The National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA), conducted by the Council of Architecture, measures the aspirant's aptitude, drawing and observation skills besides the critical thinking for specific field of study, i.e., architecture.
The NATA, which is conducted for the admission to 5-year Bachelor of Architecture (B Arch) programmes, has a total of three categories in the exam namely, Mathematics, General Aptitude and Drawing.
The exam date has been finalised and scheduled on Apr 29, 2018. As the NATA is one of the examinations that tests the aptitude, let's explore how to prepare for this exam.
Mathematics
As the NATA gives primary importance to the aptitude, mathematics is not a hot section. However, ignoring this category will surely lower the chances of getting high-score. A total of 20 questions will be asked from this section and the most important topics are the Coordinate Geometry and 3-Dimensional Co-ordinate geometry.
In the application of calculus, area of the region included between two elementary curves is very important. Candidates should practice a lot of questions on the permutation and combination and statistics and probability.
General Aptitude
The general awareness is also required to answer the questions in this section. Students must be familiar with the architectural design theory and basic construction terminology besides famous architects and their buildings in India and the world.
Aspirants should master important topics such as De Morgan's laws, relation and its properties. Prepare your own notes will make tasks easy during the last days of preparation. Never ignore the definitions and examples of equivalence relation.
Drawing
Aspirants should enhance their basic sketching skills intensively. Though this section primarily focuses on the knowledge of sketching such as the effects of light and shadows and knowledge of scales, aspirants should also use their general knowledge to make their diagram unique.
10 Tips To Success
1. Practice in A4 size papers rather than sketch books.
2. Never ignore the previous years' question papers.
3. Don't mug up the general awareness books.
4. Read newspaper regularly.
5. Increase your observation skills regarding what and why constructions are in the news.
6. Always start your drawing with a light hand first. And try to avoid erasing and re-drawing.
7. Be innovative in drawing rather than copying.
8. Effective time-management is required, especially in the drawing section.
9. Candidates can give less importance to the mathematics in NATA preparation because the major part of the syllabus is covered in the board exam.
10. Dedicate the last month for revision and keep yourself motivated.
NATA 2018: Everything You Need To Know Before Taking The Exam