Top 10 Skills Required to Crack NIFT BDes Exam 2026

Top 10 Skills Required to Crack NIFT BDes Exam 2026

Ritika JonwalUpdated on 15 Jul 2025, 02:58 PM IST

One of the most prominent exams for students aspiring to a career in design is the National Institute of Fashion Technology, or NIFT. Since NIFT entrance exam is one of the hardest admission exams, adequate time and preparation are required. NIFT 2026 will tentatively be conducted in February 2026. The GAT and CAT are the two papers on the NIFT exam. Students hoping to pass the NIFT 2026 B.Des might use the Top 10 important Skills listed by Careers360 to improve their score.

Top 10 Skills Required to Crack NIFT BDes Exam 2026
Top 10 Skills Required to Crack NIFT BDes Exam

Top 10 Skills for NIFT B.Des 2026

  1. Creative Thinking and Innovation

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As NIFT judges students' ability for creative thinking based solutions and skills for innovation in their ideation, it is important for aspiring students to develop the ability to think outside the box and develop original and creative solutions for design problems. Students should be able to present their ideas with effective visualizations to conceptualize ideas.

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  1. Time Management

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The NIFT Entrance Exam can be found lengthy as per NIFT exam pattern for some students therefore managing time for each section becomes very important. Students need to effectively manage time during the exam, especially in sections like Creative Ability Test (CAT) which includes drawing questions. It is advised to prioritize tasks to ensure completion of all the sections within time limits.

  1. Observation and Awareness

Students need to understand the principles of design and have a keen eye for details in everything they see around them. Decoding their surroundings into design details is a helpful key for them to understand and develop better observation skills. Awareness of current affairs, particularly in art, culture, and design industries is important for the NIFT Exam.

  1. Sketching and Drawing Skills

NIFT CAT section includes drawing questions which require sketching and drawing skills for students to represent their solutions effectively. For this aspiring students need to practice perspective, and composition in drawings.

  1. Consistency

Students should focus on quality preparation for the NIFT exam covering the whole NIFT 2026 Exam syllabus for both the GAT (General Aptitude Test) and CAT (Creative Ability Test). Consistency is the key here.

  1. Extensive Revision

Students should be thoroughly prepared with different topics from each section leaving them time to revise. Students should give good hours daily in revising topics with key concepts and important exercise questions.

  1. Updated with Current Affairs

It is important for the candidates to daily read and brush up general awareness topics to prepare for NIFT. It is thoroughly important to be aware of recent events. Candidates should make a habit of reading daily newspapers or listening to podcasts in order to stay up-to-date with the happenings especially in the design industry. They should also look up notable artists and paintings from different art movements.

  1. Analytical and Logical Reasoning

Students should focus on topics including: Logical puzzles and reasoning questions, Critical thinking and decision-making exercises and Case studies or situational problem-solving.

  1. Communication Skills

NIFT includes a lot of communication ability and english comprehension questions. Therefore, students need to develop the ability to articulate ideas and thoughts clearly and verbally. Students need to practice competency in English grammar and comprehension for language-based questions.

  1. Quantitative Ability

Questions are asked on Quantitative ability with topics like basic arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data interpretation, logical reasoning and pattern recognition. Therefore, students need to daily practice and develop these skills for the NIFT Exam.

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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 Neharika

These are the topics which are most important in the Current affairs section in respect to NIFT Entrance Exam:

1. National and International Awards and Honors
2. Government Schemes and Initiatives
3. Sports
4. Appointments and Newsmakers
5. Science and Technology
6. Indian and World Economy
7. International Relations
8. Fashion Industry Updates
9. Books and Authors
10. Art and Culture
11. Environmental and Social Issues

To know more about NIFT Entrance Exam: NIFT Entrance Exam by CAREERS360

Hope this answer helps! Thank You!!!


Hello,

According to the sources, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) entrance exam for 2026 will be held in February 2026. Also, the registration period may open from November 2025.

I hope it will clear your query!!

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 !