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Updated By Tiyasa Khanra on 11 Dec, 2025 15:25
The NIFT exam 2026 is conducted in two parts: Creative Ability Test (CAT) and General Ability Test (GAT). GAT is conducted for the BDes and MDes programmes in both English and Hindi over a duration of 120 minutes. Questions are asked from Quantitative Ability, Communication Ability, English Comprehension, Analytical Ability, General Knowledge, and Current Affairs. Find the detailed NIFT exam pattern 2026 below.
Predict your Percentile based on your NIFT Entrance Exam performance
Predict RankThe NIFT 2026 exam patternis expected to remain the same as last year. More effective planning and preparation for the exam will be possible for prospective applicants who are familiar with the NIFT 2026 test pattern. The CAT, GAT, Situation Test, or GD/PI are the three rounds that define admission to NIFT. Two components of the NIFT 2026 written examinations are required for all academic programs: the Creative Ability Test (CAT) and the General Ability Test (GAT), which are only required if you are applying for BDes and MDes. Although the GAT exam is administered online via computer-based testing (CBT), the CAT exam is administered offline.
The written exams and the interview are the two phases in the NIFT admissions procedure 2026. 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.
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% |
Find the subject-wise distribution for each programme under NIFT 2026 in the table below.
S. No. | Programme | Total Qs (GAT) | Communication Ability and English Compre hension | Quantitative Ability (Sec A) | Analytical and Logical Ability (Sec A) | General Knowledge and Current Affairs | Quantitative Ability (Sec B) | Analytical and Logical Ability (Sec B) | Case Study (Sec B) | CAT (PBT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(Sec A) | (Sec B) | |||||||||
1 | Bachelor of Design | 100 | 40 | 20 | 15 | 25 | NA | NA | NA | 3 |
2 | Bachelor of Fashion Technology | 150 | 40 | 20 | 15 | 25 | 15 | 15 | 20 | NA |
3 | Bachelor of Fashion Technology and Bachelor of Design | 150 | 40 | 20 | 15 | 25 | 15 | 15 | 20 | 3 |
4 | Bachelor of Design (NLEA) | 100 | 40 | 20 | 15 | 25 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
5 | Bachelor of Fashion Technology (NLEA) | 150 | 40 | 20 | 15 | 25 | 15 | 15 | 20 | NA |
6 | Master of Design | 120 | 50 | 20 | 25 | 25 | NA | NA | NA | 3 |
7 | Master of Fashion Management | 150 | 50 | 20 | 25 | 25 | NA | NA | 30 | NA |
8 | Master of Fashion Management and Master of Design | 150 | 50 | 20 | 25 | 25 | NA | NA | 30 | 3 |
9 | Master of Fashion Technology | 150 | 45 | 30 | 25 | 25 | NA | NA | 25 | NA |
As mentioned in the official notification, the NIFT 2026 question paper pattern and shortlisting criteria have been provided below.
Programme | Entrance Examination Components | Shortlisting Criteria |
|---|---|---|
B.Des. |
| Entrance examination + Situation Test |
B.F.Tech. | General Ability Test (GAT) | GAT |
B.F.Tech. and B.Des. | General Ability Test (GAT), Creative Ability Test (CAT) | Generation of Separate Common Merit Ranks (CMRs) for:
If you are applying for B.F.Tech. with Mathematics, you can also enroll for B.Des. by taking CAT along with GAT (not applicable for NLEA). |
M.Des. | General Ability Test (GAT), Creative Ability Test (CAT) | GAT + CAT, followed by a Personal Interview (PI) |
M.F.M. | General Ability Test (GAT) | GAT, followed by a Personal Interview (PI) |
M.F.M and M.Des. |
| Generation of Separate Common Merit Ranks (CMRs) for:
|
M.F.Tech. | General Ability Test (GAT) | GAT, followed by a Personal Interview (PI) |
Ph.D. | Written test | Research Proposal Presentation and Interview (RPPI) |
There are two parts to the NIFT 2026 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.
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 |
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 |
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 |
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.
Below is a description of the test format for the NIFT 2026 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 |
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.
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.
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 |
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 |
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 |
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:
For the personal interview, candidates will be judged based on the following:
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.
The procedure by which applicants can get straight admission to the third semester of undergraduate programs provided by NIFT 2026 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% |
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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.
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.
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.
The sections asked in NIFT GAT are Quantitative Ability, Communication Ability, English Comprehension, Analytical Ability,and General Knowledge and Current Affairs
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.
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.
The NIFT Entrance Exam is conducted in both English and Hindi medium.
The duration of the NIFT Entrance Exam of GAT is 2 hours. Whereas the CAT exam of NIFT is 3 hours long.
The total questions asked in the NIFT Entrance Exam for undergraduate courses are 100.
The NIFT Entrance Exam comprises two exams: GAT (General Ability Test) and CAT (Creative Ability Test).
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