In this section you will find the following:

  • How does one become an Designer in India?
  • Primary Departments in Design Colleges
  • How are students ranked to get through B.Des programmes in India?
  • Design Entrance Exam Important Dates and Deadlines
  • Target Scores or Ranks
  • Structure of the Question Papers & Syllabus
  • Design Exams to prepare for & Universities to Target:

How does one become a Designer in India?

Career Path

To do an undergraduate program in Design (B. Des) in India, there are 2 exams that one may target:

  1. NID: To get admission into NID Ahmedabad, NID Andhra Pradesh, NID Haryana, NID Madhya Pradesh & NID Assam
  2. UCEED: To get admission into IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati IIT Hyderabad and IIITDM Jabalpur

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

For more information on NID & UCEED Online Coaching, speak to us on the Whatsapp chat at the right of the screen or fill the DQ Labs Enquiry Form and our counsellors will call you back.

Primary Departments in Design Colleges

Generally, the first year is common and students start to choose their specializations in subsequent academic years. The broad categories of specialization are listed below:

  • Communication Design: Animation Film Design, Exhibition Set Design, Film and Video Communication, Graphic Design, Photography Design etc.
  • Industrial Design: Product Design, Transportation Design, Toy and Game Design, Glass and Ceramic Design, Furniture Design etc.
  • Textile Design: Textile Design, Apparel Design, Lifestyle Accessory Design etc.

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


  1. NID - 70% of NID DAT Prelims and 30% of NID DAT Mains will be taken into consideration. The students will be asked to submit creative work samples and Statement of Purpose/Thematic Reflections for admission to B.Des programs offered by NID

  2. UCEED - Total UCEED score will be calculated by adding the marks obtained in Part-A and Part-B.

Design Entrance Exam Important Dates and Deadlines:

NID UG 2024
Attempts NID UG 2024
Application Start Date 8th September 2023
Application End Date 1st December 2023
DAT Prelims Exam 24th December 2023
Declaration of DAT Prelims result 28th March 2024
DAT Mains Exam 27th & 28th April 2024
Declaration of DAT Mains result 21st May 2024
UCEED 2024 (IIT’s)
Attempts UCEED 2024
Application Start Date Yet to be announced
Application End Date Yet to be announced
UCEED 2023 Test Yet to be announced
Declaration of UCEED 2023 results Yet to be announced
Application Process for BDes Programme starts Yet to be announced

It is highly recommended that students write both NID & UCEED to maximize their chances of getting into a good design college of their choice.

Target Scores or Ranks

  1. NID (UG) Prelims - A target score of 55+ is what students need to focus on to get qualified for NID (Mains)
  2. UCEED - A target mark of 200+ is what students need to focus on to get into IITs and IITDM Jabalpur for B.Des programs.

UCEED 2024 Question Paper Structure


Subject
Distribution of marks
Total Marks
Part A
Numerical Answer Type (NAT) (18 Questions)
Multiple Select Question (MSQ) (18 Questions)
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) (32 Questions)
18*4
18*4
32*3
72
72
96
Part B
Sketching 1*60 60
Total 300

UCEED 2024 Syllabus

Part A
Visualization and Spatial Ability:

Pictorial and diagrammatic questions to test understanding of transformation and/or manipulation of 2D shapes and 3D objects and their spatial relationships, knowledge of practical and everyday mechanical and scientific concepts.

Observation and Design Sensitivity:

Ability to detect concealed properties in ordinary things, people, situations, and events, and thinking critically about them. Applying attention to certain details, analysing, reasoning, classifying, inferring and predicting. Ability to discern subtle differences in visual properties and aesthetic outcomes.

Environmental and Social Awareness:

General awareness of environmental factors such as climate, population, water, vegetation, pollution, weather, natural resources etc., and their implications on the design of products, images, infrastructure and environment. Awareness of social and cultural connection with design, history of the designed artefact, and socially responsible and environmentally sustainable design responses. History of art, sculpture and literature.

Analytical and Logical Reasoning:

Ability to look at information, be it qualitative or quantitative in nature, and discern patterns within the information. Ability to weigh opinions, arguments or solutions against appropriate criteria. Ability to check for hidden bias or hidden assumptions and whether evidence and argument support conclusions. Ability to use logic and structured thinking to deduce from a short passage, which of a number of statements is the most accurate response to a posed question. Data Interpretation, brainteasers, and patterns.

Language and Creativity:

Ability to understand and use Standard English. Reading comprehension, knowledge of English grammar. Ability to think creatively in terms of alternatives, ability to distinguish innovative options and to think out of the box.

Design Thinking and Problem Solving:

Ability to use visual analogies, metaphors, signs and symbols. Ability to understand complexity, identify problems, generate alternatives, evaluate options and select solutions.

Note:The topics given above are exhaustive and indicative of the nature of questions. However, the UCEED 2022 may not cover all the topics.

Part B
Drawing:

Ability to draw products, people or scenes in proportion with good line quality, composition, proportion, perspective and shading.

Design Exams to prepare for & Universities to Target:

  • NID (UG): To get into 5 campuses in India - NID Ahmedabad (B.Des) NID Andhra Pradesh (B.Des) NID Haryana (B.Des) NID Madhya Pradesh (B.Des) NID Assam (B.Des)

  • UCEED: To get admission into IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati IIT Hyderabad and IIITDM Jabalpur

  • All colleges have a 3 stage admission process - Design Aptitute Test (DAT), Studio Test & Interview with Portfolio review. So applicants must have a holistic approach to their preparation.

    DQ Labs Coaching for NID and other Private Design Colleges

    Design Quotient Labs (DQLABS) takes pride in its unique Design Training Programs which successfully trains creative students to gain admission into their dream design university. Our previous students have got admission into leading design universities like NID (UG and PG), India; Carnegie Melon University, USA; Instituto Europo di Design, Italy etc amongst others.

    The students are mentored by by professional designers from IIT, NID, NIFT etc. who have also previously worked with globally renowned design studios. The training for NID is comprehensive which includes preparation for the Design Aptitude Test (DAT) and Situation Test, Portfolio and Interview. Similarly, students targeting other colleges in India and abroad can also be guided accordingly. To know more about DQLABS click here.

    All the DQLABS study material and the teaching methodology for Design entrance preparation is a result of years of experience we have gained through mentoring thousands of Design aspirants at our design studios in Bangalore, Mangalore, Chennai, Pune, Thrissur, Nagpur & Hyderabad.

    For more information on NID & UCEED Online Coaching, speak to us on the Whatsapp chat at the right of the screen or fill the DQ Labs Enquiry Form and our counsellors will call you back.
























    NID 2023 Top Scorers from DQ Labs


    • Ishna Savadatti
      Rank - 1

    • Atisha Shetty
      Rank - 6

    • Sana Sujith
      Rank - 7

    • Pragya Dixit
      Rank - 11

    • Anisa Munjal
      Rank - 13

    • Shifra William
      Rank - 16

    • Radhica Rao
      Rank - 24

    • Athul BS
      Rank - 41

    • Dhatri Srinivas
      Rank - 76

    • Yuktesh Vipparthy
      Rank - 99

    • Anika Ghosh
      Rank - 105

    • Shruthi RK
      Rank - 122

    • Nishka Vikash Bhole
      Rank - 145

    • Gayatri Kummaya
      Rank - 150

    • Adwaith Smitha Ajith
      Rank - 154

    • Esani Dwivedi
      Rank - 166

    • Dia Bhandari
      Rank - 182

    • Tanvi Vineeth
      Rank - 184

    • Viha Khanolkar
      Rank - 192

    • Tejas Mitra
      Rank - 201








































    UCEED 2023 Top Scorers from DQ Labs


    • Ananya Sanjay
      Rank 4

    • Shreya Premkumar
      Rank 5

    • Himanshu Sejwar
      Rank 9

    • Saptarshi Debnath
      Rank 10

    • Yukeshwar
      Rank 21

    • Bernice Ria
      Rank 22

    • Nancy Kumari
      Rank 37

    • Shreya Janash
      Rank 39

    • Anushka Nitin
      Rank 42

    • Tanvi Vineet
      Rank 51

    • Aarav Majithia
      Rank 53

    • Anika Gupta
      Rank 54

    • Amogh Wadhonkar
      Rank 55

    • Ishana
      Rank 82

    • Aditi Sameer
      Rank 93

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