How to prepare for NIFT Entrance Exam 2025 at Home
If you are appearing in the NIFT entrance exam, there is a possibility you might be pondering whether to take up coaching or prepare at home. While some may vouch for coaching, there is simply no substitute for self-study. And if you add discipline and a proper strategy to self-study, there is no reason why you can't get a good score in NIFT 2025 without coaching. If you need some sound tips to help you out, you are in the right place!
The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) will conduct the NIFT 2025 exam on February 9, 2025.
The exam will be conducted in TWO stages.
The candidate first has to appear in a written test - comprising the GAT & CAT. Shortlisted candidates have to appear in a situation test/ personal interviews.
The scores of the NIFT exams will be considered for admission to B.Des, M.Des, B.F.Tech, M.F.Tech, and M.FM courses.
Note that B.Des and M.Des candidates have to appear in both the GAT and the CAT. However, B.F.Tech, M.F.Tech, and M.FM aspirants only need to appear in the GAT.
In this article, we discuss how students can prepare for NIFT 2025 without coaching and share important tips to prepare for the exam at home.
Latest Updates:
Know the NIFT 2025 exam pattern:
Students preparing at home must go through the complete NIFT exam pattern. This will help them to understand the concept of the exam and prepare well in advance.
The NIFT 2025 entrance exam will be conducted in two stages:
- Stage 1 - Written tests (GAT and CAT)
- Stage 2 - Situation Test/ PI
The test pattern of GAT for the B.Des and M.Des programs is given in the table below.
| Program | B.Des | M.Des |
|---|---|---|
| Paper | GAT | GAT |
| Mode of exam | Computer-based exam | Computer-based exam |
| Language | English/ Hindi | English/ Hindi |
| Test Duration | 120 minutes | 120 minutes |
| Sections | Number of Questions | Number of Questions |
| Communication Ability |
40
|
30 |
| English Comprehension | 30 | |
| Quantitative Ability | 20 | 20 |
| Analytical Ability | 15 | 25 |
| General Knowledge and Current Affairs | 25 | 15 |
| TOTAL | 100 | 120 |
NIFT GAT 2025 Exam Pattern (Revised) - B.F.Tech
| Program | B.F.Tech | |
|---|---|---|
| Paper Name | GAT - Section A (CBT) | GAT - Section B (CBT) |
| Language of written test | English/Hindi | English/Hindi |
| Test Duration | 180 minutes | |
| Sections | Number of questions | Number of questions |
| Communication Ability and English Comprehension |
40 | NIL |
| Quantitative Ability | 20 | 15 |
| Analytical & Logical Ability | 15 | 15 |
| General Knowledge and Current Affairs |
25 | NIL |
| Case Study | NIL | 20 |
| Total | 100 | 50 |
NIFT GAT 2025 Exam Pattern - M.F.M & M.F.Tech
Note that no changes have been made to the exam pattern for the M.F.M and M.F.Tech courses.
| Program | M.F.Tech | MFM |
|---|---|---|
| Paper | GAT | GAT |
| Language of written test | English/Hindi | English/Hindi |
| Duration | 180 minutes | 180 minutes |
| Sections | Number of questions |
Number of questions
|
| Communication Ability & English Comprehension | 45 | 50 |
| Case Study | 25 | 40 |
| Quantitative Ability | 30 | 10 |
| Analytical & Logical Ability | 25 | 25 |
| General Knowledge And Current Affairs | 25 | 25 |
| TOTAL | 150 | 150 |
The test pattern for the NIFT CAT 2025 (Creative Ability Test) is given below.
- Test type: The CAT is a pencil-and-paper-based exam.
- Duration: 3 hours
- Skills evaluated: Intuition skill, power of observation, innovation in the development of a concept as well as design ability of the candidate. It will also test the creative as well as innovative use of color and illustration skills of aspirants.
The test pattern for the NIFT Situation Test 2025 is given below.
- Aspirants who have been shortlisted for NIFT B.Des 2025 admissions based on their written test need to appear in the NIFT Situation Test 2025 wherein their “material handling and innovative ability” of the candidate will be tested.
- Here, candidates will be evaluated on “Space Visualization, Innovative and creative use of given material, the composition of elements, color scheme, construction skill, the finesse of the model and overall presentation, etc.
- These parameters will be checked with the write-up explaining the concept/idea behind the model constructed.
Make proper Time-table:
It is very important to prepare a daily timetable for NIFT 2023 aspirants in order to cover all relevant topics of the exam. They need to take out at least 3 hours for NIFT preparations at home along with their regular studies. On weekends, NIFT aspirants can give some extra hours for exam studies.
Be conversant with the 2025 NIFT syllabus:
Before starting the NIFT exam preparation at home, aspirants must know the complete NIFT 2025 syllabus. They should know what all topics will come in the question paper. Check out some category-wise important NIFT 2024 topics that will add to your home NIFT studies:
| Topics for NIFT General Ability Test (GAT) |
|---|
| Quantitative Ability |
| Communication Ability and English Comprehension |
| Analytical Ability and Logical Ability |
| General Knowledge and Current Affairs |
|
|
Topics for NIFT Creative Ability Test (CAT) |
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
NIFT 2025 Situation Test topics for B.Des candidates:
B.Des candidates will be shortlisted for a Situation Test based on performance in the written tests (CAT and GAT). Here are key points about the NIFT 2025 Situation Test.
- The situation test is a hands-on test that will evaluate the candidate’s skills for material handling and innovative ability in a given situation with a given set of materials.
- The candidate will have to make a model/design using the given material.
- Using any other material except those provided inside the exam venue is prohibited.
- The model will be evaluated on space visualization, innovative and creative use of given material, the composition of elements, color scheme, construction skill, the finesse of the model and overall presentation, etc. These parameters will be checked with the write-up explaining the concept behind the model constructed.
- The write-up should be in English. No marks will be given for write-ups in any other language.
- The candidate shouldn’t disclose their identity in any way; trying to do so could lead to disqualification.
- The situation test will be evaluated on the SPOT. Also, note that the model will not be preserved for future reference.
NIFT 2025 Personal Interview (PI) topics for Masters Candidates:
The NIFT Personal Interview PI will evaluate the following skills of the candidate.
- Career orientation
- Aptness for the course
- Overall personal achievements in academics and co-curricular activities
- Communication
- General awareness and aptitude, creative and lateral thinking
Take enough breaks:
BREAKS are very important for NIFT students preparing at home. It may get exhausted at some point of time for NIFT students while doing the exam preparations. Students are advised to take short breaks during their studies. They can go for a walk, watch some good movies, listen to music or may practice music sketching.
Read NIFT reference guides and books:
Choosing the right NIFT books or reference guide is very important for the students. These books will suggest all relevant NIFT topics and will contain sample papers as well. Solving and reading correct NIFT books will open up your mind and improve your home preparations. Students can easily find them at shops or may order them online. Shiksha has collected a list of important NIFT 2025 books that one can focus on:
| Book/Guide Name | Author/Publication |
|---|---|
| Arihant NIFT Entrance Exam Self Guide | By Arihant Experts |
| NIFT Entrance Exam | By Dharmendra Mittal |
| NIFT Entrance Exam | By R.P Verma & A Kant |
| NIFT Exam Full Package | By LearnX |
| R. Gupta for NIFT Entrance Exam | By Surendra Kavimandan & Shabina Kavimandan |
| NIFT Previous Years' Papers Solved | By Ramesh Publishing House Editorial Board |
Solve NIFT previous year's papers:
NIFT 2025 aspirants must, must, must practice maximum number of NIFT previous year's question papers. Sometimes, there are similar kind of questions appear in the test. Practicing pevious year's paper boosts one's confidence, helps to manage paper-solving time and opens up the mind.
NIFT Sample Papers
| Program |
Sample Paper |
|---|---|
| B. Des CAT |
|
| B.Des |
|
| B.F.T |
|
| M.Des.CAT |
|
| M.Des |
|
| M.F.M |
|
| M.F.T |
Practice all kinds of Drawings:
NIFT students preparing at home should develop a habit of practicing all forms of drawings. Drawing is very important to solve the CAT part of NIFT exam. They must include sketching, shading, 2D-3D shapes, geometric designs, still drawings, live portraits, colour drawings, line drawings, and other variety of drawings in their practice routine.
Also Read:
| Understanding NIFT Exam Pattern | |
Consider NIFT Topper's Tips:
One must read and watch topper's NIFT interviews to understand the exam day thoughts, time management, and additional tips to crack the NIFT 2024 exam. It is the best way to make a clear-cut preparation strategy at home.
NIFT 2025 FAQs
Q. When is the NIFT 2025 exam?
A. The written tests for the NIFT 2025 exam will be held on February 9, 2025. The NTA has released the detailed schedule of the exam on November 22, 2024. Applications are currently open for the exam.
Q: How can I prepare for NIFT at home?
A: To prepare for NIFT Entrance Exam 2025, you can follow the steps below:
- Understand the NIFT pattern and syllabus thoroughly
- Make a monthly, weekly and daily time-table and stick to it consistently
- Attempt as many previous years' NIFT question papers as possible
Q: Is NIFT Entrance Exam tough?
A: The difficulty level of NIFT Entrance Exam is usually easy to moderate. However, you really need to hone your design skills in order to crack the exam.
Q. Which book is best for NIFT 2025 preparation?
A: Some of the important books that you can refer for NIFT entrance exam 2024 preparation include:
- NIFT National Entrance Exam by RP Verma
- NIFT by Sonia Sahney
- Arihant NIFT Entrance Exam Self Study Guide
- Popular Master Guide NIFT and IIFT by R Gupta
Q. Are mock tests enough to prepare for NIFT 2025 exam?
A. No, the candidate must also solve previous years’ question papers and sample papers to prepare for the exam. In fact, the candidate must start solving sample and questions papers very early in their preparation.
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