Posted On: 21 August 2026 | 01:35:am
The first stage of the NID entrance exam is behind you, but your B.Des. admission journey is not over yet. The DAT Mains is the next stage, comprising the Studio Sensitivity Test and the In-Person Sensitivity Test. Together, these components play a significant role in the final result, with 60% and 40% weightage, respectively.
So, what should you focus on while preparing? More than simply drawing, you need to develop skills such as observation, creativity, experimentation, problem-solving, and communication. The exercises below are designed to help you strengthen these skills and approach your preparation more effectively.
The 2027-28 NID Admissions Handbook does not specify the detailed format or task structure of the DAT Mains. Since the format may change in future admission cycles, it is better to focus on transferable design abilities rather than memorising a fixed question pattern.
These exercises are therefore preparation strategies, not predictions of what will appear in the actual test. Candidates should refer to the latest NID Admissions Handbook and the official NID admissions website for updates.
As part of your preparation, practise turning ideas into simple physical forms. Build basic models or prototypes by cutting, folding, joining, balancing, assembling, and modifying forms.
Don’t worry about making a polished model. Focus on moving from idea → form → test → refinement. Try changing the size, structure, proportions, or arrangement of your model and observe how each change affects the outcome.
The goal is to become more comfortable testing ideas physically, experimenting with different approaches, and refining your response to a design brief.
A design problem can have several possible solutions. Instead of immediately settling on your first idea, give yourself a few minutes to explore alternatives.
For every practice brief, try creating three different approaches. To make each one genuinely different, vary one element at a time:
Then ask:
This exercise encourages you to explore before committing, helping you make more considered design decisions.
Instead of simply looking at objects around you, learn to question why they are designed the way they are. Pick a bottle, school bag, chair, lunchbox, shoe, or traffic sign and examine it from different angles:
Then choose one aspect to rethink. Could the bottle be easier to carry? Could the school bag distribute weight differently? Could the lunchbox be easier to open, clean, or store?
This turns everyday observation into a practical design exercise and helps you build the habit of spotting problems, understanding context, and exploring possible solutions.
Don’t always practise with unlimited materials and time. Give yourself constraints that force you to make decisions.
Try This 30-Minute Drill
One material + three tools + one functional problem + 30 minutes
For example, choose cardboard as your material, limit yourself to three basic tools, and design a functional object within 30 minutes. Once you finish, ask yourself what you would change if you had five more minutes.
This helps you distinguish between essential and decorative elements while becoming more comfortable making decisions under time pressure.
You do not need elaborate drawings for every idea. Focus on making your thinking easy to understand.
Practise quick sketches, thumbnails, diagrams, annotations, arrows, and different views of an object. Use sketches to show form, movement, sequence, mechanism, scale, or user interaction. Try explaining an idea in a few strokes before developing it further. A simple sketch that communicates an idea clearly can be more useful than a detailed drawing that does not.
This version is more actionable without materially increasing the word count. It also gives readers a clear answer to what exactly should I use sketches for?
Don’t limit your practice to pencils and paper. Spend time understanding how different materials behave by experimenting with paper, cardboard, thread, wire, fabric, clay, or discarded packaging.
Try folding, bending, layering, joining, stretching, or combining them. Ask simple questions: Can paper provide structure? Can cardboard create a curve? Can thread create tension?
The aim is not to master craft techniques but to develop material awareness and curiosity, understanding how a material’s properties can influence an idea.
After completing a practice task, take a minute to explain why you made certain choices.
Why did you choose that form or material? What problem does the design address? What would you change if you had more time?
This reflection can help you become more conscious of your design process, reasoning, and decision-making. It can also make you more comfortable articulating the thinking behind your work when discussing your ideas.
Once you are comfortable developing multiple solutions, make your practice less predictable. Give yourself unfamiliar design briefs that you cannot solve using a familiar formula.
For example:
Try solving the brief on your own before looking at existing solutions or references. Don’t worry about predicting the “right” answer. The goal is to become comfortable understanding a new brief, identifying the problem, and developing a response from scratch.
Time management is important when working on a design task. Try dividing your practice into three stages:
Understand → Explore → Execute
First, understand the brief and identify the core problem. Then generate a few possibilities before selecting one to develop. Keep enough time to complete and review your final response.
Practising with a timer can help you become more comfortable making decisions without rushing through the final execution.
Working on your own can make it difficult to spot weaknesses. Ask a teacher, mentor, designer, or experienced peer to review your practice responses.
Instead of asking, “Is this good?” ask:
Is the idea clear? Does the solution address the brief? What could be simplified? Where did I lose time?
Coaching can be one preparation route, but it is not the only one. If you choose to enrol, look for regular practice, individual feedback, mentor guidance, and opportunities to develop your own approach to design problems rather than simply following model answers.
For students exploring options, BRDS is one design-entrance coaching provider that offers preparation for design entrance examinations. However, candidates should independently compare coaching institutes and choose one that fits their learning needs and preparation style.
Important: NID does not authorise or franchise coaching institutes. Always rely on the official NID admissions website for examination-related information. Candidates should therefore evaluate coaching providers independently and refer to NID’s official admissions information for the latest examination guidance.
Preparing for the NID Studio Test requires more than practising drawing. You need to observe carefully, generate ideas, experiment with materials, manage time, and explain your design decisions.
Whether you prepare independently or take NID coaching, use practice sessions to build these habits rather than simply collecting model answers. The 2027–28 admissions handbook gives the DAT Mains components a 60:40 weighting, making it an important part of the B.Des. selection process. Check the latest handbook for subsequent admission cycles.
Most importantly, stay curious. Pick up an unfamiliar material, question how an everyday object works, sketch an alternative, and make something from it. That mindset is far more valuable than trying to predict exactly what will appear in the studio test.
It is one of the two components of DAT Mains for B.Des. admissions, alongside the In-Person Sensitivity Test.
DAT Prelims is the first-stage screening test, while DAT Mains is conducted for candidates shortlisted after the Prelims.
The DAT Mains final marks are weighted 60% for the Studio Sensitivity Test and 40% for the In-Person Sensitivity Test.
NID currently provides DAT Prelims sample papers, but candidates should not assume that official Studio Sensitivity Test sample papers are available. The detailed DAT Mains format is announced separately.
Yes. NID reserves the right to change the schedule and, in unforeseen circumstances, the nature or structure of the tests. Check the latest admissions handbook for the applicable cycle.
Dr. Bhanwar Rathore is the Founder of BRDS and a respected name in India’s design education field.
BRDS (Bhanwar Rathore Design Studio) is India’s leading Design & Architecture coaching institute with 20+ years of experience and 86 centres nationwide, guiding students toward top institutes like NIFT, NID, and IITs. A NIFT alumnus with a Master’s and Doctorate in Fashion Design, he has been honoured seven times by The Times of India for his contribution to design education.
