Best Books for NIFT 2025 - Subject-wise books recommended by Experts and Toppers

An often overlooked aspect of NIFT exam preparation is the quality of the study material. It is because if you use poor-quality books, you are most likely going to falter in the exam. So, getting the best books for NIFT 2025 preparation is non-negotiable.  Here we bring you subject-wise NIFT 2025 books recommended by toppers and experts.

Best Books for NIFT 2025 - There is a common saying that well begun is half the work done.

But how exactly do you START your preparation for NIFT 2025?

Here is how.

By getting the best possible collection of books for NIFT 2025.

If the study material is good then it will be up to date, explain the concepts crisply, won’t confuse and deviate aimlessly, and contain few to no errors.

Considering the market is flooded with books making it difficult to zoom in on any one specific, here we have compiled a list of the best study material for the NIFT exam. Make them a part of your preparation arsenal, and there will be no stopping you from cracking the NIFT 2025 entrance exam.

But before we jump into deciding which book is the best for NIFT exam preparation, let's take a bit to understand the NIFT 2025 exam pattern. 

The NIFT entrance exam is conducted in two rounds:

1. Round I - The candidate first appears in the CAT and GAT written exams. The GAT paper is mandatory for all courses, while only B.Des and M.Des candidates need to take the CAT.
2. Phase II - Shortlisted candidates have to next appear in a Situation Test /Group Discussion & Personal Interview. 

The FINAL merit list for admission will be prepared by giving weightage to both the written exams and the Situation Test/ PI 

Latest Updates:

• NIFT application form 2025 open - Apply Here

Update on NIFT 2025 exam

The application form for NIFT 2025 is OPENED on November 22, 2024. The application is open online at the NTA (NIFT) admission portal.

Meanwhile, the NIFT 2025 exam will be held on February 9, 2025.

Also, download the information brochure and go through it carefully. The brochure will include all the recent and important updates on the NIFT 2025 entrance exam.

NIFT 2025 - Test components, weightage

Each of the test components, CAT, GAT, and Situation Test (Personal Interview in case of PG courses) carries a definite weightage (as shown in the table below).

Programme	Test	Weightage
Bachelor of Design	CAT	50%
	GAT	30%
	Situation Test	20%
Master of Design	CAT	40%
	GAT	30%
	GD/PI	30%
Bachelor of Fashion Technology	GAT	100%
Master of Fashion Technology	GAT	70%
	GD/PI	30%
Master of Fashion Management	GAT	70%
	GD/PI	30%

Candidates may also check out the NIFT 2025 exam pattern in DETAIL. 

NIFT Best Books 2025 - Recommended by experts and toppers

Now that we know the composition and structure of the entrance exam, let's dive into which books are best for NIFT 2024 exam preparation.

In the table below you will find a list of books that can help you ace the NIFT 2025 entrance exam. Note that the list is kept minimalistic, but it should be enough for you to easily ace the exam. Remember, it is easy to make a long collection of books, but it is even easier to get lost in the pile.

Unless it is absolutely necessary, keep the books to a bare minimum.

The mantra is to prepare smart, not hard!

NIFT 2025 Study Material - Subject-wise books, secret tips

Subject	Books
	Arihant Books
Current Affairs and GK	Read newspapers: The Hindu, The Times of India What to read: Skim through the headlines; focus on what is happening of national and international import Pick an editorial or opinion piece, and practice 10-20 new words every day.  Maintain a notebook; make it a repository of all that you have learned; it will come in handy for quick revision.
Maths	NIFT Arihant  Why - It covers the entire Maths portion needed for NIFT 2023. However, if you want to do additional reading: RS Aggarwal
English	NIFT Arihant
GAT	Solve previous years' NIFT question and sample papers for the last 10 years or so. The trick is to solve as many sample papers as you can; also you may solve the same sample paper 3-4 times to check your progress. Important: Even though there is a slim chance the same question will be repeated in the NIFT entrance exam, candidates claim that word meanings can get repeated. So, if the candidate practices the words given in those paragraphs carefully, it can help the candidate immensely.
Mock Test Books	Learnx Mock Test Series Books NIFT Mock Test Series by NIFT Alumni
Taking notes	While it is well and good to follow the best books and solve sample papers, it is equally important that you make it a habit of taking notes. Jot down all the important or troubling points in it. This notebook will work as a reference material in the future for quick revision. If your notes are well prepared, you can revise all the topics in the syllabus in a jiffy! On the other hand, if you don’t take notes, you will have to go through each paragraph, chapter, or book to revise the key points.

Also Read:

• UCEED vs NID - Which is Better?
• NID vs NIFT - Differences, Participating colleges, Admission Process, Placement
• How to Crack UCEED in 6 Months
• NIFT 2024 Quantitative Ability Syllabus, Questions & Preparation Tips

Books for NIFT Situation Test

The Situation Test is conducted to test the 3-D making skills of the candidate. Test materials for making the model will be provided to the candidate. 

The material kit is not standard, but ideally contains items like clay, metal wire, thermocol sheet, straws, paper clippings, aluminum foils, etc.

Note that during the Situation Test, the candidate doesn’t have to draw anything. 

NIFT Situation Test 2025 - Book Suggestion

Name of the book	Author (Publication)
Don’t make me think	Steve King
Universal Principles of Design	Tom Kelley and David Kelley
100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People (Voices That Matter)	Weinschenk Susan
The Design of Eeveryday Things	Don Norman
Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things	Don Norman
NIFT Situation Test 2023 - Download free 10 years papers	Download Here

NIFT 2025 Stationery Items 

If you are appearing in an entrance exam like NIFT, or NID DAT, you need to practice a lot of drawing. And for that you stationery items, like the one mentioned in the table below.

Level	Pencils
Beginner	Pencils - popular brands include  Once your shading skills are more refined, then you can try Faber Castell, The student can use pencils by popular brands like Camline and Artline:  They are affordable, with each packet costing around Rs. 50 and contacts 6 pieces.
Mid Level	As your shading skills are more refined, you can use drawing pencils - Peroci and Faber-Castell are good to go.
Give fine detailing to sketches	Microns Pen Note: Microns are available at many points like 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, etc. So, you can make even the finest details with these pens.
Color Pencils	Staedtler Color Pencil, Faber Castell Color Pencil
Blending Stumps:	With these, you can very effectively blend various colors. Or when you are making pencil sketches, you can use the blending stumps to blend strokes that are visible in the sketch.