NATA 2023: Updates, Application, Dates, Syllabus, Fees & Eligibility

Last Updated on August 5, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar

NATA or National Aptitude Test in Architecture is a national – level entrance test for taking admission in the Bachelor of Architecture (B. Arch) courses which are organized by the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Architecture (NIASA), which is a body of Council of Architecture (COA). This test has been conducted by COA since 2006, and from the next year, TCS ION will also be responsible for managing the application form.

It is an aptitude based test which is used to get admission into architecture programmes in the top colleges other than IITs and NITs. This test is an aptitude test to judge your architecture ability, and hence it does not guarantee admission to a–any college, but its scorecard is a required criterion. The NATA 2023 is used to get admission for five years of Bachelor of Architecture programmes throughout various institutions in India.

 

This test checks the candidate’s aptitude skills in the Architecture related fields, such as drawing and observation skills, sense of proportion, aesthetic sensitivity and critical thinking. If you are looking to build your career in the field of architecture, then you must opt for NATA as its score is accepted by most of the colleges.

 

NATA 2023 ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The eligibility for NATA is the list of conditions that a candidate must fulfil for getting admission to B. Arch. These are the mandatory criteria by failing which a candidate will not be allowed for admission in any college even after cracking the exam. So, a candidate must ensure his/her eligibility before filling in the application form.

 

These are the required eligibility criteria for a candidate to apply for NATA 2023 –

 

• Candidate’s Background

A candidate must have a clear academic background is eligible for the exam. Those candidates who are willing to give the exams must have either passed or are appearing in the final years of:

1. 10 + 2 or equivalent
2. 10 + 3 years diploma courses in any stream.
3. International Baccalaureate Diploma after 10th standard schooling from any recognized academic institute.

 

• Qualifying Percentage

National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) has set a minimum percentage that a candidate must have to score for getting eligible for participation in the paper. It is required for a candidate to have a minimum overall score of 50 % marks in their respective courses. Mathematics has been considered as a compulsory subject for NATA 2023.

 

• Age Limit of Candidate

For taking part in NATA, a candidate must need to meet the age limit eligibility criterion. The minimum age required for participation in NATA is seventeen years (17) of age as on July 31, 2023.

 

These all requirements are only the first stage of admission, and a candidate must need to qualify the paper for further application. Failing to score the minimum cut – off marks in this exam would not help in the admission process, as it is must require to qualify NATA. The admission process in an architecture college is based on the NATA scorecard.

 

NATA 2023: Important Dates

NATA important dates offer information about all the calendar events of the exam. This section will give answers to all questions from the starting and ending date to fill the application form, availability of admit card, exam date to the result date. The critical days for NATA will help an applicant to track the essential events and plan his/her preparation based on the given period. A candidate can make a strategy to crack this entrance exam if they are aware of the significant dates of NATA. NATA candidate with the help of the essential dates can’t lose track of their preparation.

 

Below are the listed some important dates of NATA:

• Online registration and NATA application starting date on the official website – 3rd Week of January 2023.
• Closure of filling application submission and uploading of documents of NATA paper – Last Week of March 2023.
• Issue date of Admit Card – 3rd Week of April 2023.
• NATA entrance examination date – Last Week of April 2023.
• Releasing date of NATA recorded response – 3rd Week of May 2023.
• Declaration of Result Date – 1st Week of June 2023.

 

NATA 2023 Application Form

National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) is an online mode exam, and its application is released on its official website. Admission authorities have confirmed that the NATA application form will release on the site on the 3rd Week of February. To fill the application form of NATA, a candidate has to first register themselves for the exam by filling the details like their names, valid Email id and mobile number.

 

After the registration process, a candidate can proceed to the next stage to enter the personal and academic details. In the very last step of the application process, documents are uploaded by the candidate to proceed to the payment gateway page of the application fees.

 

In short, the application process of NATA is divided into six simple steps:

 

Step 1: Registration of Candidate

A candidate needs to register on the official website by filling their name, email id, and mobile number. All the provided information must be valid, and the name should match with the id proof. Along with these details, applicants are required to choose a username and password to login in future.

 

Step 2: Application Form Filling Process

With the pre-set username and password, a candidate has to log in on the official website to fill the application form. Every applicant has to fill their personal, communication and academic details on the application. A candidate can select up to three exam centres according to their choice to give their exam in this step.

 

Step 3: Uploading of Documents

In this step, a candidate has to submit the required documents, and these documents must meet the defined specifications. The documents needed for NATA are the photograph, signature, and community certificate (For reservation category students).

 

The required specification for the uploaded documents are as follows:

 

• Photograph

1. File Size: 4-100 KB
2. Dimension: 4.5 * 3.5 cm
3. Format: JPEG / JPG

 

• Signature

1. File Size: 1-30 KB
2. Dimension: 1.5 * 3.5 cm
3. Format: JPEG / JPG

 

• Community Certificate (Only by SC/ST Candidate)

1. File Size: Up to 1 MB
2. Dimension: A4 Size
3. Format: JPEG / JPG / PDF

 

Step 4: Form Submission

In this step, the candidate has to preview the information and then submit the application form by accepting the terms and conditions of the form. After the form submission, a unique seven-digit application form will be generated. Please review all the details carefully as it can not be edited after the form submission.

 

Step 5: Payment processing of fee

After successful submission of application form, payment process has to be processed by the candidate. The total cost of application form is Rs.1800 for general and OBC category students, while the SC and ST candidates have to pay a total sum of Rs.1500. The payment can be done through online payment options like credit card, debit card, or net banking.

 

Step 6: Printing of Confirmation Page

After the successful payment by the applicant, print out the confirmation page for the verification. This page can be used to claim your payment if there is any problem.

 

It is advised to upload the correct information details of the candidate as if any discrepancies are found; then their form may be rejected for admission.

 

APPLICATION FEE

The total application fee for this exam varies based on the caste community. The SCs and STs are benefitted due to the reservation as they have to pay less amount in comparison.

 

The total fee structure for different candidates is given below –

 

• General and OBC candidate

Total Application Fee = Rs.1800

 

• All Other Candidate (SC / ST / PwD)

Total Application Fee = Rs.1500

 

Payment Option:

NATA candidate can make their payment by using online services like the debit card, credit card, or net banking. The students can also pay their application fee via Challan at ICICI bank if they are opting for offline services.

 

NATA 2023 EXAM PATTERN

Exam pattern play a crucial role to help the applicant to clear the exam with a structured preparation. Being a national level exam aspirant, it is mandatory to know the pattern of exam for NATA for every candidate. The exam pattern clarifies many doubts related to the exam pattern, marking scheme, question paper structure, number of paper, and mode of exam. It is a national exam which is conducted via offline mode by using the pen-paper medium.

 

For NATA exam, candidate has to appear for only one paper, and this paper consists of two parts with different question set. The period for each part of the paper is 90 minutes, thus making a total time-period of 180 minutes (3 hours). The exam paper of NATA has no negative marking, and therefore, it is advised to attempt maximum no. of questions in the paper.

 

The first part of the paper is a multiple-choice question (MCQs) paper which comprises of 60 questions from Mathematics and General Aptitude Sections. Every question in this exam carries two marks, thus making it a total of 120 marks for this part of the exam paper. On the other hand, the second paper consists of only two questions, which is a subjectively based paper in which drawings are to be made on A4 size drawing sheets. This part of the paper (Part B) carries a total of 80 marks, with 40 scores of every question. Every candidate has to attempt both the section of the exam paper as it is mandatory.

 

Let’s highlight the exam pattern of NATA in short:

• Examination mode: Offline, Paper-based Test
• The Total duration of Paper – 180 minutes

 

Part A – 90 minutes and Part B – 90 minutes

• The Language of Paper – English
• Total No. of Questions – 62

 

Questions in Part A – 60 and Questions in Part B – 2

• Maximum Marks – 200
• Duration of Paper – 3 hours (180 minutes)
• The Validity of NATA scores: NATA scorecard is valid for one year.
• The Frequency of Test: This test is conducted once in every year

 

This paper is mainly distributed into two different parts of an equal interval:

 

Part A

Mathematics

• Total No. of Questions – 20 MCQs
• Marks Per Question – 2
• Total Marks – 40

 

General Aptitude

• Total No. of Questions – 40 MCQs
• Marks Per Question – 2
• Total Marks – 80

 

Part B

Drawing

• Number of Questions – 2 (Drawing on A4 sheet of paper)
• Marks Per Question – 40
• Total Marks – 80

 

NATA 2023 SYLLABUS

The syllabus is essential to be studied to empower the importance of the different topics. An aspirant of NATA should have to be aware of the topics and subjects they have to study. The syllabus of NATA includes the questions of general aptitude, mathematics and drawing test. A practice test is the best strategy to prepare the whole syllabus and analyze your performance.

 

We have shared a detailed syllabus for the candidates who are preparing for NATA:

• General Aptitude

• Architectural Awareness
• Textural Identification Of Commonly Used Material And Objects
• Three Dimensional Visuality of Objects.
• Imaginative Comprehension, And Expression
• Analytical And Verbal Reasoning
• Mental Ability
• General Awareness Of Renowned Architects And Famous Architectural Installations

 

• Mathematics:

• Algebra
• Logarithms
• Matrices
• Permutation And Combination
• Coordinate Geometry
• 3-Dimensional Co-Ordinate Geometry
• Trigonometry,
• Calculus – Theory & Application,
• Statistics, And Probability

 

• Drawing Test

• Scale And Proportion Understanding
•  Geometric Composition
• Building Forms And Elements,
• Aesthetics,
• Harmony And Contrast,
• Colour Texture,
• Conceptualization And Visualization By Structuring Objects In Memory,
• Drawing Geometrical And Abstract Patterns,
• Form Transformations In 2d And 3d Surfaces And Volumes,
• Colour Texture,
• Creating 2d And 3d Compositions Using Given Shape And Forms,
• Generating Plan,
• Elevation, And
• 3d Views of Objects.
• Perspective Drawing,
• Sketching of Urbanscape And Landscape,

 

NATA 2023 BOOKS

Architecture is considered the most rigorous and long-term course in comparison to other professional courses. For NATA test, no single book is perfect, and it needs practice and aptitude to crack the test. It is very essential to practice the best book to gain your knowledge and increase the problem – solving ability.

 

These are the recommended books to prepare for NATA:

1. ‘NATA’ – Satya Prakashan: Prof. S.C. Garg & Dr. Yogesh Garg
2. A Complete self study guide for B.Arch entrance examination – Arihant Publication: P. K. Mishra
3. Steps to Architecture NATA and JEE Mains Entrance Exam Guide: R Gupta

 

NATA Prep Tips

NATA is a 200 marks exam, and aptitude section in this exam is easy compared to the drawing section. Most of the information to prepare for NATA are available online, and these sources are enough for this test.

 

Through this post, we are sharing some of the important preparation tips and strategies that you can use during preparation.

 

• Understand the Basic Theory

NATA test judges your aptitude ability as so many questions on the paper is based on the basic theory of syllabus. So, it is advised to master the basics from every topic. It is also a myth that if you can draw well, you will be scored more. Besides good sketching, a candidate must have learnt the basics of 3 – Dimensional elements, memory drawing, understanding of scale and proportions, etc.

 

• Be Creative

Creativity is the ability of a candidate to come up with the new unconventional idea to solve the problem. In the field of architecture, such candidates who are creative minded get the advantage during the admission process.

 

• Work on Your Speed

Apart from the knowledge and skills, speed is also important in these type of papers. Since, it doesn’t matter how much intelligent are you, if you have not touched the question, you will end up losing the marks. So, it is advised to also work on your speed with regular practice.

 

• Solve Previous Year Paper

By solving the previous year NATA test paper, you will get an idea of the question pattern. To boost your confidence and get a better understanding of the question paper, you need to solve at least 10 – 20 past year paper within the given time frame.

 

• Motivate Yourself for NATA

A compelling reason to pursue a career in architecture will motivate you for NATA. So, always keep motivated to achieve the goal by cracking the NATA.

 

NATA 2023 ADMIT CARD

All the candidates who have filled their application form for NATA will get their admit card for the exam in the 3rd week of April 2023. Admit card is mandatory to carry in the exam hall. The Examination hall will not allow the entry of those candidates who forget to bring admit card on the exam date.

 

This admit card is also required during the admission process. So, it should not be damaged or misplaced before the admission. The Admit card is issued on the official website of the NATA, and it can be downloaded from the site in a downloadable pdf format. NATA aspirant has to carry a print out of their admit card on the exam day to the exam centre as an entry ticket.

 

If the detailed mentioned in the admit card is incorrect, then it is advised for a candidate to approach COA authorities immediately via mail or by directly visiting in their office. You have to write an application to change the incorrect information and send it to the desired authorities along with a valid proof of application form.

 

NATA 2023 ANSWER KEY

Every year, NATA releases the answer key of the paper to help candidates to estimate their scored marks. The candidates who appeared in the exam can check the answers through the answer key of NATA. They can also calculate their probable scores by using the correct marking scheme of NATA. Thus, they can get an idea of which college they should opt for based on their scores.  The Council of Architecture (COA) usually releases the answer key only for Part – A of the paper. This answer key can be downloaded by logging on its official website by using the application number and password.

 

NATA 2023 RESULT

NATA result will be declared by COA around the 1st week of June. The result includes the minimum qualifying cut-off marks and also the subject wise marks for qualification. The result is declared by the COA on its official website, and a candidate needs to score a minimum of 25 % marks in both of MCQ and drawing section.

 

However, the overall qualifying marks vary on different statistics, and the final cut off score is decided by the Council of examination. A candidate is declared unqualified for further admission in any colleges if the person fails to meet the conditions mentioned above.

 

The scorecard of NATA mentioned all the scores mentioned by the candidate in different sections of the paper. Apart from the marks scored by a candidate, further details such as candidate’s name, gender, DOB, category, roll number, and application number are clearly mentioned on the scorecard.

 

NATA 2023 COUNSELLING

Despite being an exam conducting authority, COA does not take participation in the counselling process for the passing candidates. Instead, the counselling process is held individually by the participating institutions and others for the admission purpose.

 

Thus, all the applicants who have cleared NATA have to fill counselling forms of different institutes on their preference. After the filling of the counselling forms, seats are allocated to candidates to take admission in their institutions. The seat allocating process is a biased process, and it depends on various factors, such as gender, caste, NATA scorecard, etc.