NATANational Aptitude Test in Architecture
- Test Level-: National Level
- Eligibility-: 12th
- Duration-:3 Hours
- Stream-: Engineering
- Medium-: Multiple
- Examination Mode-: Offline
- Total Questions-: 48
About NATA
National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) is being conducted by COA since 2006, in terms of the provisions of CoA (Minimum Standards of Architectural Education) Regulations, 1983, published in the Gazette of India.
Further, the Council has prescribed the Council of Architecture (Minimum Standards of Architectural Education) Regulations, 2020, with the approval of the Central Government in terms of Sections 21 & 45 of the Architects Act, 1972. The Regulations were published in the Gazette of India on 11.08.2020 and came into force w.e.f. 01.11.2020. These Regulations prescribe that the candidate needs to qualify an Aptitude Test in Architecture conducted by the Council for admission to the Architecture degree course.
The actual admissions shall be carried out only by the concerned competent authorities of the respective states/institutions based on valid NATA score. The NATA ensures that the eligibility criteria for admission to five-year Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) degree course, as prescribed by CoA and duly approved by the Central Government, are strictly adhered to and followed all over the country in Architectural Institutions
NATA 2024 will be conducted as a comprehensive computer-based aptitude test at the Council allotted centers in identified cities in the country.
Unlike any other entrance examination, NATA is an Aptitude test that assesses a candidate’s innate ability through a variety of testing formats and cannot be taught, learnt or induced.
NATA measures the aptitude of the applicant for specific field of study, i.e. Architecture, through assessment of cognitive skills, visual perception and aesthetic sensitivity tests, logical reasoning and critical thinking ability, etc., besides the learning that the candidate has acquired over the past few years and is related to the specific field of study.
With the objective of giving opportunities to a greater number of bright aspirants to join Architecture, Council will be conducting NATA-2023 for admission to B.Arch. in the academic session 2024- 2025 thrice this year. The Tests shall be conducted on different dates as computer-based examinations. Candidates are allowed to appear for up to 3 NATA tests.
In case a candidate appears for 2 Tests, best of the 2 scores shall be the valid score and in the case of 3 attempts, valid score shall be average of the 2 best scores
NATA 2024 Highlights
The detailed NATA 2024 highlights can be checked from the table given below.
Particulars |
Details |
Name of the Exam |
National Aptitude Test for Architecture or NATA |
Conducted By |
Council of Architecture |
Exam Level |
Undergraduate |
Exam Frequency |
Thrice |
Mode of Exam |
Computer-Based and Offline Test |
Total Registrations (Previous Year) |
First Phase - 10,901 (2023) Second Phase - 17,183 (2023) Third Phase - N.A |
Course offered through the exam |
BArch |
Exam Fees |
For One Attempt:
For Two Attempts:
For Three Attempts
|
Exam Duration |
3 Hours |
Number of Papers |
1 |
Total Questions |
48 |
Marking Scheme |
The marks will vary as per the question |
Medium of Exam |
English and Hindi |
Colleges Accepting Exam Score |
BArch Colleges of India |
No. of Test Cities |
136 |
Official Website |
nata.in |
Contact Details |
NATA Email ID: nata.helpdesk2024@gmail.com NATA Helpline: 9560707764, 9319275557 |
Eligibility
Taking NATA-2024 Candidates fulfilling the below criteria prescribed by the Council can appear for NATA 2024
i) Passed or appearing in 10+1 Examination with PCM Subjects;
ii) Passed or appearing in 10+2 Examination with PCM subjects:
iii) Passed or appearing in 10+3 Diploma Examination with Mathematics as subjects
However, the admission to B.Arch., Course shall be made as per the eligibility prescribed in the Council of Architecture (Minimum Standards of Architectural Education) Regulations, 2020
Candidates may note that NATA 2024 is the qualifier Aptitude Test for admission to B.Arch. program offered by Universities / Institutions in the country, subject to the fulfillment of eligibility criteria as prescribed by the Council.
QUALIFYING IN NATA 2024 DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A RIGHT / GUARANTEE IN FAVOUR OF THE CANDIDATE FOR ADMISSION TO ANY ARCHITECTURE COURSE UNLESS THE CANDIDATE HAS FULFILLED ALL THE PRESCRIBED REQUIREMENTS AS SPECIFIED BY RESPECTIVE COMPETENT AUTHORITIES IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE ELIGIBILIY CRITERIA LAID DOWN BY THE COUNCIL.
Admission to First year of B.Arch. Program
The eligibility for admission to 1st year of B.Arch. Degree program for the academic session 2024- 2025 shall be as per CoA (Minimum Standards of Architectural Education) Regulations, 2020. The revised eligibility in terms of Amended Regulations, 2020 is as under:
*No candidate shall be admitted to architecture course unless she / he has passed 10+2 or equivalent examination with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as compulsory subjects with at least 50% marks in aggregate or passed 10+3 Diploma Examination with Mathematics as compulsory subject with at least 50% marks in aggregate
(*proposal for amendment in above Eligibility Criteria has been submitted for approval of the Central Government. The revision in eligibility, if any, shall be notified upon approval)
Qualifying Criteria
The Qualifying Marks for the NATA 2024 would be based on the following Rules
1. A minimum of 20 marks must be secured in PART A
2. A minimum of 30 marks must be secured in PART B
3. Overall qualifying marks for NATA 2024 shall be 70 marks out of 200 as aggregate of Part A and Part B.
A Candidate will not qualify in NATA-2024 unless all three conditions mentioned above are satisfied. In case the candidate appears in multiple tests, all the previous scores shall appear on the score card. The best score obtained in all attempts shall be taken as the valid score for NATA 2024
NATA 2024 counselling will not be held by the authorities of the Council of Architecture (CoA) as a common process. Qualified candidates will have to apply individually to the institutes of their preference for admissions based on their obtained NATA 2024 score. Since there is no common NATA counselling process, the candidates will have to personally research and apply to the state-level and private institutes that they wish to get admission into. Various state-level counselling processes will also accept NATA 2024 scores to select candidates for the offered BArch courses. Read to know more about NATA 2024 Counselling.
Eligibility for BArch Admissions through NATA 2024
Candidates with a valid NATA score will be eligible for admission into various institutes in India that offer BArch admissions. However, there are certain basic eligibility criteria that the candidates are expected to meet for admission into the BArch courses offered by the participating institutes.
- Should have qualified the 10+2th standard qualifying examination with the minimum passing marks.
- The candidates should be a minimum of 17 years old as of July 31 of the admission year.
- Should have a valid NATA 2024 score i.e., a minimum of 70 marks out of 200.
It is to be noted that every institute is expected to have its own individual eligibility criteria for BArch admissions through NATA 2024. Candidates will have to visit the official website of their preferred institute and check the specific eligibility criteria that they have to meet.
Top State-Level BArch Counselling through NATA 2024 Scores
Candidates can check the list of top state-level BArch counselling through NATA 2024 scores from the table given below.
Exams |
Name of the State |
WBJEE BArch |
West Bengal |
UPCET BArch |
Uttar Pradesh |
TANATA |
Tamil Nadu |
TANCA (Other State) |
Tamil Nadu |
DCET |
Karnataka |
BCECE |
Bihar |
Documents required during NATA 2024 counselling
During the counselling based on NATA 2024 scores, the candidates will have to present various original and photocopied documents for verification. While the list of documents may vary from institute to institute, some of the basic documents that will be required for verification are listed below.
- Rank Card
- Admit Card
- 10th and 12th standard mark sheets
- 10th and 12th standard pass certificates
- Passport-size photograph
- ID proof
- Category Certificate (if applicable)
- Domicile Certificate (if applicable)
Schedule of Examination
Examination shall be conducted in two sessions on the date of the Test, subject to number of candidates registered for the session. The candidates need to indicate their preference for session & city of examination while registering at NATA portal National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) : Home pageThe session during which the candidate will take the test as well as the Test Centre shall be allotted by the Council, as far as possible, on the basis of preferences provided by the candidate in the application form. The decision of the Council in allotting Test Centre and session to candidates shall be final.
Events |
Dates |
Release of application form |
01-Mar-2024 |
Availability of admit card |
To be notified |
NATA 2024 exam dates |
06-Apr-2024 onwards (every weekend) |
Declaration of result |
To be notified |
Application Procedure
The NATA test shall be held on all Saturdays and Sundays starting from April to July, 2024 in two Sessions in the notified cities at the allotted Centres and the online form filling shall start from 1st February 2024.
Appearing in second or third test is not mandatory and is purely at the discretion of the applicants. Candidates can register themselves for one test or maximum of three Tests in one academic year by filling in the application form appropriately.
Application is to be filled up ONLINE at the NATA portal of www.nata.in. Candidates need to visit the portal, generate username & password by entering relevant details and then CLICK the requisite link ONLINE APPLICATION NATA–2024. Thereafter, candidate will be directed to the actual application form. The form is interactive in nature and the fields required to be filled up are categorized in different sub-sections. The fields super-scribed with * MUST be filled up as they are MANDATORY, otherwise the application will NOT get submitted.
The application form is broadly categorized into three steps: filling of PERSONAL DETAILS; DOCUMENT UPLOADING & FEE PAYMENT. Please see APPENDIX-III for detailed guidelines on information to be entered at the time of online form filling.
Candidates need to fill in the first part i.e., PERSONAL DETAILS and will thereafter be directed to DOCUMENT UPLOADING. Once the documents are successfully uploaded, the system enters into the FEE PAYMENT. Finally, the candidate must take a printout of CONFIRMATION PAGE generated upon successful fee payment for their own record. There is no need to send any document by post.
Filling up of Application Process
The online filling-up of the Application Form is interactive in nature and online guidance will be available to the candidate while filling up the form. Please refer to APPENDIX-III for detailed guidelines on filling up the form
Filling up of fields will be interactive in nature. As soon as the cursor is taken to a certain field, a cursor tip MESSAGE will be shown to the candidate to assist in filling up. In case of difficulty, the HELP icon placed right next to the field will redirect the candidate to that section of the Brochure which deals with the filling up of the said field. Please note that the applicant’s name, father’s name, mother’s name, date of birth (as per Class – 10 records) and postal address taken together must be unique for each application.
At the time of submitting the PERSONAL DETAILS of a candidate, the system will prompt the candidate to enter his email address which shall be the user name. The email of the candidate shall be verified by the system by sending a link. The candidate has to choose a PASSWORD and keep it secured and confidential for subsequent use. A SECURITY QUESTION AND ANSWER will be captured from the candidate by the system at this stage. Candidate has to remember this question-answer pair for prompt retrieval of password in case it is forgotten at later stage. The candidate needs to login into account using email and password. The system generated NATA Unique ID number and login credentials shall be emailed to the candidates. The candidate will need to login into their account for the following:
• Accessing and editing personal information (till going to the document upload stage)
• Uploading of images.
• Submit fee payment through EPG.
• Printing of the Confirmation Page.
• Correction of data if needed.
Image uploading
All candidates are required to upload the following images:
1. Recent Passport size Photograph in Colour with both ears visible and front view only - jpg / jpeg format.
2. Candidate Signature- jpg / jpeg format.
Application fee details
Payment Options based on number of tests opted for |
In India (in Rs) |
Outside India in Rs |
||||||
General/OBC (NCL) |
Sc/ST/EWS>PWD |
Transgender |
||||||
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
|||||
Fee for any Single Test |
1750 |
1250 |
1250 |
1000 |
1000 |
10000 |
||
Fee for Two Tests |
3250 |
2250 |
2250 |
1750 |
1500 |
18000 |
||
Fee for Three Tests |
4500 |
3000 |
3000 |
2500 |
2000 |
25000 |
Syllabus
Questions & Marks of Examination Part A - Drawing and Composition Test - Offline Test - 90 Minutes A1 – 1 Question – Composition and Color -25 Marks A2 - 1 Question – Sketching & Composition (Black and White)- 25 Marks A3 – 1 Question - 3D Composition - 30 Marks Total 3 Questions - 80 Marks Part B - MCQ - Computer based online Test - 90 Minutes B1 - 30 questions x 2 Marks - 60 Marks B2 - 15 questions x 4 Marks -60 Marks Total 45 Questions – 120 Marks TOTAL MARKS: PART – A & PART – B = 200
The medium of Aptitude test shall be in English and Hindi. The aptitude of the candidate will be assessed using some or all of the following
PART-A
Drawing and Composition Test
This is one and half hour (90 minutes) – 80 Marks Test where candidate has to attempt three questions. The content of the PART A Test is as follows:
• A1 - Composition and Color -25 Marks: Creating suitable compositions for various situations and coloring them appropriately. Re-arranging various shapes in visually appealing manner and coloring it suitably.
• A2 -Sketching & Composition (Black and White)-25 Marks: Ability to draw, visualize, depict a situation, involving buildings / its components, people, environment, products with an understanding of scale, proportions, textures, shades and shadow etc.
• A3 - 3D Composition-30 Marks: Creating interesting 3D composition for the given situation using the provided kit.
PART-B
This is one and half hour (90 minutes), 120 Marks Test where candidate has to appear for online test. It shall have two type of Questions viz., B1 – 30 Questions of 2 Marks and B2 – 15 Questions of 4 Marks from the following topics
• Visual Reasoning Ability to understand and reconstruct 2D and 3D composition, knowledge about its composition and technical concepts.
• Logical Derivation Ability to decode a situation, composition, context and generate meaning. Understanding the minute information hidden in a particular situation and drawing conclusions.
• G.K., Architecture & Design General awareness of architecture and design, current issues, recent episodes etc., Knowledge about important buildings, historical progression, innovation in materials and construction technology.
• Language Interpretation Ability to correctly & logically generate meaning of words, sentences, understanding about English grammar.
• Design Sensitivity Ability to observe record and analyze, people, space, product, environment. Critical thinking, reasoning and ability to identify the subtle communications.
• Design Thinking Ability to understand semantics, metaphors, problem identification and definition, analysis of a given situation.
• Numerical Ability Basic Mathematics and its association with creative thinking. To unfold a space with use of geometry
DownloadBest Books for NATA 2024
The list of best books for NATA 2024 has been listed in the table given below.
Topics |
Books |
Mathematical Problems |
Problems in Mathematics by V Govorov, P.Dybov, N.Miroshin and S.Smirnova |
Reasoning |
A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Agarwal |
Quantitative Aptitude |
Quantitative Aptitude by R.S Aggarwal |
General |
NATA & B.Arch Question Bank by Ar. Shadan Usmani |
Algebra |
Higher Algebra by Hall and Knight |
NATA 2024 Preparation Tips
NATA 2024 preparation tips will allow the candidates to know some important strategies through which they will have to potential to score well in the entrance examination. Some of the important preparation tips of NATA 2024 are listed below.
- Know the Exam Pattern and Syllabus - Candidates are advised to check the official exam pattern and syllabus of NATA 2024 before starting their preparation. Knowing what to study and how the examination will be prepared is very important and will allow the candidates to have a higher chance of scoring well. This will also make the candidates comfortable while attempting the exam.
- Create Timetable - Preparing a personalised timetable will allow the candidates to complete the syllabus before the examination date. Candidates are advised to divide their subjects and topics so that the studying process does not feel monotonous. While creating the timetable, the candidates should ensure that they include enough time for revision and mock tests. The timetable should be prepared as per the aptitude of the candidate.
- Attempt Mock Tests - To know their progress and commonly made mistakes, the candidates are also advised to regularly attempt mock tests. By solving mock tests, the candidates will know more about the exam pattern, identify their progress and commonly made mistakes, and accordingly work on it.
- Prepare Notes - The candidates are advised to prepare notes for the tough topics so they can study them whenever they wish. Creating notes will also allow the candidates to know t
- Revise Regularly - Candidates should make sure that they revise all of the topics and subjects regularly so they do not forget what they have studied earlier.
NATA 2023 Cut-off (Expected)
Council of Architecture releases the scorecard with All India Rank and the percentile secured. Candidates need to apply individually for desired colleges. Depending upon the cut-off trends of NATA 2021, the expected qualifying cut-offs for top-ranked Architecture colleges are tabulated below:
CEPT University, Mumbai |
Around 80 percentile |
Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Institute of Technology |
Around 70 percentile |
Vadodara Design Academy |
Around 76 percentile |
Vidyamandir College of Architecture, Women |
Around 55 percentile |
Kalol Institute of Architecture & Design, Kalol |
Around 55 percentile |
LJ School of Architecture |
Around 65 percentile |
Parul Institute of Architecture and Research |
Around 60 percentile |
ITM School of Architecture Art and Design |
Around 62 percentile |
Bhagwan Mahavir College of Architecture |
Around 60 percentile |
Anant Institute of Architecture |
Around 65 percentile |
DC Patel School of Architecture (A.P.I.E.D) |
Around 70 percentile |
M.S University of Baroda |
Around 75 percentile |
NATA 2024 Seat Intake (State Wise)
State |
Seat Intake |
Karnataka |
896 |
Maharashtra |
5167 |
Kerala |
707 |
Gujarat |
1710 |
West Bengal |
88 |
Punjab |
70 |
UP |
1560 |
MP |
330 |
Chhattisgarh |
138 |
Goa |
140 |
Haryana |
610 |
Himachal |
40 |
Rajasthan |
270 |
Tamil Nadu |
3010 |
NATA 2024 Seat Intake (University Wise)
University |
Seat Intake |
VIT University |
40 |
SRM |
80 |
PES |
40 |
Christ University, Bangalore |
40 |
Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts |
85 |
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi |
80 |
KIIT |
40 |
Chandigarh University |
80 |
List of Some Institutes Accepting NATA 2024 for Admissions
- R V School of Architecture, RVCE, Bangalore
- Sir J J College of Architecture, Mumbai
- Faculty of Architecture & Ekistics, JMI, New Delhi
- SRM University, Chennai
- School of Architecture and Planning, VMRF, Chennai
- Bharath University, Chennai
- BS Abdur Rahman University, Chennai
- Chandigarh College of Architecture, Chandigarh
- Department of Architecture, BIT, Mesra
- Sharda University, Greater Noida
- Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Gurgaon
- Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi
NATA 2024 Admit Card
NATA 2024 Admit card is expected to be released by the 3rd week of March 2023. Successfully registered candidates will be able to download their admit cards from the official portal.
- Candidates should log in via registered credentials and download the admit card once available.
- After downloading, check the details mentioned on the admit card like name, application number, exam date, time, and venue.
- If any errors are found in NATA admit card contact the concerned authority.