The National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) is conducted by the Council of Architecture, New Delhi.

The NATA scores are used by admission authorities of different Government, Govt. Aided & Unaided schools/colleges of Architecture (excluding the IITs, SPAs and NITs) for an undergraduate course in Architecture (B. Arch).

The test measures drawing and observation skills, sense of proportion, aesthetic sensitivity and critical thinking ability.

Candidates should have passed class 12th or 2nd Year PU from a recognized board with at least 50% aggregate score.

Candidates should be from Science stream (Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics is mandatory).

Candidates who have passed diploma (3 years 10+3) with Mathematics as a subject from a recognized institution with minimum 50% Score are also eligible.

The exact number of test takers are not announced officially.

Generally about 20,000 – 25,000 NATA test attempts are taken every year.

In 2021, each candidate was eligible for 2 attempts. In 2022, each candidate was allowed 3 attempts.

NATA scores are mandatory for admission to all Government, Government-Aided and Unaided Schools and Colleges for admission to the 5 years undergraduate programme in Architecture (B.Arch).

It is not applicable to Central Universities like the IITs, SPAs and NITs which accept only the JEE Paper 2 scores.

Yes.

The minimum requirement to apply for NATA is 50% aggregate in Std. 12.

Apart from that, Architecture rank / merit lists are based upon 50% weightage for NATA test score and 50% weightage for Class 12 percentage.

Since NATA scores are out of 200 and the 12th results are out of 100, it is calculated by dividing the NATA score by 4 and adding it to the 12th percentage divided by 2.

For example if you have 95% in boards, and 125 in NATA then merit score = (125/4) + (95/2) = 31.25 + 47.5 = 78.75

The candidate with the highest combination of both NATA & Board percentage will get the highest Architecture rank.

Time: 3 hours

Number of Questions: Total 125 questions will be asked in the examination.

Format of Questions:Some of the format of questions are listed below

• Multiple-Choice type (MCQ)
• Multiple Select type (MSQ)
• Preferential Choice type (PCQ)
• Numerical Answer type (NAQ)

Types of Questions:

• Inductive Reasoning - Candidates will be tested on their ability to analyze data and patterns.
• Diagrammatic Reasoning - Candidates will be tested on their ability to analyze drawings and use logical reasoning.
• Numerical Reasoning - Candidates will be tested on their ability to solve simple numerical problems
• Verbal Reasoning - Candidates will be assessed on their verbal logic.
• Situational Judgment - Candidates will be tested on their problem-solving abilities.
• Abstract Reasoning - Candidates will be tested on their general knowledge and their ability to apply it in situations.
• Logical Reasoning - Candidates will be assessed on their ability to recognize patterns, relationships, sequences and more.

A good NATA score varies from year to year depending on the difficulty of the test. At DQ Labs, our highest score achieved is 182.5

In 2021, a good NATA score was around 100. In 2022, a good score was around 120.

Preparing for the NATA entrance exam involves preparing for Sketching and Aptitude. Understanding the structure of the exams is critical. Preparing for NATA along with JEE Paper 2 is always suggested as the formats are complimentary.

For Aptitude: This heatmap should help you. It is available for all students who sign up on DQ Edge. Once you understand it, you need to take the Mock test papers & past year question papers to get familiar with the pattern.

For Sketching: While sketching may or may not be included in NATA, the principles of sketching are definitely covered in the questions. It is imperative that a candidate understands the nuances of sketching and design and practices them.

You may use the social learning features of DQ Edge. You may upload your sketches for past year question papers or mock tests and also see what your peer group has done for the same sketches.

No.

There will be no negative marking, however, for MSQ’s, partial marks may be awarded only for the correct options.

Questions will carry either 1 mark, 2 marks or 3 marks for the correct answers.

JEE Mains Paper 2 is an entrance exam conducted to get admission for Bachelors of Architecture - B. Arch (Paper 2A) & Planning (Paper 2B) at various SPAs (School of Planning and Architecture) and NITs (National Institute of Technology)

Students interested in pursuing Architecture program at IIT Varanasi (BHU), IIT Kharagpur and IIT Roorkee need to qualify JEE Mains Paper 1, JEE Advanced and Architecture Aptitude Test (AAT).

Paper 1 is to get admission into B.Tech./ B.E courses and Paper 2 is for BArch programs.

Those who clear JEE Mains Paper 1 (BE / BTech), qualify for JEE Advanced. JEE Advanced has both Paper 1 and Paper 2 which have papers specific to Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Only those who qualify JEE Mains, JEE Advanced (both papers) are eligible to write the Architecture Aptitude Test (AAT) for admissions into IIT Varanasi (BHU), IIT Kharagpur and IIT Roorkee

60,000+ students appear for JEE Mains Paper 2A (Architecture) & 2B (Planning)

The basic difference is below as per the 2022 format. However, this may change from year-to-year

Primarily JEE paper 2 is required for admissions into SPAs (School of Planning and Architecture) at Delhi, Bhopal, Vijayawada & multiple NITs (National Institute of Technology). The Council of Architecture (CoA) has allowed all architecture schools to accept JEE Paper 2 as an alternative eligibility test to NATA. Students are recommended to answer both - JEE Paper 2 and NATA to maximise their chances of getting a college of their choice.

While the aptitude section is online, the sketching section is offline.

JEE Paper 2 results are announced as percentile. A percentile of 95% and above will help secure a seat depending on the reservation categories. However, 99%+ will be helpful with getting into SPAs.

Preparing for the JEE Paper 2 entrance exam involves preparing for Sketching and Aptitude. Understanding the structure of the exams is critical. Preparing for NATA along with JEE Paper 2 is always suggested as the formats are complimentary.

For Aptitude: This heatmap should help you. It is available for all students who sign up on DQ Edge. Once you understand it, you need to take the Mock test papers & past year question papers to get familiar with the pattern.

For Sketching: While sketching may or may not be included in NATA, the principles of sketching are definitely covered in the questions. It is imperative that a candidate understands the nuances of sketching and design and practices them.

You may use the social learning features of DQ Edge. You may upload your sketches for past year question papers or mock tests and also see what your peer group has done for the same sketches.

Yes. The Online section of the examination has negative marking. There is no negative marking for the drawing test.

JEE Paper 2 is usually conducted along with JEE Mains Paper 1. It is conducted at least twice a year as per the notification on the information bulletin

You can check your result by logging on to the offical website using your login id and password