NID DAT Study Material 2026: Best Books, Sample Papers, Mock Tests

NID DAT Study Material 2026: Best Books, Sample Papers, Mock Tests

Ongoing Event

NID DAT Admit Card Date:11 Dec' 25 - 21 Dec' 25

Ritika JonwalUpdated on 31 Jul 2025, 03:02 PM IST

The Design Aptitude Test (DAT), often known as the NID DAT, is extremely demanding and need a great deal of preparation in advance. To assist you stick to a plan and be ready for the entrance exam, it is crucial that you use trustworthy and thorough NID DAT study resources. Therefore, students have to buckle up with their NID 2026 preparation and strategies. In addition, students need to thoroughly comprehend the exam format by solving the NID sample papers and NID previous year question papers. NID Entrance Exam (Prelims) exam will tentatively be conducted in January 2026.

This Story also Contains

  1. NID Study Material 2026
  2. Books for NID 2026
  3. NID Sample Papers 2026
  4. NID DAT 2025 Question Paper
  5. NID Mock Tests - Free PDF Download
NID DAT Study Material 2026: Best Books, Sample Papers, Mock Tests
NID DAT Study Material

Students must have an understanding of the requirements of NID 2026 syllabus. They are advised to review the NID question paper thoroughly. The NID Study Material 2026 is hence given in the following article.

NID Study Material 2026

The NID exam prepares students for admission to various design programs offered across NID campuses, including B.Des, M.Des, and other specialized design courses. Candidates need to create an effective exam plan and use the best NID study materials for 2026 to prepare for the entrance exam. Choosing the right NID 2026 study material is essential for students who aim to excel in the design entrance exam. The NID entrance exam is held annually in multiple cities across India. To fully understand the exam requirements, prospective students must review the NID exam pattern. Below is a list of the best NID study materials to help students in their preparation.

Books for NID 2026

Preparing students often end up choosing multiple unreliable books that contribute to much waste of time. Students must choose books apt for the NID entrance exam syllabus. Hence aspiring students must smartly pick out the best NID study material 2026 for preparation. Applicants can also download the free NID preparation books, which will contribute to the list of the NID preparation books listed in the table below:

IIFT Design Admissions 2025

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KL University B.Des Admissions 2025

A++ Grade by NAAC | Ranked #22 among all Indian Universities by NIRF in 2024 | 100% Placement, 60 LPA Highest CTC, 300+ Recruiters

Section

Name of the Book

Authors Name

  1. Quantitative Aptitude

Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations

R.S. Aggarwal


Objective Quantitative Aptitude

OSWAL Books


Mathematics for class X

NCERT


Fast Track Objective Arithmetic

Rajesh Verma

  1. Logical and Analytical Reasoning

A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning

R.S. Aggarwal


Analytical Reasoning by Magical Book Series

Arihant Publications ,

M.K Pandey


Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning

R.S. Aggarwal

  1. Design Aptitude

Design of Everyday things

Don Norman


Design Drawing

Francis D. K. Ching


Basic Rendering

Robert W.Gill


NIFT/ NID/ IIFT entrance exam guide

Surendra

  1. General Knowledge

General Knowledge Digest

OSWAL books


Manorama Yearbook


General Knowledge

Manohar Pandey

  1. Sketching and modelling

The Fundamentals of Figure Drawing (Dover Art Instruction)


Charles Oliver


Profit From The Psychology of Color: Discover the Meaning and Effects of Color: 2


Richard G. Lewi

Must-read articles to become a designer:

NID DAT BDes 2025 Complete Guide
NID DAT BDes eBook gives in-depth information about the entrance test including the list of courses offered by NID, exam pattern, seat matrix, section-wise analysis, preparation strategy and more.
Download EBook

NID Sample Papers 2026

Aspiring students are required to solve previous years' sample papers to apply topics from NID study material better. This will help them identify and understand the question paper syllabus and NID exam pattern. Practicing a lot of NID previous question paper is advisable to understand the DAT and Sketching ability required for the examination. Solving sample papers will also boost aspiring students confidence for the actual exam. Candidates can check the sample papers here:

NID DAT 2025 Question Paper

The NID DAT 2025 exam saw a shift in its pattern, with Part A focusing solely on non-verbal reasoning, removing verbal reasoning and quantitative aptitude. Part B, emphasizing sketching and creative design tasks, became more challenging and time-consuming. This shift made the exam more focused on creativity and time management. For NID DAT 2026, candidates should expect a continued emphasis on design and creative problem-solving, with less focus on traditional reasoning, making practice in creative skills and time management crucial for success.

It is important for students to practice question papers and understand their weak and strong points. Students should practice NID question papers every week to get a hang of time constraints and pick up the pace while solving. Candidates can refer to NID DAT 2025 prelims question paper for better command on the preparation. This will also help students in creating a better study plan tailored to them.

Since NID does not release its official question papers every year, here are some previous years’ question papers below.

Parul University B.Des. Admissions 2025

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KR Mangalam University B.Des Admissions 2025

6 Lakh+ CUET Registrations | 500+ Companies Visited for Placement Top Recruiters: Apple Inc., Amazon, IBM, CISCO, Meta, Microsoft, Google

NID Mock Tests - Free PDF Download

Why is it important to take Mock Tests for NID? The exam pattern is altered yearly, but the overall standing concepts being tested remain the same. Timed NID mock test series will give a student a true analysis of the question paper and how to solve it on time. Study guides and NID study material 2026 also serve as a great help in terms of solving the question paper section-wise and with speed. Here are links to NID entrance exam study material, guide, and mock tests:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How can I prepare for NID exam 2025?
A:

Students can begin by picking out important and productive NID Study material 2025. Solve many NID DAT sample question papers to get a clear idea of the exam’s requirements.

Q: How to pick the best study material for NID DAT?
A:
  • Study material must be comprehensive.

  • It must teach, make you understand, and apply concepts.

  • Pick study material with question banks if possible

  • Solve mock tests and sample papers up-to-date with the current NID Entrance exam syllabus and Exam pattern.

Q: What are the best books for NID preparation?
A:
  • Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R.S.Aggarwal

  • Analytical Reasoning by Magical Book Series by Arihant Publications and MK Pandey

  • Design Drawing by Francis D.K.Ching

  • General Knowledge Digest by Oswal Books

Q: What are the best books for NID sketching?
A:
  • The Fundamentals of Figure Drawing (Dover Art Instruction) by Charles Oliver

  • Basic Rendering by Robert W. Gill

Q: What is the NID exam syllabus 2025?
A:

Students will be tested based on these categories in the Prelims : 

  • Quantitative Aptitude

  • Logical and Analytical Reasoning

  • Design Aptitude

  • General Knowledge

Articles
|
Upcoming Design Exams
Ongoing Dates
GLS DAT Application Date

17 Aug'25 - 31 Jan'26 (Online)

Upcoming Dates
SEED Admit Card Date

5 Jan'26 - 11 Jan'26 (Online)

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Questions related to NID DAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to NID DAT ?

Hello,

Preparing for the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) entrance exam involves focusing on several key areas. Here’s a structured approach to get you started:

1. Understand the Exam Structure

Familiarize yourself with the NIFT entrance exam format:

  • General Ability Test (GAT): Tests general knowledge, current affairs, and quantitative

No, diploma or polytechnic students are generally not eligible to apply for the NID DAT exam.
The eligibility criteria for NID DAT typically requires a 10+2 qualification or its equivalent. This means you must have completed your higher secondary education to be eligible for the exam.

I hope this information

Stages of the Exam:

The PG NID entrance exam typically consists of two stages:

  • Prelims: This written test might include objective and subjective questions to assess your design aptitude, creativity, problem-solving skills, and knowledge of design principles.

  • Mains: Candidates who qualify in the prelims are called for the mains stage,

Hello,

If you forgot to write the question paper code and date on your NID DAT prelims OMR sheet, contact the exam authorities immediately. They may have procedures in place to handle such situations. According to me there should be no problem for you even if you have not filled

Hello aspirant,

The National Institute of Design (NID) has not yet made the NID DAT 2024 exam's official syllabus public. But you can check the important topics for this exam on our site by clicking on the link given below.

https://design.careers360.com/articles/nid-dat-syllabus

Thank you

Hope this information helps you.