Are there any good reference books to prepare for the aptitude and general knowledge sections of design entrances?

Design entrance papers are usually divided into the aptitude section - MCQs, and the design & drawing section. The weightages of each section differ every year. But come on, at least one section is just MCQs. That should be easy peasy, right? Right?!

Well…when papers like UCEED/CEED have negative marking for their aptitude section, you do need a more strategic approach and comprehensive preparation. The aptitude section covers numerical reasoning, logical reasoning, verbal reasoning, general knowledge and visual aptitude.

And that is where a lot of us have our first hiccup — general knowledge? The vastness and vagueness of GK often scares us the most and we tend to postpone preparing for it. While, in our previous blogs, we have discussed what this GK would entail and how to prepare for the aptitude section overall, let’s explore a different angle in this blog.

Reference books.

There are several reference books available to help you prepare for the aptitude and general knowledge sections of design entrance exams like NID, NIFT, UCEED, and CEED. These books cover various topics and often provide practice exercises to improve your skills. Let’s look at some of the ones which will help you, and a quick reminder — pick the latest edition!

1. "NIFT/NID/IIFT Entrance Exam Guide" by Verma R.P.

2. Manorama Yearbook

3. "CEED & NID Entrance Examination: Self Study Guide" by Bhanwar Singh and Jain's

4. "General Knowledge Manual" by Pearson

5. "General Knowledge 2023" by Manohar Pandey

6. "Crack UCEED & CEED" by Anvita Singh and Ravi Panchal

7. "Arihant General Knowledge" by Manohar Pandey

8. "NIFT/NID/IIT Entrance Exam: A Complete Self Study Guide" by Ramesh Publishing House

Illustration by Nandini Seshan

These comprehensive guides and books are specifically tailored for NIFT, NID, UCEED, CEED and IIFT entrance exams. They cover aptitude, current affairs, history, geography, science, and other subjects, often also having creative ability sections. They are updated annually and certain of these aforementioned books also include solved papers and practice questions to aid in exam preparation.

Now, for specifically the non-GK aptitude type of questions , you may also want to look at slightly different guidebooks — covering quantitative aptitude, logical reasoning, arithmetic, data interpretation, geometry, science, english, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, and data sufficiency. You would also want it to include numerous solved examples, practice questions, and previous years' questions from various of the competitive exams.

1. Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R.S. Aggarwal

2. NCERT for 11th & 12th graders

3. Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit K. Sinha

4. A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal

5. How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Arun Sharma

When choosing reference books, keep in mind to select those that align with the syllabus and exam pattern of the specific entrance exams you are preparing for. Additionally, practice regularly and read the newspaper daily to further enhance your preparation for the aptitude and general knowledge sections of design entrances.

Best of luck on your entrance exam adventure—may it be the start of an amazing design journey for you!

To learn about what else you could do to keep your design prep smooth and related topics, do check out other blogs!

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Nandini Seshan

Communication Design/NID Vijayawada

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