NID Exam Pattern 2022 - Know Marking Scheme & Weightage Here!

The National Institute of Design (NID) conducts the entrance exam to shortlist aspirants for admission in Bachelor of Design (B.Des) and Master of Design (M.Des) courses. The NID Entrance Exam Pattern is released for NID exam 2022 in which there will be two tests viz. NID DAT Prelims and NID DAT Mains exam. 

• To secure admission in the B.Des course offered at NID campuses, candidates first appear for NID DAT Prelims. Candidates can also refer to the NID Exam Best Books for Preparation. 
• Candidates who get shortlisted in this admission round then appear for NID DAT Mains.
• NID Entrance Exam happens once a year. Check important NID exam dates here

Keep reading to know about the NID 2022 Exam Pattern, section-wise weightage of marks, marking scheme and more.

Download detailed NID Exam Syllabus here.

NID Exam Pattern 2022 Important Points

The knowledge of the exam pattern helps a candidate to design the perfect strategy for focussing on the main topics. The candidates can follow the below-mentioned details regarding the NID Exam pattern 2022 and plan their studies accordingly.

NID Exam Pattern 2022 Prelims Overview

NID Exam Pattern 2022 Mains Overview

NID Exam Pattern 2022

The NID Exam is held in two stages. The first stage is the Preliminary exam and the second is Mains. 

NID B.Des Exam Pattern 2022

The four-year-long Bachelor of Design program is offered in the following areas of specialization: 

• Faculty of Industrial Design 
• Faculty of Communication Design 
• Faculty of Textile, Apparel, Lifestyle, and Accessory Design 
• Ceramic & Glass Design 

B.Des Prelims

In NID B.Des (Prelims), candidates have been evaluated on the below-mentioned grounds: 

• Knowledge
• Comprehension
• Analysis
• Creativity
• Visualisation

The question paper includes two types of questions, i.e., objective and subjective. The total time duration of the exam is 3 hours. 

B.Des Mains

Last year, the National Institute of Design made a few changes in the NID mains exam pattern. As per the revised pattern, those who will get shortlisted in the prelims exam have to upload a theme poster, and portfolio, and undergo online interaction.

Theme poster:

• Shortlisted aspirants need to upload a theme poster on the assigned topic in a single pdf.
• The file size should not exceed more than 10 MB.
• The topics for the theme poster are intimated separately on your registered mail ID.
• You can do the theme posted either manually in any media or scanned to be uploaded digitally on an A3 size sheet.

Portfolio Submission:

• Along with the theme poster, you have to upload your portfolio or samples of work.
• The portfolio has to be uploaded as a single-size pdf file.
• The file size should not exceed more than 10 MB.

NID M.Des Exam Pattern 2022

This 2.5- year program is offered in the following areas of specialisation: 

• Faculty of Communication Design 
• Faculty of Industrial Design 
• Faculty of Interdisciplinary Design 
• Faculty of IT Integrated Design 
• Faculty of Textile, Apparel, Lifestyle, and Accessory Design. 

M.Des Prelims

This test comprises a discipline or domain-specific test and a Common DAT (Design Aptitude Test). Based on the performance in both the tests, candidates will be shortlisted accordingly. The candidates can choose to appear for either one discipline-specific test or two. 

• The total duration for the candidates appearing for one discipline-specific test and CDAT will be 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) 
• The total duration for the candidates appearing for two discipline-specific tests and CDAT will be 250 minutes (4 hours and 30 minutes) 
• For each discipline specific test, 100 minutes will be allotted and the CDAT will take place for 50 minutes. 

M.Des Mains

Last year, the main paper pattern for the M. Des program was also changed by the National Institute of Design. As per the new pattern, the exam will be conducted in online mode for a total of 100 marks. Those who get shortlisted in the prelims exam, have to submit a Statement of Purpose (SoP) and portfolio.

Statement of Purpose (SoP):

• All aspirants had to write and thereafter, upload an SOP with a maximum word limit of 300 words.
• The SoP should be uploaded as a single PDF file.
• The file size should not exceed more than 2 MB.
• The questions for SOP were intimated separately on your registered mail ID.

Portfolio Submission:

• Along with the SoP, upload your portfolio.
• The portfolio has to be uploaded as a single-size pdf file.
• The file size should not exceed more than 10 MB.

There is now a fixed syllabus outlined by the NID. The analysis of keywords under the syllabus section of the notification and previous year’s question paper shows, that the following topics are considered important:

Stage 1: NID DAT 2022 (Written Test) Important Topics

• Communication skills
• Composition
• Animation
• Creativity
• Drawing Skills (For subjective part)
• General Mental Ability
• Design skills
• Environment sensitivity
• Visual Design
• Thematic colour arrangement
• Proportions and Perspective
• Abstract Symbolism
• Memory Drawing

Stage 2: NID DAT 2022 (Studio Test) Important Topics

• Doodling
• 3D Modelling
• Observation Test
• Creative Thinking
• Audio-visual experience
• Body Language
• Material Manipulation
• Portfolio making

The topics mentioned above form the core of the NID exam syllabus and cover over 90% of the questions in both stages of the exam. 

NID 2022 Marking Scheme 

B.Des Marking Scheme 

The marking scheme for the NID Exam Pattern 2022 prelims test varies each year. The below-given table of marks weighting is based on the previous year’s analysis, and candidates can take note of the same.

M.Des Marking Scheme

The marking scheme for NID Prelims may vary from one year to another. Aspirants can go through the tentative marking scheme for NID Prelims Exam for the MDes course below.:

NID 2022 Syllabus With Weightage 

The candidate needs to have a thorough understanding of the NID Exam Syllabus to identify the topics that are most frequently asked in the examination. 

As per the NID Entrance Exam Pattern, the entrance exam is conducted in 2 stages: Prelims and Mains for both NID B. Des and M. Des programs.

There are two types of questions included in the preliminary exam i.e.,

• Objective
• Subjective

In the Mains Exam, there will be a

• Studio test which includes Portfolio and Poster Submission
• Personal interview

On clearing the prelims exam, you shall be shortlisted for the studio test.

Check details on NID Exam Counselling here.

NID 2022 Syllabus for B.Des exam 

The prelims examination is a pen and paper-based written test, whereas the main exam comprises a studio test and personal interview. The syllabus varies for prelims and main exams. You can check the detailed syllabus in the post below.

B.Des Prelims Syllabus

The below table shows the NID Entrance Exam Syllabus for B.Des Prelims exam presented below:

B.Des Mains Syllabus

Check out the below table to know the topics involved in NID Prelims Syllabus for Studio Test.

Weightage in B.Des 

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting scenario, NID Admission Cell has changed the weightage allocated to NID Prelims and NID Mains to create the merit list for B.Des admissions. The new weightage allocated to each of these exams for NID admissions 2022 is mentioned in the table below:

NID 2022 Syllabus for M.Des exam 

The preliminary examination for M.Des includes

• Common Design Aptitude Test and
• Discipline-Specific Test

While the main examination includes a

• Studio test
• Personal interview. 

Upon qualifying both stages, you will be shortlisted for the final merit list. 

M.Des Prelims Syllabus 

Take a look at the table below to know the NID Syllabus for the preliminary exam of the M.Des course. 

M.Des Mains Syllabus 

The below table shows the list of topics to study for the Studio Test of the M.Des program. 

Weightage in M.Des 

The weightage allocated to each of these exams for NID admissions 2022 (for all M.Des specializations) is mentioned in the table below: 

Check detailed NID Exam Cut Off Marks here.

NID 2022 Paper Analysis

The official website for the NID 2022 exam details the following information regarding the paper: 

• Subjective Questions -Do not extend the word limit given in the question.
• Keep track of time. Subjective and Sketching/Drawing are generally time-consuming.
• Keep yourself updated with everyday General Knowledge.
• Have a strong command of the English language and be a quick read, as the paper will be in English only.

We hope this article successfully provided you with the necessary information regarding the NID Exam Pattern. We at Testbook provide information regarding entrance, state-level, and national-level exams to all aspiring candidates. The Testbook App offers high-quality resources, test series, video lessons, and live classes for your exam preparation.