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How to prepare

NIFT entrance

National Institute of Fashion Technology Entrance Examination (NIFTEE). Run by National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the written test for NIFT; NIFT runs the Situation Test and seat allocation.

The exam
B.Des: GAT (General Ability Test, on computer, 2 hours, 100 questions) plus CAT (Creative Ability Test, on paper, 3 hours, 3 questions), then a hands-on Situation Test for those shortlisted.
Opens
The NIFT entrance opens the four-year B.Des (Accessory, Fashion Communication, Fashion Design, Fashion Interiors, Knitwear, Leather and Textile Design) and the B.FTech at NIFT's 19 campuses.
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Your plan, step by step

  1. Class 11, now to March 2027

    Daily sketching with colour

    Draw for 30 to 45 minutes every day in an A4 sketchbook: people in different poses, clothes on a chair, objects, street scenes. Colour at least three pages a week with pencil colours, pastels or poster colours, because CAT rewards colour. Try one quick illustration a week on a theme such as 'a festival in the rain'.

  2. Class 11, April to September 2027

    Build GAT basics

    Spend 30 minutes a day on English (reading an editorial, learning ten new words, idioms and spellings) and 20 minutes on arithmetic and reasoning. Read the news for current affairs. GAT is 30 per cent of the B.Des result and has negative marking, so accuracy matters.

  3. Class 11 and 12, weekends

    Make things with your hands

    Make small models from paper, card, foam, thread, wire, straws and waste material in one or two hours, using only what is on the table. Then write four or five lines in English explaining the idea. This is exactly what the Situation Test asks.

  4. Class 12, September to December 2027

    Timed CAT practice and application

    Practise full 3-hour CAT sets with three questions, including a poster, a story in pictures and an imaginative drawing. Watch NIFT and NTA sites for the application window, which in recent years opened in December. Decide whether to apply for B.Des alone or for B.Des and B.FTech together.

  5. Class 12, final weeks before the exam

    Mocks and revision

    Do one timed GAT mock of 100 questions in 2 hours every few days and one full CAT paper each week. Keep current affairs notes for the last 6 to 8 months. Since the 2027 exam moved to January, plan for an exam date that could fall in early January 2028 in the middle of board preparation.

  6. After the written result

    Situation Test

    If shortlisted, practise timed model making with limited materials every other day, and practise the English write-up. Focus on neat construction and a clear colour scheme; finesse is one of the marking points.

This plan is advice from the author, not an official schedule. Adjust it to your school and your pace.

What the exam testsPapers, marks, marking and the syllabus

B.Des: GAT (General Ability Test, on computer, 2 hours, 100 questions) plus CAT (Creative Ability Test, on paper, 3 hours, 3 questions), then a hands-on Situation Test for those shortlisted. Final weight: CAT 50 per cent, GAT 30 per cent, Situation Test 20 per cent. B.FTech is GAT only. All figures from the NIFT 2026 NTA information bulletin and Admission Guidelines 2026.

  • B.Des GAT: 100 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, in English or Hindi. Communication Ability and English Comprehension 40, Quantitative Ability 20, Analytical and Logical Ability 15, General Knowledge and Current Affairs 25. The number of questions per section can change year to year.
  • GAT marking: 1 mark for a right answer, minus 0.25 for a wrong one, 0 for a blank.
  • B.Des CAT: 3 questions in 3 hours on paper, judging 'intuitive ability, power of observation in concept development and design ability', with 'creative and innovative use of colour and illustration skills'. You bring your own colours and drawing material.
  • Writing your name, any identifying mark, or a coaching centre's name or logo on the CAT sheet gets you disqualified.
  • Situation Test (B.Des shortlist only): make a model from a given set of materials, with nothing extra allowed. It is judged on the spot by a jury for space visualisation, creative use of the material, composition, colour scheme, construction skill, finesse and presentation, along with a short write-up in English explaining the concept.
  • Ties in B.Des are broken by CAT marks first, then GAT.
  • B.FTech: GAT Section A (100 questions, 120 minutes) plus Section B (50 questions, 60 minutes: Quantitative 15, Analytical 15, Case Study 20). Section A carries 30 per cent and Section B 70 per cent. B.FTech applicants with Maths can also opt for B.Des by taking CAT.

When. The written test is on one day in winter. NIFTEE 2026 was on Sunday 8 February 2026, with online applications from 8 December 2025 to 6 January 2026 (NTA bulletin 2026). NTA's calendar moves NIFTEE 2027 earlier, to 10 January 2027 (tentative). The Situation Test for shortlisted B.Des candidates follows in spring. A Class 11 student today will write the exam in January or February 2028 for admission in 2028.

Syllabus. No school subject syllabus. GAT covers basic arithmetic (fractions, percentage, interest, ratio, work, distance), English usage (synonyms, antonyms, idioms, spellings, comprehension), logical reasoning, and general knowledge and current affairs. CAT and the Situation Test test drawing, colour, observation, concept development and model making. NIFT Admission Guidelines 2026 and NTA bulletin 2026.

Source: NIFT Entrance Examination 2026, NTA Information BulletinSource: NIFT Admission Guidelines 2026
Study materialFree official material first, then books

Free and official

Books students commonly use

Commonly used, not endorsed. Finish the free official material first.

  • Anatomy and Perspective: The Fundamentals of Figure Drawing by Charles Oliver

    Drawing people and poses for CAT.

  • The Complete Guide to Perspective Drawing by Craig Attebery

    Perspective for scenes and objects.

  • Model-Making: Materials and Methods by David Neat

    Techniques for the Situation Test.

  • Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis

    Vocabulary for the GAT English section, the largest GAT section.

  • The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman

    Learning to observe and question everyday design.

  • Creative Confidence by Tom Kelley and David Kelley

    Building the habit of generating ideas.

Source: Careers360, Best books for NIFT (not official)
Coaching: do you need it?Your options, how to choose, red flags

Self-study with free material

Only the application fee and art supplies

Students who practise drawing and colour daily and can handle English and arithmetic on their own. GAT especially is manageable with self-study.

Online live classes

varies

Students far from a design centre who want set CAT tasks and feedback on their work.

Classroom design coaching

varies

Students who want supervised model-making practice for the Situation Test and regular critique of their colour work. It helps least when it replaces daily drawing at home.

How to choose a coaching centre

  • Ask how much of the course is CAT and Situation Test practice versus GAT. GAT can often be done at home; hands-on work is where guidance helps.
  • Ask to see how they correct CAT sheets and how often you get feedback.
  • Get the full fee, instalments and a written refund policy before paying. The Ministry of Education's 2024 guidelines ask for this and for pro rata refunds if a student leaves.
  • Ask the batch size and whether classes clash with school hours; the 2024 guidelines say they should not.
  • Ask who the counsellor is and where the helpline is displayed, as the Supreme Court's July 2025 directions require for institutions with 100 or more students.

Red flags

  • Promises of a guaranteed NIFT seat or rank. Barred by the 2024 Ministry of Education guidelines.
  • Pressure to pay the full fee upfront, or no refund in writing.
  • Teaching you to add a signature style or mark on your CAT sheet. NIFT disqualifies any sheet with identifying marks.
  • Very large batches where no one reviews your drawings.
  • 'Leaked' or 'expected' CAT questions. NIFT does not publish CAT papers, and such claims cannot be checked.
Names families usually consider
  • SILICA. Coaching for NIFT, NID, NATA, CEED and UCEED, with centres in several cities and online classes. No fee is published. Result figures on its site are self-reported. Source: SILICA home page (not official)
  • BRDS (Bhanwar Rathore Design Studio). Classroom coaching for NIFT and other design exams. New batches every Monday, up to 20 seats each. Its page asks for a Rs 10,000 advance booking fee and says the fee is not refundable on cancellation. The full fee is not published. Source: BRDS regular programme page (not official)
  • Pahal Design. Online live classes for NIFT, NID, UCEED, CEED and NATA. No fee is published on its online coaching page. Source: Pahal Design online coaching page (not official)
  • THiNC Institute. Design and architecture entrance coaching covering NIFT, NID and UCEED. Fees not checked. Source: THiNC Institute home page (not official)
  • Listed so you know the names, not ranked or endorsed. Visit, ask the questions above, and compare in writing.
Mocks and the last monthsPractice tests, final months, common mistakes

NIFT and NTA do not publish past CAT papers or an official NIFT mock test on their sites (none found on the NTA NIFTEE page or NIFT admissions page, September 2026). NTA does publish provisional and final GAT answer keys after the exam on exams.nta.nic.in/niftee. Past-paper books sold in the market are reconstructed by publishers and coaching providers, so use them for practice only.

  • Do a 2-hour GAT mock every few days and review every wrong answer: with minus 0.25 per mistake, blind guessing hurts.
  • Do one full 3-hour CAT paper each week, finishing all three questions with colour.
  • Revise current affairs from the last six to eight months.
  • Keep daily 15-minute quick sketches of people and objects to stay fast.
  • After the written test, switch fully to timed model making and short English write-ups for the Situation Test.

Common mistakes

  • Ignoring GAT because it feels easy. It is 30 per cent of the B.Des result and has negative marking.
  • Spending too long on one CAT question and leaving another half-done.
  • Drawing without colour, or with rushed colour. The test says colour and illustration skills are an important aspect.
  • Putting a name, signature or any mark on the CAT sheet or the Situation Test model.
  • Assuming the exam is in February. The 2027 test moved to 10 January, so check the 2028 date early.
Who can sitAttempts, age, marks and subjects
  • B.Des: pass Class 12 in any stream from a recognised board, or an equivalent such as NIOS with five subjects or a three-year AICTE diploma (Admission Guidelines 2026).
  • B.FTech: Class 12 with Mathematics, or an engineering diploma.
  • Age: under 24 years on 1 August of the year of admission, relaxed by five years for SC, ST and PwD.
  • Students in Class 12 can apply, but must show they have passed by the time of seat allocation or admission.
  • The regular route is for Indian citizens. NRI, foreign and OCI candidates apply through a separate route.
  • Application fee 2026: Rs 2,000 for Open, EWS and OBC-NCL (Rs 3,000 for B.Des and B.FTech together); Rs 500 for SC, ST and PwD (Rs 750 for both). Late fee Rs 5,000 extra. No refund.
  • No attempt limit or minimum Class 12 percentage is stated in the 2026 guidelines.
Source: NIFT Admission Guidelines 2026 and NTA Information Bulletin 2026

This exam leads to

Design

Want a plan for your own situation?

Tell Raahi your class, your marks and how many hours you have.

Plan my NIFT entrance preparation
Sources, checked 27 September 2026

Rules change every year. Confirm each detail on the official site before you register or pay.