How does one become an Architect in India?

The Council of Architecture (CoA) is charged with the responsibility to regulate the education and practice of the Architecture profession throughout India besides maintaining the register of architects. NIASA (National Institute of Advanced Studies in Architecture) is the Academic Unit of the CoA.

To do an undergraduate program in Architecture (B. Arch) in India, there are 3 exams that one may target:

NATA: To get admission into 400+ architecture colleges in India. This test is conducted by NIASA. Universities include CEPT Ahmedabad, JJ School of Architecture Mumbai, RV College of Architecture Bangalore etc.
IIT JEE (Paper 2): To get admission into 20+ NIT's and other Centrally Funded Universities providing B. Arch programmes. Universities other than NIT's include SPA (Delhi, Bhopal & Vijayawada)
IIT JEE + IIT Advanced + Architecture Aptitude Test: To get admission into 2 IIT's - Kharagpur and Roorkie which provide B. Arch Programmes.

In all cases, students must have Mathematics and English as mandatory subjects in their 12th board exams. Students with a commerce background can also appear under NATA. For IIT's - Physics and Chemistry are also mandatory.

For more information on Architecture as a Career and the opportunities, the Creative Careers e-book has more information

Our blogs have almost 1 million hits! Visit NATAsketches.com blog and DQ Labs Blogspot to see how DQ Labs evaluates and trains their students to crack NATA, NID, NIFT, CEED & UCEED.

DQ Labs Students' Performance:

2000 + Students scored above 120 in NATA
6000 + Students in top Architectural school in India
Faculty from IIT,SPA and CEPT
Students among top 10 ranks in all states since 2007

Click below to view the evaluation of some of our students' work:

Student Artworks

View some of the DQ Labs Training Videos:

Testimonials

How are students ranked to get through B. Arch programmes in India?

NATA: 50% of 12th Board score + 50% of NATA Score - Applicants will be given a state rank through which they can secure admissions to colleges in each state considering the reservation categories
IIT JEE (Paper 2): 40% of 12th Board score + 60% of JEE Paper 2 - Ranking is provided by each of the universities independently through which they can secure admissions considering the reservation categories
IIT JEE + IIT Advanced + Architecture Aptitude Test (AAT): Ranking will be given based on students completing JEE-Mains + JEE-Advanced and AAT - Applicants will be given an All India Rank (AIR) through which they can secure admissions to universities considering the reservation categories

Download the 2018 brochures of NATA, JEE Main Paper 2 and JEE Advanced / AAT for more detailed information.

Architecture Entrance Exam Important Dates and Deadlines:

NATA 2018:

Test Dates: Nata Test shall be conducted on last sunday of April 2018. It will be a one time, paper based test. Our expert counsellors will be able to guide you accordingly.
Declaration of Results: The NATA Score Card will be available approximately 4 days after taking the test.
Submission of NATA Score Card to CET Cell:The NATA Score Cards must be submitted to the appropriate state CET Cell for Ranking. The submission deadlines vary from state to state. Eg. In Karnataka, the scores need to be submitted to the CET Cell by 24^th June / July 2018.
Submission of NATA Score Card to other Counselling groups in each state:The NATA Score Cards must be submitted to the appropriate counselling cells for Ranking. The submission deadlines vary from state to state. Eg. In Karnataka, candidates need to apply separately and submit their NATA scores to COMED-K by the middle of June 2018.

JEE-Paper 2:

Test Dates: April 8^th2018. The brochure above has more detailed information
Declaration of Results: The results will be declared by the 31^st May 2018.
Declaration of All India Rank:By 15^th June 2018.

IIT JEE + IIT Advanced + Architecture Aptitude Test (AAT):

Test Dates - JEE Mains: April 8^rd2018.
Declaration of Results - JEE Mains: The results will be declared by the 30^th April 2018. The top 150,000 ranking candidates will be selected for JEE - Advanced
Registration for JEE Advanced: 7^th May 2018.
Test Dates - JEE Advanced: 20^th May 2018.
Declaration of Results - JEE Advanced: The results will be declared by the 10^th June 2018.
Registration for AAT: By 10-11^th June 2018.
Test Dates - AAT: 14^th June 2018.
Declaration of Results - AAT: The results will be declared by the 18^th June 2018.

Target Scores or Ranks:

NATA: A target score of 120+ is what students need to focus on to get a good rank in each state. At DQ Labs, our students target and achieve 130+. Our highest score achieved is 171!
IIT JEE (Paper 2): The ranking is conducted by JoSAA. In the past, the seats at SPA Delhi have closed out within the top 400 ranks.
IIT JEE + IIT Advanced + Architecture Aptitude Test (AAT): The top 2,00,000 students who qualify JEE Mains, are eligible to answer JEE Advanced. Those who qualify JEE Advanced, are eligible to answer AAT. Students within the top 9000 ranks have secured admissions into the IIT's for Architecture in previous years.

Structure of the Question Papers & Syllabus:

NATA: 200 marks - 3 hour exam with two parts - Drawing and Aesthetic Sensitivity. Drawing is for 2 hours and has 3 questions (2D, 3D and Theme Sketch). The Aesthetic Sensitivity is a computer Adaptive testing platform which has 40 MCQ's from Mathematics, English, Architecture Awareness and Mental Ability. Difficulty Levels play an important part in the final score of a candidate. Contact our expert counsellors for more information
IIT JEE (Paper 2):You can refer to the JEE Paper 2 Part 1 & 2 and Part 3 of the 2017 Question Paper for more information.
IIT JEE + IIT Advanced + Architecture Aptitude Test (AAT): Refer to the IIT website for the Syllabus and exam structure.

At DQ Labs, our coaching includes preparation for the architecture part of all the tests mentioned above.

Free NATA Sample Mock Test and JEE Paper 2 Question papers (Parts 1, 2 & 3) are available.

You could also check out the DQ Labs NATA and JEE Paper 2 information/FAQ's page for more inforamation

Join the leading Coaching center in India with a faculty of Architects & Designers from IIT, CEPT and SPA

DQ Labs provides training for entrance exams of Architecture papers like NATA, IIT JEE Paper-II (B. Arch) and AAT and Interior Design papers for CEPT-SID / APIED, Civil Construction: CEPT-SBST : CEPT-Planning. To know more about DQ Labs click here.

All the DQ Labs study material and the teaching methodology for Architecture entrance preparation is a result of years of experience we have gained through mentoring thousands of Architecture aspirants at our design studios in Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Mangalore. Students can witness tremendous improvement in their aptitude and skills under our mentor-ship. DQ Labs students exceptional results stand a testimony for the quality and individual attention we provide for each of our students.

We also provide coaching for Design and Fashion Entrance Exams like NID, UCEED, NIFT and CEED.

Hey DQ Labs,

I owe a lot you guys for my results. I got a score of 131 in nata and the third rank in karnataka's cet. The drawing skills I developed with you also played a major role in me securing the 359th rank all India and getting admitted to SPA Delhi.

I took a ten day crash course with you as well as a 1 year online course during my 11th standard. I finally took another 10 day refresher course after my 12th boards. I really enjoyed the time I spent with you guys. What impressed me a lot were the corrections you were able to make in my sketches. You helped me transfer the ideas from my head onto paper really effectively. I've got no complaints really, you were efficient and my teachers were good. Some of your assignments like speed sketching were a lot of fun!!

On the whole, I enjoyed my time with you and I ended up with really good scores.

Thanks a lot!

Ashwin Abraham

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

I am student of DQ Labs and took the seven days crash course. The exhaustive study material helped me immensely while the numerous mock tests helped me see how the actual exam would takes place, ensuring better time management and accuracy on my part. i am grateful to DQ Labs for helping me obtain my score and realize my dreams.

Tanya Shah

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

I had enrolled for a two weeks course at DQ labs between the 1st of April and 13th of April, after which I wrote my exam on the 30th of April, giving a two week's gap of practice in between.I got my scorecard yesterday and I got a "134/200".I am very happy. This won't have been possible without the help and guidance given by my teachers at your Institute.

I would like to thank Mr. Umesh and Mr. Shaun and their team of teachers for their skilled support at every step of the way. Each and every day spent in those two weeks meant a great deal in my exams. Those 2D, 3D, 2-point 3-point perspective and the practices, plus assignments really honed my skills and the encouragement I got from my teacher, I am so grateful for that.I certianly have no regrets of taking this coaching at your institute.

Thangson Tombing

Sir,

I have been a student of DQ Labs for the last one month for my NATA preparations I cannot thank Mr Shayam and his group of teachers enough for the invaluable help they have rendered me during this time.

The online study material and the mock tests were all very helpful. As a matter of fact a few questions were straight out of the online study material provided . The regular assignments helped me to realize a few important aspects of what I would experience in my drawing tests.

I would also take this opportunity to thank you for rescheduling and being so cooperative and flexible about my timings.

I must confess that I was quite skeptical about online classes and how serious they would be or how effective would they eventually end up being , but now I can say with confidence that every bit of the score which I have got in NATA is because of DQ Labs and their help.

Indrajeet Haldar