NID DAT Exam Center 2025: City-wise List, How to Select, Reporting Time, Exam-day Guidelines

The National Institite of Design (NID) has released the list of exam centres for the DAT Prelims exam on September 3, 2024.

The list of exam centers have been published in the respective admission brochures for the B.Des and M.Des programs. 

The DAT Prelims exam will be conducted in 22 cities across the country - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kurukshetra, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada.

Note that each of these cities may have one or more exam centres. 

The candidate can select their choice of exam centre at the time of filling out the application form. The NID DAT 2025 application form opened on September 3, 2024.

The reporting time for NID DAT 2025 will be mentioned in the admit card, along with gate closing time, and exam timings and date.

The candidate needs to report for the DAT Prelims exam at 8 am. The gates of the exam center will close at 9,30 am (or 30 minutes before the commencement of the exam). After that no candidate will be allowed inside the exam hall.

The DAT Prelims exam for the B.Des and M.Des courses will be conducted tentatively in the 4th week of December 2024.

Exam timings:

• B.Des - 10 am - 1 pm
• M.Des - 10 am - 12.30 pm

The reporting and exam commencement time for NID DAT 2025 will be mentioned in the admit card. The candidate must arrive at the exam centre as per the reporting time.

If the candidate is late, there is chance that he or she will not be allowed entry inside the exam center.

So, the candidate must start a bit early on exam day, taking into account the traffic situation. Note that exam officials will conduct registration formalities and frisking, etc. befor allowing the candidate inside the exam centre.

The National Institute of Design will conduct the Studio Test for the B. Des program between April 26 and May 4, 2025. Meanwhile, the Studio Test and Interview for the M.Des will be held from March 3 to April 6, 2025. On the day of DAT Mains, the candidate needs to report at the exam centre on time.

For instance, the Studio Test for the M.Des programme commences at 9 am, but candidates need to get registered from 8 am onward. It is therefore mandatory to report on time. The candidate can consult the NID DAT 2025 admit card to check at what time they need to report for the Studio Test.

The NID DAT 2025 (Prelims) exam will be conducted on January 5, 2024. The exam will be administered in 22 cities across India. Note that each of these exam cities may have one or more test centres.

The candidate will have to select their choice of exam centres for the DAT Prelims exam when filling out the NID DAT 2025 application form.

The candidate must be careful when selecting the exam city, because they might not be allowed to change it later on.

The NID DAT 2025 Prelims exam will be conducted in a pen-and-paper based mode on January 5, 2025.

. The NID DAT 2025 Mains exam for the B. Des programme comprise a Studio Test, which will also be conducted offline mode. Meanwhile, the DAT Mains exam for the M.Des programme comprises a Studio Test and Interview, which will also be conducted offline. The Studio Test may include multiple formats (Drawing/ Sketching/ Model Making). In case of the M.Des programme, candidates are shortlisted for the Interview based on the performance of the candidate in the Studio Test.

The NID DAT 2025 (Prelims) exam will be conducted on January 5, 2025. The exam will be conducted in the following 22 cities - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kurukshetra, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada.

The candidate has to select their choice of exam city at the time of filling out the NID DAT 2025 application form. Note that an exam city may have one or more test centres.

The allotment of exam centres will be made considered available seats in respective centres and choice of the candidate.

The National Institute of Design (NID) may not make any arrangements for a baggage counter. So, the candidate must bear this in mind when packing for the DAT Prelims exam.

It is recommend that the candidate only packs the bare essentials, and don’t bring unnecessary stuff to the exam centre.

Also, expensive items like smartphones, jewellery, gadgets, etc. should be better left at home.

The other thing is to dress up in a comfortable attire. 

While there is no official notice binding the candidate to dress up in a particular way, it is recommended to dress comfortably and sensibly. For instance, don't wear something too tight or too loose.

The NID DAT exam is conducted is conducted in two stages. First, the candidate has to appear in DAT Prelims, and if shortlisted has to appear in DAT Mains.

The results of DAT Prelims for B.Des will be declared on April 1, 2025, while results for the M.Des programme will be declared on February 17, 2025.

The candidate will be able to check their results by logging into the result portal using their email ID and date of birth. Such candidates who get shortlisted has to next appear in DAT Mains.

The Studio Test for the B. Des programme will be conducted from April 26 to May 4, 2025. The studio test will be conducted in the following six cities - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Gandhinagar, Kolkata & Kurukshetra. The candidate will be given the option to select a test city before that. Candidates who have qualified DAT Prelims are eligible to appear in DAT Mains. On exam day, the candidate needs to bring with them the admit card and a valid photo id proof.

The application form for NID DAT 2025 is currently open from September 3 - December 3, 2024. 

The details of the NID DAT 2025 exam centre, including the name, address, and reporting time will be notified to the candidate through the NID DAT 2025 admit card.

The DAT Prelims admit card will be available for download from December 24, 2024 (onward). 

The candidate after downloading the admit card needs to carefully go through the information mentioned in it, including the allotted exam center, exam timings, reporting time, etc. Note that candidates who arrive at the exam center after the reporting time mentioned in the admit card may face undue difficulties. On exam day, the candidate must also remember to carry the admit card and id proof.

The NID DAT Mains 2025 exam for the B. Des programme will be conducted in the following cities - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Gandhinagar, Kolkata & Kurukshetra. The candidate will be given the option to select the exam city after results are declared for DAT Mains.

The details of the exam centre, including name and address and reporting time will be mentioned on the NID DAT 2025 admit card. The NID DAT 2025 (Prelims) exam will be conducted in 22 cities across India. 

The NID DAT 2025 (Mains) exam for B.Des will be conducted around the last week of April 2025. Meanwhile, the DAT Mains exam for M.Des will be conducted starting March 2025.

On exam day, you need to bring with you the NID DAT 2025 admit card and a valid photo ID proof. No candidate will be allowed inside the exam venue unless he or she carry these documents. The list of documents accepted for ID proof will be mentioned on the admit card. Typically, the candidate may carry Aadhaar card, driving license, and passport, as ID proof. But do ensure that the ID proofs are valid.

The National Institute of Design (NID) will conduct the DAT Prelims exam tentatively in the 4th week of December 2024.

The NID DAT 2025 exam will be conducted for admission to B. Des and M.Des courses. The NID DAT Mains results for the B. Des program will be announced on May 16, 2025. Meanwhile, DAT Mains results for the M.Des programme will be announced on May 6, 2025.

The NID DAT results will be declared online at admissions.nid.edu.

To check your results, log-in using your email id and date of birth.

Such candidates who qualify in DAT Mains will be shortlisted for counseling and seat allotment.

The candidate will be given the option to select NID DAT 2024 exam centres soon after the results of DAT Prelims exam is announced. 

The test centres will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. In the case of candidates who don't select test cities, the system will automatically allocat test cities based on the availability of seats in respective test centres. The details of the test centre allocated to the candidate will be mentioned in the NID DAT 2024 admit card. The NID DAT Mains 2024 Studio Test for B. Des will be held on April 27-28, 2024. 

On the day of the exam, the candidate had to report to the exam centre as per the timings mentioned in the admit card.

The NID DAT 2025 Studio Test and Interview for the M.Des program will be conducted from March 3 to April 6, 2025 (onward). The Studio Test and Interview will be conducted programme-wise from. Candidates who have qualified DAT prelims are eligible to appear in DAT Mains, which comprise a Studio Test and Interview for the M.Des programme. The Studio Test is conducted from 9 am - 12 noon. The Interview will be conducted after the completion of the studio test.

Candidates will be shortlisted for DAT Mains on the basis of their performance in DAT Prelims.