NIFT Exam Pattern 2025: Total Marks, Marking Scheme, Section-Wise Weightage, Duration

Updated By Tiyasa Khanra on 28 Oct, 2024 12:54

The NIFT exam 2025 will be conducted in two parts: Creative Ability Test (CAT) and General Ability Test (GAT). GAT will be conducted for the BDes and MDes programmes in both English or Hindi over a duration of 120 minutes. Questions will be asked from Quantitative Ability, Communication Ability, English Comprehension, Analytical Ability, General Knowledge, and Current Affairs. Find the detailed NIFT exam pattern 2025 below.

Predict your Percentile based on your NIFT Entrance Exam performance

Predict Now

NIFT Exam Pattern 2025 Overview

While the examination notification is released, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) will make available the NIFT 2025 exam pattern on its official website. More effective planning and preparation for exam preparation will be possible for prospective applicants who are familiar with the NIFT 2025 test pattern. In the NIFT Admission Prospectus 2025, the exam pattern will be described. Understanding the NIFT exam format completely requires going through the entire NIFT 2025 exam pattern. A student's aptitude, skills, and knowledge are assessed in the NIFT 2025 entrance examination.

The CAT, GAT, Situation Test, or GD/PI are the three rounds that usually define admission to NIFT. The NIFT exam pattern 2025 provides information about the test duration, the maximum number of marks, the total number of questions, overall sections, and other things.  Two components of the NIFT 2025 written examinations are required for all academic programs: the Creative Ability Test (CAT) and the General Ability Test (GAT), which are only required for candidates for BDes and MDes. Although the GAT exam will be administered online via computer-based testing (CBT), the CAT exam will be administered offline. It is projected that the NIFT 2025 written exam will take place in the first week of February 2025 (tentative), whereas the NIFT application form 2025 will be made available in the second week of December 2025 (tentative).

The written exams and the interview are the two phases in the NIFT admissions procedure 2025. The results of this phase are utilised to generate a preliminary list of applicants for the Situation Test/ Personal Interview (Stage 2). Based on the academic course/ specialisation they select, candidates must either do a situation test or an in-person interview after being selected. The following is a discussion regarding the NIFT test timings for written exams, which applicants can use for reference.

NIFT 2025 Written Exams - Timings

Course Name

NIFT 2025 Written Test

NIFT 2025 Reporting Time

NIFT 2025 Exam Timing

BDes Course

GAT

8.30 am

9.30 am - 11.30 am

CAT

12.30 pm

1.30 pm - 4.30 pm

Master of Design (MDes)

GAT

8.30 am

9.30 am - 11.30 am

CAT

11.30 am

1.30 pm - 4.30 pm

Bachelor of Fashion Technology (BFTech)

GAT

8.30 am

9.30 am - 11.30 am

Master in Fashion Technology (MFTech)

GAT

8.30 am

9.30 am - 4.30 pm

Master of Financial Management (MFM)

GAT

8.30 am

9.30 am - 11.30 am

Upcoming Design Exams :

  • UCEED

    Exam date: 19 Jan, 2025

NIFT Exam Pattern 2025: Course-Wise Weightage of NIFT CAT and GAT

 Course-wise weightage of NIFT CAT and GAT is mentioned below:

Course

Test

Weightage

B. Des

CAT

50%

GAT

30%

Situation Test

20%

M. Des

CAT

40%

GAT

30%

GD/PI

30%

B. F. Tech.

GAT

100%

M. F. Tech.

GAT

70%

GD/PI

30%

M. F. M.

GAT

70%

GD/PI

30%

NIFT Exam Pattern 2025 for BDes and MDes

There are two parts to the NIFT 2025 written test:

  • Creative Ability Test (CAT)

  • General Ability Test (GAT)

Depending on the programme chosen for admission, the candidate must take the CAT or GAT written tests, or both. The exam format for the two test components is described below.

NIFT Exam Pattern 2025 - GAT

The GAT test pattern for the BDes and MDes programmes is provided in the table below.

Course

BDes

MDes

Name of Paper

GAT

GAT

Language of GAT

English or Hindi

English or Hindi

Total Duration of Exam

120 minutes

120 minutes

Section-wise NIFT Exam Pattern 2025 for BDes GAT (Revised)

Subject

No. of Questions

Marks

Quantitative Ability

20

20

Communication Ability

40

40

English Comprehension

Analytical Ability

15

15

General Knowledge and Current Affairs

25

15

Total

100

100

Section-Wise NIFT Exam Pattern 2025 for GAT MDes

Subject

No. of Questions

Marks

Quantitative Ability

20

20

Communication Ability 

30

30

English Comprehension

30

30

Analytical Ability

25

25

General Knowledge and Current Affairs

15

15

Total

120

120

NIFT Exam Pattern 2025: Negative Marking 

For each incorrect attempt on the GAT exam, the candidate will lose 25% of their final score. To succeed on the GAT, a candidate must use discretion when answering questions for which they are unsure of the correct response. It should be noted that the CAT paper, which is a drawing-based exam, does not have negative markings.

NIFT Exam Pattern 2025 - CAT

Below is a description of the test format for the NIFT 2025 creative ability test.

  • Exam format: The CAT is a paper-and-pencil test

  • Time: three hours

  • Skills Required: Skills considered include the candidate's design aptitude as well as their power of observation, concept innovation, and intuition. Additionally, it will put candidates' inventive and creative colour and illustration skills to the test

The Creative Ability Test, popularly known as NIFT CAT is conducted to evaluate the candidate’s power of observation and other such parameters given below:

  • Design ability

  • Intuitive ability

  • Observation skills

  • Concept development skills

  • Creative use of colour

  • Illustration skills

Number of Questions

3

Type of Questions

Drawing questions

Duration

3 hours

Maximum marks

100

Mode of examination

Offline 

NIFT Exam Pattern 2025: Situation Test

The second part of the NIFT entrance examination for the BDes course is called the Situation Test. Those who pass the written tests (CAT and GAT) are required to take this examination. It should be noted that applicants for Master's programs must appear in a personal interview as opposed to taking the Situation Test. 

The Situation Test will assess the applicant's "material managing and inventive capabilities." They will be tested in areas such as "innovative and creative use of given material, colour scheme, space visualisation, component structure, construction abilities, model refinement, and general presentation, among others".

Prospective students must turn in a written explanation of the reasoning or idea underlying the model they produced at the time of the Situation Test. Additionally, since English is the primary language of instruction at NIFT, the write-up should also be in English. Reports written in any other language will not receive scores.

Also Read:

Situation Test for NIFT 2025 BDes Admission

Those who pass the BDes NIFT Written Exam have to show up for the NIFT Situation Test. Using a specific collection of materials, applicants will be evaluated on how well they handle materials and how creatively they can solve problems.  The following are the criteria that will be used to evaluate the student:

  • Colour Scheme

  • Composition of all the given elements

  • Construction Skill

  • Creative and innovative use of material given

  • Finesse of the Model

  • Overall Presentation

  • Space Visualisation

Note: The report must be written in English as no marks shall be awarded for writing it in a language other than English. The jury will make its verdict shortly after the completion of the exam.

NIFT Exam Pattern for BF Tech, MF Tech and MFM

 Here is an overview of the NIFT exam pattern for BF Tech, MF Tech and MFM:

Course

B.F.Tech

M.F.Tech

M.F.M

Name of Paper

GAT

GAT

GAT

Language of GAT

English or Hindi

English or Hindi

English or Hindi

Total Duration of Exam

180 minutes

180 minutes

180 minutes

Section-Wise NIFT GAT Exam Pattern for B.F.Tech and M.F.Tech

Subject

No. of Questions

Marks

Quantitative Ability

30

30

Communication Ability and English Comprehension

45

45

Analytical and Logical Ability

25

25

General Knowledge and Current Affairs

25

25

Case Study

25

25

Total

150

150

Section-Wise NIFT GAT Exam Pattern for M.F.M

Subject

No. of Questions

Marks

Quantitative Ability

10

10

Communication Ability and English Comprehension

50

50

Analytical and Logical Ability

25

25

General Knowledge and Current Affairs

25

25

Case Study

40

40

Total

150

150

NIFT Exam Pattern for GD/PI for All PG Programmes

The NIFT Group Discussions (GD) and Personal Interviews (PI) will be based on case studies. The GD will last for around 15 to 20 minutes of discussion around the assigned case study. The parameters on which candidates will be evaluated are as under:

  • Ability to generate new ideas
  • Effective Communication
  • Leadership Qualities
  • Conceptual Clarity
  • Knowledge of the topic assigned
  • Personal solving approach
  • Interpersonal skills
  • The contribution made to the topic

For the personal interview, candidates will be judged based on the following:

  • Career orientation
  • Aptness for the course
  • Overall personal achievements in academics and co-curricular activities
  • Communication 
  • General awareness and aptitude
  • Creative and lateral thinking

NIFT Exam Pattern 2025: Artisans Category

Students must be advised that admission to NIFT is granted to Artisans and Children of Artisans only, subject to their success in the Studio Test, the Interview Round, and an evaluation of their credentials and supporting documentation.

On the NIFT campus that applicants have chosen, Artisan admissions will take place offline. The following table provides specifics regarding the NIFT admission requirements for Artisans enrolled in BDes courses at the design college:

NIFT Entrance Exam Stages

Weightage Assigned

Timing

Studio Test

40%

To be updated

Interview

20%

To be updated

Students who qualify for the NIFT admissions in the Artisans category must pass the Studio exam, a creative ability assessment, in which they must use modelling clay or other materials available at the testing facility to produce a three-dimensional (3D) model.

NIFT Exam Pattern 2025: Lateral Entry

The procedure by which applicants can get straight admission to the third semester of undergraduate programs provided by NIFT 2025 participating colleges is known as NIFT lateral entry admission (NLEA).

Aspirants can review the entrance examinations in the table below that they must qualify for to be considered for entrance via NIFT NLEA.

Course Name

Test Type

Weightage Assigned

BDes Course

Studio Test

40%

GAT

40%

Personal Interview

20%

NIFT Exam Pattern 2025: Important Preparation Tips

Both the written tests and the Situation Test/Interview are required of an applicant taking the NIFT 2025 exam. Outlined below are a few NIFT 2025 preparation tips to help you gear up for the written test:

  • You have to practise sketching in all forms, preferably the fundamentals. For example, once you have mastered the fundamentals of drawing, you can focus on shading. 

  • Practise your sketching and observational abilities.

  • The GAT will be administered online and consist of between 100 and 150 questions. You have to be able to answer all of the questions correctly and within the time limit provided to answer them.

  • To improve efficiency and precision, work through NIFT entrance exam sample papers and take practice exams.   

  • Make sure you adhere to the most recent revision of the curriculum by referring to the NIFT exam pattern 2025 as well.

Know best colleges you can get with your score

FAQs about NIFT Entrance Exam Exam Pattern

Is there any difference between NIFT GAT for B.F.Tech, M.F.Tech, and M.F.M and NIFT GAT for other subjects.

Yes, the exam of NIFT GAT for the courses of B.F.Tech, M.F.Tech, and M.F.M is different from that of the other courses. The duration of this exam is 3 hours and it contains an extra section of 'Case Study'. The maximum marks for NIFT GAT for these programmes is 150.

Is CAT necessary for admission to B.F.Tech at NIFT?

No, if you are applying for the course of B.F.Tech, you will not have to appear for any other exam and you will be assessed on the basis of your performance in GAT itself.

How much weightage is given to each NIFT Entrance Exam for B.Des admissions?

For admission to the B.Des programme of NIFT, 50% weightage is given to CAT, 30% weightage is given to GAT, and the remaining 20% is allocated to the Situation Test. For the admissions of 2020, the Situation Test of NIFT is cancelled, hence both CAT and GAT are given 50% weightage each.

What are the sections of the General Ability Test (GAT) of the NIFT Entrance Exam?

The sections asked in NIFT GAT are Quantitative Ability, Communication Ability, English Comprehension, Analytical Ability,and General Knowledge and Current Affairs

Is NIFT GAT conducted offline?

Yes, the General Ability Test (GAT) of NIFT Entrance Exam is conducted in the offline mode. Even CAT is a pen and paper based exam.

What are the maximum marks for NIFT GAT for M.Des?

NIFT GAT for M.Des contains 120 questions and each question is of 1 mark. Hence, the maximum marks of NIFT GAT for M.Des is 120.

In what medium is the NIFT Entrance Exam conducted?

The NIFT Entrance Exam is conducted in both English and Hindi medium.

What is the duration of the NIFT Entrance Exam?

The duration of the NIFT Entrance Exam of GAT is 2 hours. Whereas the CAT exam of NIFT is 3 hours long.

How many questions are asked in the NIFT Entrance Exam for UG courses?

The total questions asked in the NIFT Entrance Exam for undergraduate courses are 100.

How many exams are conducted under the NIFT Entrance Examination?

The NIFT Entrance Exam comprises two exams: GAT (General Ability Test) and CAT (Creative Ability Test).

View More
View All Questions

Related Questions

Designing of what types is available??This is sure that we wil get placement??Marks obtained in 12 for the addmission??And what type of designing class is best for future??

-Shairoz AliUpdated on March 23, 2022 06:45 PM
  • 1 Answer
Harleen Kaur, Content Team

Dear Student, the Design Course available at Rani Birla Girls College is Fashion and Apparel Design course. Yes, students can get placement through a college placement drive held by the colleges/universities. Admission to the design course is open to the students who have cleared their 10+2 examination from any stream, from any recognized board. In addition, students who have cleared 10+2 examinations in the Vocational stream conducted by the West Bengal State Council of Vocational Education & Training are also eligible to get admission in this course.   

READ MORE...

My common merit rank is 548 and general category rank is 441. Will I be able to get B.Des Fashion Design in any of the top 6 centres?

-DivyanshiUpdated on March 14, 2022 09:28 AM
  • 2 Answers
priyal gogna, Student / Alumni

I would like to suggest you LPUs Fashion Design School. At LPU, a fashion design course is a course that covers the art of designing beautiful clothing and fashion accessories. These courses look at the work of famous designers and the culture of the time to show students how great fashion designs come to be. At LPU one can learn FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY Acquire photographic skills for creative visualization and representation. FASHION STYLING This course aims at the innovative application of styling and grooming concepts. The student will work individually or in groups to apply the concepts of grooming and styling …

READ MORE...

I am in class 12th, 2020-2021 batch and I want to get admission in NIFT. My exam has been cancelled and I want to know when can I give the NIFT exam?

-Sneha SinghUpdated on June 28, 2021 11:16 AM
  • 1 Answer
Samiksha Rautela, Content Team

Dear Student,

Since the NIFT 2021 Registration is over, you cannot take admission in a NIFT programme for the year 2021. If you are still willing to apply for NIFT, you can check the entire eligibility criteria laid down for NIFT 2022. If you satisfy all the conditions you can appear for the NIFT Entrance Exam 2022. The admission for the next academic session is expected to begin from December 2021 or January 2022. The exam is likely to be held in February 2022.

If you are willing to apply for UG admission 2021, you can check out the …

READ MORE...

Still have questions about NIFT Entrance Exam Exam Pattern ? Ask us.

  • Typical response between 24-48 hours

  • Get personalized response

  • Free of Cost

  • Access to community

Related Articles

Top