Doing well in CAT is mandatory to get a good score in NIFT 2025. Get the ball rolling with the tips given here and ace the CAT paper.
How to prepare for NIFT CAT 2025 - Candidates seeking admission to the B.Des or M.Des program at the NIFTs have to appear in a Creative Ability Test (CAT).
CAT is a written test that carries 50% weightage for the B.Des program and 40% weightage for the M.Des program.
This means the candidate's performance in the CAT can be a make-or-break factor.
If you didn't know already, the NIFT 2025 entrance exam is conducted in two stages:
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There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.- Stage 1 - Comprises the CAT and a General Ability Test (GAT)
- Stage 2 - The candidate has to next appear in a Situation Test (B.Des) /Personal Interview and Group Discussion (M.Des)
This article takes you through the step-wise process to prepare for the CAT component of NIFT 2025.
Latest Updates:
What is the NIFT Creative Ability Test (CAT)?
Candidates seeking admission to the B.Des and M.Des courses at the NIFTs must appear in a Creative Ability Test (CAT) and a General Ability Test (GAT).
Q: Do we need to join coaching to prepare for NIFT entrance exam?
Q: What was the difficulty level of the NIFT 2024 exam?
As per students who appeared in the NIFT 2024 exam, the diffiulty level of the GAT paper was easy to moderate. Students also found the CAT paper to be pretty easy.
There were some students who found the GK ans Math sections a bit difficut, but the overall sentiment is the NIFT 2024 exam was easy.
Students mainly found the GK section difficult because it contained a number of history-based questions.
Note that Shiksha will also do exam analysis of the NIFT 2025 exam.
It will cover various aspects like overall and sectional difficulty, expected cut-off, section-wise weightage of questions asked, and other key insights.
Q: What are some quick tips to prepare for the NIFT 2025 exam?
While there is no shortcut to success, it is always possible to achieve more by being smart and making judicious use of ones time.
Here are some useful tips that will help you prepare for NIFT 2025 exam.
- At the outset, quickly go through the NIFT 2025 exam pattern and syllabus. Make sure that you follow the official syllabus and pattern when preparing for the exam.
- You need to take note if there are any new topics that are being added. Also, check if any old topics are dropped.
- Ensure you follow only the updated syllabus.
- Next, get hold of best books that cover the entire syllabus.
- Make a time table taking into account the difficulty level of each topic and also weightage carried by them.
- Take notes during study; these notes will come in very handy closer to the exam when you need to do quick revisions.
- Solve sample papers and previous years question papers.
- Take mock tests.
The Creative Ability Test or CAT is designed to test the:
- Intuitive ability
- Power of observation in concept development
- Design ability of the candidate.
To perform well in the test, the candidate must be able to creatively and innovatively use color and illustration techniques.
NIFT 2025 Entrance Exam - Weightage of Test Components
| Program |
Test |
Weightage |
|---|---|---|
| CAT |
50% |
|
| GAT |
30% |
|
| Situation Test |
20% |
|
| CAT |
40% |
|
| GAT |
30% |
|
| GDPI |
30% |
NIFT CAT 2025: Things to Keep in Mind
Aspirants need to go through some tips and tricks by experts to score well in NIFT CAT exam.
Pre-requisite: Before starting the preparation, one must organize and cross-check all the resources, requirements, methods and plans for preparation as it is necessary to start in an organized manner, so that, one can utilize his/her time to the fullest.
Due to the distinctness in the pattern and ideology of the examination, the preparation tips are also slightly different from other examination.
Four major factors of concern which are pre-requisite for any design entrance are:
- Relevance - Do prepare the relevant topics and subjects without any focus dilution. For example, start with the preparation for the Creative Ability test, do not jump towards the second stage (situation test) preparation in between or before CAT preparation.
- Effectiveness- You need to spend time to enhance your creative skills. This would require sitting for prolonged hours with complete focus and concentration towards your target. Be a critique of your own work, do find errors and keep learning from your mistakes.
- Efficiency- Make a list of your strengths and keep working on them. But give more time to the topics which are not your forte. Do not skip practicing the topics you have not done before. Keep observing and researching.
- Sustainability- After completing a topic, do not keep it untouched for a longer time period as it may fade out from your memory which may reduce the quality of your work. Keep revising the topics, it will be profitable in the long run.
Tips to Prepare for NIFT CAT 2025
Develop your drawing skills for NIFT 2025 CAT by following the tips listed below.
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- Develop your observation skills - Keenly observe the world around you and take mental notes of things.
- Learn the A-B-C of geometrical shapes - This skill will come with practice.
- Conceptualization - Before you put a brush or pencil to paper, make sure you have a pretty solid conceptualization of the drawing or shape or want to create.
- Learn product drawing - Product drawing is the process is pictorially representing 3D objects in 2D. The 3D object can be anything that you see around you - the water flask, the laptop, mobile phone, bed, sofa, etc.
- Work on your line quality - Avoid jittery or multiple lines when drawing. To improve your line drawing skills, start with simple line drawings. With confident lines and basic shapes, progressing to complex shapes would be much easier. Also, practice drawing circles. Note- make sure that your pencil is well sharpened; avoid blunt pencil.
- Shading - At the outset, let me tell you that shading is not an important part of the design exam. That being said, here are some shading skills that can make your drawing stand out - reflected light, full light, case shadow, halftone, and shadow edge.
- Human figures - One easy way to learn the process of perfectly drawing human figures is to start with stick drawing. In the next progression, you can make block drawing. Once you have mastered stick drawing and block drawing, you can add clothes and other elements. In the final step, you can work on the face, eyes, fingers, etc.
- Learn the principles of composition - A drawing includes many small components, depending on the subject. For instance, if you draw a kitchen, it may include the stove, sink, water tap, fridge, kettle, jar, basket, table, etc. There are certain rules or principles for incorporating such elements in a drawing. These rules are called the principles of composition. While you can easily make an image without following these principles, the drawing in such cases may look incomplete or may not have elements that the examiners are looking for. Here are the key principles of composition:
- Alignment
- Balance
- Proportion
- Emphasis
Additional tips for NIFT CAT 2025 preparation
Here are some of the more generic tips to prepare for the NIFT CAT 2025.
- Refer to the current syllabus - The syllabus for NIFT 2025 will be released at the official admission portal of NIFT - niftadmissions.in.
- Follow the exam pattern - The exam pattern will contain information pertaining to the question paper structure, including types of questions asked, marking scheme, test duration, etc.
- Solve question papers - Checking out and solving the previous years’ question papers will help the candidate:
- Get insights into how questions are framed
- Learn which topics are covered
- The nature of drawing skills tested
- Practice one’s drawing and creative skills.
- Learn time management
- Follow good and reliable books - If the NIFT 2025 study material is top-notch, you can start your preparation on the front foot; in contrast, poor study material can derail your progress.
- Take notes during your study and practice session - You can take short notes jotting down important points or observations that can come in handy during revision or for understanding a topic better.
- Remove Psychological Barriers - Every battle is first won in the mind and then on the ground. Psychological battles start before the real battle comes in. And the greatest battle is not physical, but psychological.
- Never quit mid-way - Some people are in the habit of leaving jobs half-finished. Quitting is a negative habit and won’t take you far in life.
- No Plagiarism, No shortcuts - Avoid focus dilution: Do not copy answers from any available resources. Avoid plagiarism, as it would damage your imagination abilities and would deplete your thoughts, ideas, and observation regarding the subject and topics and you will not be able to come up with any innovative answers. Your focus should be strong and cemented, do not get distracted from unnecessary ideas or logics which are not applicable or unpractical with respect to your preparation. Remember, there is no shortcut for developing your skills; you have to keep practicing and observing.
- Prepare a methodology: Make a draft methodology chart for your preparation, as you have to prepare for the test in stages and skipping or shuffling the stages can confuse you and may affect the quality of your work which may hinder your performance in the examination. Start with the fundamentals and basics of design. This would keep you updated about your progress and will set a strong foundation for further stages.
Do’s and don’t for the NIFT CAT 2025
The candidate is not allowed to disclose their identity in any way, including by:
- Writing any personal details
- Placing identification marks.
Important Topics for NIFT CAT 2025
| Design Theory |
Colour Terminology |
Inspiration & Design Development |
| Colour Psychology & Optical Illusions |
Elements & Principles Of Design |
Mood, Theme & Colour Inter-relationship |
| Natural & Geometrical Form |
Innovation in Design |
Principles of Composition |
| Creative thinking & writing |
Optical Illusion |
Understanding Light & Shade |
| Visual Logic |
Form & Function |
Colour, Pattern & Texture |
| Theme Development |
Drawing Fundamentals |
Picture Analysis |
| Memory Drawing |
Inspiration & Creativity |
Ornaments & motifs |
| Use of Measurements, Scale & proportions |
Optical Illusion |
Foreshortening & Perspective |
| Developing Themes & Colour Associations |
Usage of Colour in Compositions |
Imagination & Doodling |
| 3D Visualisation |
Presentation Techniques |
Expression & Emotion |
| Exercises on imagination |
Lateral Thinking |
Story Pictures |
| Graphics & Pictograms |
Innovation & Creation |
Design Awareness |
Update on NIFT 2025 Entrance Exam
The application form for NIFT 2025 will open tentatively in the 1st week of December 2024. The application has to be filled out online at niftadmissions.in. The candidate has to select their program of study at the time of filling out the form.
The application fee for NIFT 2025 is INR 3000 (Open category). SC, ST, and PwD candidates need to pay only INR 1,500.
Q: How can I prepare for the Creative Ability Test (CAT) of NIFT 2025 exam?
The Creative Ability Test or CAT will evaluate the intuitive ability, power of observation in concept development, and design ability of the candidate. To prepare for CAT the candidate must develop their observation skills, learn the basics of geometrical shapes, understand conceptualization, learn product drawing and shading. Additionally, the candidate must also work on their line quality. For instance, the candidate needs to ensure there are no jittery or multiple lines. To imporve ones drawing skills, one may start with simple drawings, and then move on to complex shapes. Also, while shading is not so important for the exam, shading skills can definitely help the candidate get a positive nod from the evaluator.
Q: How many sample papers do I need to prepare for NIFT?
There are no fixed number of sample papers that the candidate needs to solve for the NIFT exam. That being said the candidate must solve as many sample papers as possible to improve ones problem-solving and time-management skills. To get the most out of the sample papers, it is recommended that the candidate starts solving sample papers as early as possible. For instance, the candidate may solve sample questions after completing a chapter. Along with solving the sample papers, it is also important for the candidate to analyze their performance. This exercise will help the candidate identify weak areas or pain points and fix them at infancy.
Q: Can I solve sample papers of exams like NID to prepare for NIFT 2025?
NID DAT and NIFT are two of the most important design entrance exams in the country. Both exams have a design aptitude test and many topics that overlap.
So, you can safely solve NID DAT sample papers as well. That being said you first job will be to complete the NIFT sample papers.
Q: Do I need to solve previous years papers to prepare for NIFT 2025 exam?
Along with doing through the textbooks and solving problem Sets the candidate must also solve previous years question papers to prepare for NIFT 2025. One of the main benefits of solving sample papers is the candidate will get to know the difficulty level, types of questions asked, and marking scheme. Also, previous years papers are great tools to improve ones time-management and problem-solving skills. By analyzing the previous years question papers, the candidate may also figure out trends that are followed in drafting question. Further, note that there are some questions that may be repeated, with a slight change in the wording or concept. If the candidate solves previous years question papers, the candidate will be able to easily solve them.
Q: Do I need to improve my drawing skills to do well in NIFT?
To do well in an entrance exam like NIFT, the candidate is expected to have good drawing skills. Note that the NIFT paper will have two sub-exams - CAT and GAT.
The CAT or the Creative Ability Test will evauate the drawing skills of the candidate.
So, unless you have above average drawing skills, you might struggle.
To do well in the exam, work on your drawing and visualization skills.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 23 hours ago
The National Institute of Fashion Technology offers BDes and BFTech courses at the undergraduate level. It offers M.De:s, MFTech and MFM courses at the postgraduate level. Students can check the table below to know course-wise selection criteria:
| Course Name | Selection Criteria |
|---|---|
| BDes | NIFT + PI + Counselling |
| MDes | NIFT + PI + Counselling |
| BFTech | NIFT + PI + Counselling |
| MFTech | NIFT + PI + Counselling |
| MFM | NIFT + PI + Counselling |
R
Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
the national entrance exam for the NIFT Institute this year, can keep on reading to find the latest syllabus that is prepared to test their creative and analytical ability.
It comprises the following sections: General Ability Test (GAT), Creative Ability Test (CAT), and Situation Test for the design
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
Hello greetings!
NIFT Exam Pattern 2025 B.It consists of 100 multiple-choice questions based on Quantitative Ability, Communication Ability, English Comprehension, Analytical Ability, and General Knowledge and Current Affairs. The exam is conducted offline.
Exam Details
GAT: 2 hours for B.Desand M.Des,
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 months ago
To do well in an entrance exam like NIFT, the candidate is expected to have good drawing skills. Note that the NIFT paper will have two sub-exams - CAT and GAT.
The CAT or the Creative Ability Test will evauate the drawing skills of the candidate.
So, unless you have above average drawing skills, you
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The role of the NTA is confined to registration of candidates and conduct of the NIFT 2025 exam. The finalization of NIFT 2025 answer keys after inviting challenges, processing and declaration of results and preparation of the list of qualified candidates will be done by NTA in collaboration with th
M
Contributor-Level 10
Can I join NIFT Gandhinagar without NIFT Entrance Exam?