NID Entrance Exam 2018 Exam Analysis by Experts

The Design Aptitude Test 2018, took place in the month of January. Students all over India attempted the exam in the hopes of seeking admission in this esteemed institute. The exam has two sections- DAT Prelims and DAT Mains which tests the applicants on both objective and subjective capabilities. Shaun D’Sa, Director at Design Quotient Labs, has worked on projects for General Motors for car brands like Hummer, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Holden and many others. An M.Des graduate from IIT Delhi, he has worked with many international designers and brands. Here is his take on the NID DAT 2018:

For B.Des

The NID DAT (Prelims) exam paper for Bachelors of Design (B.Des) applicants had the same form - 70 marks MCQs (objective types) and 30 marks (subjective type).

There was a total of sixty four questions and these questions were further divided into respective sections (ranging from 0.5 to 3 marks). There was a mix of general knowledge questions, mental ability exercises, reading comprehension along with math questions. It is said that the topics were based on Indian olympic medal winners, logos for government programs, Indian history and art and there were a few challenging questions based on concepts like tessellations.

The subjective section had three questions - 10, 14 and 6 marks respectively. The purpose of these questions was to test the artistic, problem solving and creative skills of the candidates.

The first question asked the candidates to draw an outline of a bottle with the help of a cuboid and a mug. The students had to keep in mind the texture and the light source. The second question involved both creative and problem solving techniques - which made it tricky to crack. The situation involved  a fire in the ground floor and a middle aged woman with two young children on the first floor - How best could the family be rescued with limited resources like 5 foot ladder, 12 foot rope and a scooter. This was to be illustrated in two panels. The third question had a corn and a pea seed planted by a child which grew by the next day. This question had a wider panel which made it easier to create a solution.

The exam on the whole seemed to be direct except for the subjective section which involved both creative thinking and problem solving abilities.

For M.Des

The exam was divided into objective and subjective sections. The objective section was 59 questions (marks ranging from 0.5 to 3 marks), the subjective part had three questions. Overall division of the marks remained the same - 70 and 30 marks. The Prelims covered basic GK topics- current artists, CEOs, languages, etc.

A few questions also questioned candidates on government logos, comprehension passages, math exercises and mental ability questions. Taking 2017 and 2018 papers into consideration, the latter was considered tougher. There was an increase in the number of questions (from 59 to 67 questions), which led to the increase in marks per question.

Subjective section had three questions (8,10 and 12 marks) and they came with specific instructions (the materials). The first question was a story writing question with given objects and the students were expected to illustrate one scene from the story. The second question was to draw three products which could be held with the thumb and index finger. For the third question, the candidates were to come up with four products made of a steel tube with an outer diameter ranging from 4-10mm. Specific instructions like less use of manufacturing processes, ease in production and use of pencils only were given.

Overall, it was paper ranging from moderately okay to difficult. The subjective section seemed easier than the objective which leads to the fact that the DAT Prelims 2018 was tougher than the 2017 edition.