NATA Exam

What is NATA Exam?

National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) is an entrance examination conducted by Council of Architecture (CoA) since 2006, in terms of the provisions of CoA (Minimum Standards of Architectural Education) Regulations, 1983, published in the Gazette of India.

NATA is a national level entrance examination for admission to undergraduate courses in Architecture. It is believed that a separate aptitude test should be conducted for admission to Architecture which should not be combined with the tests for admissions to Engineering, Pharmacy, Medicine and other disciplines.

The purpose of this entrance exam is to provide a single scheme of examination for holding aptitude test and to facilitate prospective students all over the country to apply for admissions in architecture seats in institutions spread across the country and to avoid appearing in multiple aptitude tests.

NATA also ensures that the eligibility criteria for admission to five years 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.

The NATA scores are used by admission authorities of different Government, Govt. Aided & Unaided schools/colleges of Architecture. This test measures drawing and observation skills, sense of proportion, aesthetic sensitivity and critical thinking ability.

NATA Highlights 2020

Important Points In NATA Exam

• With an aim of attracting many aspirants for taking up Architecture study, the CoA has decided to conduct the NATA exam twice a year. 
• The first and second test of NATA will be conducted on a different date as a one-day online examination across the country. The drawing test will be conducted in offline mode. 
• Candidates can appear for one or both the attempts of NATA. The best of the two scores will be considered if a candidate appears for both the attempts.
• The duration of the drawing test has been increased from 90 minutes to 120 minutes. However, the duration of the aptitude test has been reduced to one hour. 

NATA First Test 2020

The online test for the NATA first test will be conducted on August 29, 2020. The dates of other important events are given below. 

NATA Second Test 2020

The online test for the NATA Second test will be conducted on September 12, 2020. The dates of other important events are given below. 

NATA Eligibility 

Candidates who are aspiring for the entrance exam need to satisfy all the eligibility criteria set by NATA authorities. Candidates must have passed 10+2 or equivalent examination with a minimum of 50% marks in mathematics, physics and chemistry to apply for the entrance examination. Read the detailed NATA eligibility criteria here. 

NATA Application Process 

Interested candidates can apply online only through the official website. Here are the steps for NATA online application. 

Step 1: Visit the official website of  NATA – www.nata.in 

Step 2: Click on the registration link on the homepage.

Step 3: Candidates will find ''Registration Form''.

Step 4: Go to the ''New Registration''.

Step 5: Enter all the mandatory fields in the online application form. 

Step 6: The application number will be generated. 

Step 7: Upload the scanned photograph and signature. 

Step 8: Pay the prescribed application fee.

Step 9: Check all the details displayed on the confirmation page.

Step 10: Download and take a printout of the confirmation page for future reference.

Click here to apply online for NATA exam

NATA Application Fee 

Candidates applying for NATA have to pay the prescribed application fee through online mode. The application fee for NATA is INR 2000, which is inclusive of service fee charged by the bank. 

NATA Exam Pattern

The Council of Architecture (CoA) has made some changes in the exam pattern of NATA. It has increased the time for drawing and reduced the same for general aptitude and mathematics. Check the NATA exam pattern here. 

NATA Admit Card 2020

Candidates need to download their NATA admit card from the official website to appear for the examination. The CoA will release the admit cards two weeks prior to the examinations. The organising body will release the NATA admit card first test on August 22 and the second test on September 9, 2020. However, NATA admit card (second test) will be notified soon. 

Click here to download NATA admit card

NATA Result 2020

The Council of Architecture will declare the NATA results two weeks after the examination. The result of NATA will be available in three formats given below. 

• Marks obtained out of 200 and in each component. 
• Merit listing based on marks and tie-breaking rules. 
• Percentile score based on merit listing.

NATA Cutoff 2020

Candidates have to score minimum marks in each subject in order to qualify in the examination. The cutoff score will depend upon the post-exam statistics. The qualifying score for NATA is given below. 

NATA Syllabus 

The CoA has not made any changes to NATA exam over the years. The entrance exam will be conducted for subjects such as mathematics, general aptitude and drawing. Many believe that drawing is the most important section, but one shouldn’t ignore mathematics and general aptitude. Download the NATA syllabus here.