Which section of the NID DAT Prelims is the toughest?

NID, (National Institute of Design) conducts entrance exams annually for both the bachelor's and the master's programs. The examination comprises of 2 rounds; the prelims and the mains. The prelims, or the DAT (Design Ability Test) further has 2 sections. The aptitude portion and the drawing portion. The marks distribution for these changes from year to year.

If we are to talk about the toughness of the exam, well, it varies. And to be honest, there isn't a defined syllabus also as per the NID website. So, your preparation might feel very vague. But in the end, it all comes down to your general awareness and perception of things. How well you observe your surroundings and can give them a new and meaningful shape with the help of your imagination.

The aptitude portion of the exam has mathematics, english, design knowledge and current affairs related questions. These are all basic things that you can brush up from your school knowledge. And the design knowledge stuff, you need to read from books and online sources. 

The drawing section is qualitative in nature and has a variety of different questions, ranging from making posters, comics, writing stories, illustrating processes, providing solutions to everyday problems etc. 

Now, coming back to the part of which is the toughest. Neither portion is tough, it's just that one of them is unpredictable. You can't tell what sort of question will be asked and on which topic. That uncertainty adds to the feeling of the exam being tough. Even the grading for the first section is pretty clear, since they are all objective questions. The second portion on the other hand depends on you of course and also on the perception of the person checking it. So, it's pretty subjective.

The second round, the NID Mains comes only after you've qualified the first round. It is conducted in person. You can be given any sort of hands on problem. Even this part is pretty subjective, though over here your overall attitude to things also matters a lot.

All this talk about the toughness of the exam shouldn't make you shy away from it. NID's teaching style and way of going about things is pretty different from whatever you have come across so far, so let's just embrace the new, shall we?

 For more information about the NID exam, please visit the NID admissions website at; https://admissions.nid.edu/NIDA2024/Default.aspx

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Parinita Manchanda

Communication Design/NID Vijayawada

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