proper human figures, perspective and be aware of the colour psychology.

Also Check: NIFT CAT syllabus

Best Books for Design Entrance Exams: NIFT CAT

How to prepare for the NID entrance exam?

The National Institute of Design is a premier design institute for students who want to build a career in designing. The NID DAT exam is conducted every year at a national level by the institution itself. Because of its high demand the candidates must prepare for the NID exam well beforehand. Here are NID DAT exam preparation tips. There are two stages in the NID Design Aptitude Test - Prelims and Mains.

NID DAT Prelims

The NID DAT prelims is a MCQ based, sketch based and subjective answer based question paper which tests the creative ability, visual observation and analytical ability of a student.

NID DAT Part 1

There are 27 MCQs which are on the subjects of general knowledge and current affairs, analytical abilities, English, and text in visual representation.

Section A: Aptitude Section Preparation Strategy

Understanding Concepts

• Design Theory: Study key design principles, such as balance, contrast, emphasis, proportion, hierarchy, and repetition. Books like "Universal Principles of Design" by William Lidwell can offer in-depth insights.

• Color Theory: Understand the psychological effects of colors, color harmony, and the use of color wheels. This knowledge is crucial for answering questions related to visual aesthetics.

• Famous Design Works: Learn about iconic designs from history across various fields like graphic design, product design, and architecture. This will help in answering questions that test your knowledge of design history and influential designers.

Practice and Review

• Daily MCQ Practice: Dedicate time each day to practice MCQs that cover a broad spectrum of topics from previous NID DAT exams. Websites like "Designologue" provide NID-specific quizzes and practice tests.

• Analytical Reviews: After practicing, it’s crucial to analyze each answer, especially the wrong ones. Understand the principles behind each question to avoid similar mistakes in the future.

Time Management and Exam Strategy

• Mock Tests: Regularly simulate the exam environment by timing yourself in a quiet space. This will help you get used to the pressure and timing of the actual exam.

Elimination Techniques: Develop skills to quickly eliminate implausible answers, which is critical for navigating tricky questions effectively.

NID DAT Part 2

The students should know about the design aptitude test which has four questions in it. These are the subjective questions that the students need to answer with creativity.

Tip: Don't be afraid to think out of the box. There is no wrong answer in a creative question, the most unusual ideas lead to great starts.

NID DAT Mains

The students who qualify the prelims need to appear in the mains exam of NID. This is an offline exam held in the NID campuses where Studio tests are conducted and personal interview rounds are held to select the students. The students are evaluated on the basis of drawing, sketching, and model making questions.

Tip: Be confident and have a good grasp of current events to impress the panel.

Also Check:

• NID Syllabus 2025

• NID Question Paper

Design Aptitude Test Preparation Books: NID DAT

Some of the best books for NID DAT are as follows:

How to prepare for UCEED?

Undergraduate Common Entrance Exam for Design or UCEED conducted by IIT Bombay to select students for the top IIT design courses. Given the reputation of IIT the competition for this exam is very high. Students prepare for this design aptitude test with utmost care and dedication. Careers 360 has created some tips and tricks for solving the UCEED paper and preparing for the exam. The UCEED test consists of only one stage which is a written entrance exam.

UCEED Design Aptitude Test Pattern: The duration of the exam is 3 hours and it consists of two parts part A and part B. The total mark for the test is 300. UCEED Part A consists of numerical answer type questions, multiple select questions and multiple-choice questions.

• NAT: For the numerical answer type questions there is no negative marking and there are 14 questions in total. The students must practice these questions as most students face problems in the mathematical section.

• MSQ: The multiple select questions are very tricky and the students need to select all the correct options in order to get full marks. The students must read the questions carefully in order to not miss out on any markings. These questions have negative marking and partial marking for which the students need practice.

• MCQ: The multiple-choice questions require the student to select the correct options out of the four given options.

Also Check:

• UCEED syllabus 2025

• UCEED question paper

• UCEED eligibility

Important Topics for UCEED Entrance Exam

The common topics for the exam are, visualization and spatial representation, practical and scientific knowledge, observation and design sensitivity, environment and society, analytical and logical reasoning, language, and creativity.

Visualization and Spatial Representation: this requires the students to analyze the 2D shapes and convert them into 3D shapes and learn about the spatial representations of these shapes.

Tip: Utilize free time to understand the shapes of day to day objects.

Practical and scientific knowledge: The students must be aware of how everyday objects function and work. Scientific knowledge about the principles of functioning of everyday objects must we learnt by the students.

Tip: Keep an eye on the basic operation of the objects.

Observation and Design Sensitivity: The students must know how to understand the details, and looks for classification, analysis, inference and prediction.

Tip: Students should solve questions related to this section to improve their ability.

Environment and Society: the students must be well aware of environment and social day to day happenings especially when they are connected to design.

Tip: Refer to the newspaper and keep a track of all design related news.

Analytical and Logical Reasoning: this is one of the most commonly asked section in the design aptitude tests. The students need to be able to solve the qualitative and quantitative questions which are given to them.

Tip: Practice the basic principles of questions and understand them to apply to other questions.

Language: English language is necessary for the students to be able to be successful designers. The UCEED exam tests the English comprehension skills and reading skills of the students.

Tip: Improve reading and vocabulary with the help of newspapers.

Creativity: The students must be able to understand the verbal and nonverbal analogies, metaphors, signs and symbols.

Tip: Give mock tests to find out the weak areas.

UCEED Part B: The UCEED part B tests the students drawing skills and design aptitude.

Tip: The students must be able to draw products, people, proportionate scenes and have a composition idea. The students must be able to practically implement the problem-solving skills in the situations or problems given to them in the design aptitude test.

Tip: Draw the objects and home and use creativity to create composition.

Best Books for UCEED

List of popular books for UCEED entrance exam are as follows:

How to prepare for CEED?

The Common Entrance Examination for Design is a postgraduate level exam conducted by IIT Bombay for MDes courses and PhD courses in IITs. This exam is conducted in 3 hours and is a Computer Based test.

CEED Part A

There are numerical ability type questions, multiple select questions and multiple-choice questions. The students need to prepare for the following sections in the CEED part A.

Visualization and Spatial Reasoning: The students must be well versed with the spatial relationships of the 2D and 3D shapes.

Tip: Be aware of the basic shapes of an object and try to imagine an object as a compilation of various shapes.

Practical and Scientific Knowledge: The students must be aware of the scientific principles that are used in everyday objects.

Tip: Know the making of various objects.

Observation and design sensitivity: The students must be able to classify, analyse and predict the concealed properties of the objects in day to day life and think critically about them.

Tip: Understand the properties of everyday use objects.

Environment and Society: The students must be aware of the environment and social updates related to the design field.

Tip: General Awareness about the best environment practices related to design can be researched.

Analytical and logical reasoning: The students must be able to solve the mathematical questions and reasoning questions presented in front of them using their logical abilities.

Tip: Solve puzzles and riddles from previous year papers.

Language: Proficiency in English reading and comprehension is a must for the exam.

Creativity: To be able to understand the verbal and nonverbal analogies must be practiced.

Tip: Practice mock tests to understand how to apply the basic concepts to new questions.

Art and Design Knowledge: The development in the arts, products, artists, designers, history of design and awareness about the trends is necessary for the exam.

Tip: Have a thorough knowledge about the history of design and artists. Read design books to gain such knowledge.

Design Methods and Practice: Awareness about the media, material, production, process and ergonomics is a must for the exam.

Tip: Have an idea of everyday design happenings.

Also Check:

• CEED syllabus 2025

• CEED eligibility

• CEED exam pattern

• CEED question paper

CEED Preparation Books for Part A

Part B of CEED entrance exam consists of drawing and design aptitude skills which is necessary for all design entrance exams.

Tip: Practice sketching and rendering skills along with composition, proportion, perspective etc. Draw everyday objects with varying perspectives. The students should begin to improve their drawing skills from the beginning of their preparation.

CEED Best Books for Design Entrance Exam: Part B

How to prepare for FDDI AIST exam?

The Footwear Design and Development Institute conducts the All-India Selection Test every year to fill the seats in the college. The FDDI AIST exam is for admission of BDes and MDes courses. The students must smartly prepare for the entrance exam in order to score high. The FDDI AIST syllabus has quantitative ability, verbal ability, general awareness, and aptitude test.

Aspiring students can refer to the given tips for their effective preparation in order to score high in the exam. Here are some tips to prepare for the FDDI entrance exam (AIST):

• Analytical Ability: Focus on fundamental concepts in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data interpretation. Practice regularly using sample papers and previous year questions to improve speed and accuracy.

• Design Aptitude: Develop your creative and visualization skills. Practice sketching, drawing, and solving design-related problems. Study previous year's papers to understand the type of questions asked.

• General Awareness: Stay updated with current events, fashion industry trends, and general knowledge. Read newspapers, magazines, and online resources daily.

• English Comprehension: Enhance your vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension skills. Regularly read newspapers and books and practice with mock tests to improve understanding and time management.

Time Management: Develop practical time-management skills by setting deadlines and goals for each study session. This helps build discipline and efficiency.

FDDI AIST: Design Aptitude Test Preparation Book

How to prepare for Pearl entrance exam?

Pearl Academy is a private college which conducts its own entrance examinations for the admission of the students. The exam is conducted five times a year in an online mode to grant admissions into the three colleges under Pearl Academy. The Pearl Academy entrance exam consists of GPT and DAT.

Pearl Academy Entrance Exam GPT: The general proficiency test is conducted to test the student's mathematical skills, logical reasoning skills and language skills.

Logical Reasoning: To solve the logical reasoning questions the students must be able to solve puzzles, brain teasers and problems involving series, patterns, classifications etc.

Tip: Improve logical reasoning by solving the puzzles and riddles available to them. The students must practice the puzzles within a stipulated time in order to improve that time management.

You might like:

• Pearl Academy Question Paper for Design Aptitude Test

• Pearl Academy Question Paper for General Proficiency Test (GPT) + Design Aptitude Test (DAT)

• Pearl Academy Mock Test and Preparation Tips PDF

Quantitative Aptitude: To prepare for the quantitative aptitude the students need to strengthen basic 10th level mathematical knowledge.
Tip: Solve the problems regularly in order to be quick and error free in the problems.

English: The students must have a good grasp of comprehension abilities of English. Along with that they must have a good vocabulary and understand the parts of speech.
Tip: Reading continuously can help in improving the English comprehension as well as speed of reading. Reading newspapers and magazines can also help the students be updated with the world as well as improve reading abilities.

Tips & Tricks to qualify Design Aptitude Test

Most design aptitude tests consist of similar types of questions and preparation for one type of exam covers most aspects of other exams: Here are some common tips that can be useful for all entrance exams:

• Prepare a study plan and cover the entire syllabus well before the exam.

• Try to solve previous year question papers and mock tests to identify the weak areas.

• Try to manage the time while solving tricky questions.

• Practice sketching everyday and challenge your brain to think out of the box.

• Be calm before the exam and try to solve the questions without thinking of the consequences.