UPES B.Des Admissions 2026
Ranked #45 amongst Universities in India by NIRF | Ranked #1 in Academic Reputation in India by QS World University Rankings
NID DAT Admit Card Date:11 Dec' 25 - 21 Dec' 25
Candidates proceed to the second and final phase of the NID DAT (Design Aptitude Test), referred to as the NID Mains Exam or Studio Test, following the NID Prelims Exam. Students are nervous about their NID Exam 2026 preparations as the test draws near. This article offers 10 expert-curated skills to help applicants prepare for NID Mains. These skills will provide prospective students an advantage and help them to score high in the NID Exam.
Aspiring students for NID Studio Test can go through these important skills curated by experts to prepare for the exam:
It is one of the most important skills that needs to be developed by the students to effectively communicate their solutions visually with the quick and effective visual sketches and doodles. To present ideas more visually appealing, students can practice using clean lines, proper proportions, and presentation with minimal details. It is also important to practice human figures, daily objects, and everyday basic scenes. Sketching & Visualization & Doodling and Rapid sketching section needs daily practice for students to score high.
Exercise: Try practicing within short time constraints like 1-2 minutes.
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Model Making and Material Handling is one of the most prominent exercises for NID Studio Test as a lot of questions are asked from this section. Students are advised to learn basic materials and practice with hands-on ability to work with paper, clay, wire, cardboard, and other materials that are usually asked in the exam. Start with creating 3D models, prototypes, and basic everyday structures. This will help students in understanding the textures, stability, and forms.
Exercise: Practice making small paper models or clay prototypes of everyday objects.
NID Studio Test examines candidates ability to visually narrate and express ideas and emotions for a problem statement. Students can work on using comic strip format or sequential art to communicate a story.
Exercise: Choose a random scenario and create a comic strip around it to represent a solution.
Perspective drawing skills is one of the difficult skills found by students to master but with daily practice and determination, it can be developed. Students can start with understanding one-point, two-point, and three-point perspectives and start with basic sketches.
Exercise: Sketch everyday objects from multiple angles and basic perspective sketches daily.
NID tests students' ability to be innovative and think out of the box and provide creative solutions, therefore it is important for students to be as creative and provide innovative solutions in their answers. One of the effective approaches is to solve real-life problems through smart product design and visual storytelling.
Exercise: Pick a sample problem and then design a new innovative product to solve it.
Students are needed to work on their Observation and memory skills for the NID Studio Test as it is examined carefully by the examiners in NID Mains. Students can practice and master observational skills by sketching everyday objects/scenarios from memory. This will help in developing the ability to recall and recreate detailed images accurately.
Exercise: Observe a scene or any object for 1 minute, then sketch it from memory.
This becomes one of the effective practices as gesture and human figure drawing is needed for a lot of solutions in the NID Studio Test. Therefore students are needed to work on their skills to sketch realistic and proportionate human figures. Work daily on gesture drawing to express different motion, posture, and emotions effectively.
Exercise: Draw quick stick figures with different poses, then add details.
A lot of questions in the NID Studio Test are usually based on Product or Object Design, therefore students should work on designing innovative new products. Practice sketching product concepts with exploded views, side views, and user interaction.
Exercise: Pick an existing everyday product and redesign it with a unique feature.
Students should be able to provide neat and clean solutions especially where model making is needed. Models should be well balanced and well-structured within the limited time given to them. Neat and Visually appealing solutions are appreciated and will help students in scoring high.
Exercise: Practice daily sample questions and create solutions as neat and appealing as possible.
As NID Studio Test is an exam with time limits, it is important for students to create innovative and creative, visually appealing solutions but within the time constraints given in the exam. Students need to work on their ability to think and sketch under time limits efficiently without over-detailing or wasting time.
Exercise: Set a timer for 5 minutes and create solutions for sample problems to boost confidence.
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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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EXAMS dates- 13-14 Dec | Leading Design College | Highest CTC: ₹12 LPA | Average CTC: ₹7.5 LPA | Scholarships for Deserving Students