NATA Or JEE Main B.Arch Paper- Which is better option for B.Arch admission?
Exam Prep Master | Updated On - Apr 13, 2021
For those who are interested in architecture and design courses and want to take admission in B.Arch. have the option of pursuing the course by giving the entrance exams like NATA or JEE Main Paper 2. Both the competitive exams are conducted to provide admission to the students who are looking to pursue a career in engineering and architecture. The only difference lies in participating colleges. Both the exams have different participating colleges. Students can choose to go with anyone among NATA or JEE Main Paper 2 for taking admission in B.Arch. depending on the college for which admission is desired.
NATA (National Architecture Aptitude Test) is conducted by Council of Architecture (CoA). The examination ensures the admission to colleges like SPA Delhi and CEPT University, Ahmedabad whereas JEE Main Paper 2 is conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) which ensures admission to the prestigious colleges like IITs, NITs, and GFTIs. Let us look at the comparison between both the exams and which can be considered as a better option for B.Arch. admissions.
JEE Main Highlights
JEE Main Paper 2 is conducted to provide admission in the B.Arch. and B. Planning courses in various reputed NITs (National Institute of Technology), and GFTIs (Government-funded Technical Institutes), IIITs (Indian Institute of Information Technology), CFTIs (Centrally Funded Technical Institute).
The entrance test is conducted twice a year by National Testing Agency (NTA). A candidate can appear for the examination for three consecutive years, two times a year. To sum up, the candidate can appear in the examination six times.
The eligibility criteria to appear in the JEE Main examination is that the candidates must have passed Class 12th or other qualifying examination with Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics or diploma students who have completed their degree.
NATA Highlights
National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) is an entrance examination which is conducted by Council of Architecture (CoA) for admissions in B.Arch. course in the reputed architecture schools throughout the country. Diploma candidates are not eligible to appear for NATA examination. Eligibility criteria for NATA is 12th pass in Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. The entrance test is conducted two times a year.
Difference Between NATA AND JEE Main Paper-2
| Details | JEE Main Paper 2 | NATA |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | JEE Main Paper 2 consists of questions from subjects like General Aptitude, Drawing and Mathematics. | The questions in the NATA entrance test also include questions from subjects like General Aptitude, Drawing and Mathematics. |
| Frequency of Examination | The examination is conducted twice a year by the National Testing Agency (NTA). | Council of Architecture (CoA) also conducts examinations two times a year. |
| Number of questions | The test paper includes a total of 83 (Aptitude has 50 questions, and Mathematics has 30 whereas the Drawing section has 2 questions) questions. | The paper has a total of 53 (Part A contains 3 questions and Part B contains 50 questions) questions. |
| Division of Question Paper | The JEE Main Paper 2 is divided into three parts, Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Part I contains questions from Mathematics, Part II from Aptitude and Part III from Drawing. | Questions in NATA entrance test consist of 2 sections, Part A and Part B. Part A contains questions from Drawing and Part B from Mathematics and General Aptitude. |
| Total Marks | JEE Main examination carries 390 marks. | The paper consists of 125 marks. |
| Mode of Examination | The Mathematics and Aptitude section is conducted online while the drawing part is conducted offline. | Part A of the test is conducted online while Part B is conducted offline. |
| Marking Scheme | The allotment of marks is as given: Every correct answer will fetch you 4 marks. 1 mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer while the questions which will be left unanswered will mark as 0. | 1.5 marks will be given for every correct answer. There is no negative marking in the paper. |
| Participating Colleges | The participating colleges include NITs, IIITs, GFTIs and other government-funded colleges. | Admission through NATA is offered in colleges like SPA Delhi, CEPT University. |
| Qualifying Marks | There are no fixed qualifying marks for the JEE- Mains examination. | The qualifying marks for NATA are fixed for each section. Mathematics and General Aptitude: 30 Marks and Drawing: 20 marks. However, the candidate has to earn 50% of the total marks. |
| Pattern Of Questions | The paper contains Multiple choice questions for Mathematics and Aptitude section while the drawing section tests the sketching skills of a candidate. | Part A is based on the drawing and sketching skills while Part B contains Multiple Choice Questions. |
| Duration of Examinarion | The JEE Main Entrance Test is of 3 hours. | The test is of three hours and 15 minutes. (Part A: 135 minutes and Part B: 45 minutes). |
| Language of the Paper | English, Hindi and Gujarati for candidates belonging to Gujarat, Daman & Diu and Nagar Haveli | English |
JEE Main & NATA Eligibility Criteria
These were some of the differences between NATA and JEE Main Examination. However, there are few similarities too. Both the entrance tests have the same eligibility criteria. Any candidates who has passed Class 12th or any other qualifying examination with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as compulsory subjects and scored aggregate of 50% marks is eligible for the entrance test. However, for JEE Main, candidates must have attained minimum age of 17 years as on July 1 on the year of admission while there is no such age limit to appear in NATA.
Pattern of NATA and JEE Main
Exam Pattern Of JEE Main Paper 2
The paper pattern of JEE Main Paper 2 is given below. The paper is divided into 2 parts, Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 consists of questions from Mathematics and General Aptitude. This part consists of 80 questions, 30 from Mathematics and 50 from General Aptitude carrying a total 320 marks. Part 2 of the paper has 2 questions from the Drawing section carrying 70 marks. In total, the paper is of 390 marks.
| Paper | Subjects | Number of Questions | Marks | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Mathematics | 30 Questions | 4 marks each | 120 |
| Paper 2 | General Aptitude | 50 Questions | 4 marks each | 200 |
| Paper 2 | Drawing | 2 Questions | 70 Total Marks | 70 |
| - | - | - | - | 390 |
Exam Pattern Of NATA
The paper pattern of NATA entrance test is given below. The paper is divided into two parts, Part A and Part B. Part A of the paper has 3 questions from Drawing sections carrying 125 marks. Part B consists of questions from Mathematics and General Aptitude. This part consists of 53 questions, 15 from Mathematics and 35 from General Aptitude carrying total 75 marks. In total, the paper is of 200 marks.
| Paper | Subject | Number of Questions | Marks | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part A | Mathematics | 15 Questions | 1.5 marks each | 22.5 |
| - | General Aptitude | 35 Questions | 1.5 marks each | 52.5 |
| Part B | Drawing | 3 Questions | 25 Marks each | 125 |
| - | - | - | - | 200 |
Participating Colleges of JEE Main
Check Here Detailed NATA Exam Pattern
Participating Colleges Of JEE Main Paper 2
The list of some of the top- ranking colleges which offer admission to B.Arch. Courses on the basis of the marks scored in JEE Main Paper 2 is given below:
| College | Course |
|---|---|
| National Institute of Technology- Calicut | Bachelor of Architecture Masters in Planning |
| National Institute of Technology- Hamirpur | Bachelor of Architecture Master of Architecture |
| Malaviya National Institute of Technology- Jaipur | Bachelor of Architecture Masters in Planning Ph.D. |
| National Institute of Technology- Patna | Bachelor of Architecture Masters in Urban Planning |
| National Institute of Technology- Raipur | Bachelor of Architecture |
| National Institute of Technology- Rourkela | Bachelor of Architecture M.Tech Architecture and Planning Ph.D. |
| National Institute of Technology- Tiruchirappalli | Bachelor of Architecture Master of Architecture Ph.D. |
| School of Planning & Architecture- New Delhi | Bachelor of Architecture Bachelor in Planning Master of Architecture Master in Planning Ph.D. |
| School of Planning & Architecture- Bhopal | Bachelor of Architecture Bachelor in Planning Master of Architecture Master in Planning Ph.D. |
| School of Planning & Architecture- Vijayawada | Bachelor of Architecture Bachelor in Planning Master of Architecture Master in Planning Ph.D. |
| Chandigarh college of Architecture-Chandigarh | Bachelor of Architecture |
| SRM University-Chennai | Bachelor of Architecture Master of Town and Regional Planning Ph.D. Program |
Participating Colleges Of NATA
Participating Colleges Of NATA
The list of some of the top- ranking colleges which offer admission to B.Arch. Courses on the basis of the marks scored in NATA is given below:
| College | Course |
|---|---|
| Jadavpur University Kolkata | Bachelor of Architecture Master of Architecture |
| Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation Guntur | Bachelor of Architecture |
| Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore | Bachelor of Architecture |
| SRM Institute of Science and Technology Chennai | Bachelor of Architecture Master of Town and Regional Planning Ph.D. Program |
| Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore | Bachelor of Architecture |
| Adhiyamaan College of Engineering, Hosur | Bachelor of Architecture |
| Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai | Bachelor of Architecture Master of Architecture |
| BS Abdur Rahman University Chennai | Bachelor of Architecture Bachelor of Design Master of Architecture |
| GITAM University, Visakhapatnam | Bachelor of Architecture Master of Architecture |
| Hindustan Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai | Bachelor of Architecture Master of Architecture |
| Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, Virudhunagar | Bachelor of Architecture Master of Architecture |
| Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara | Bachelor of Architecture |
| Nirma University, Ahmedabad | Bachelor of Architecture Bachelor of Planning PhD Program |
| PES University Bangalore | Bachelor of Architecture |
| Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai | Bachelor of Architecture Master of Architecture |
| CEPT University, Ahmedabad | Bachelor of Architecture Bachelor of Planning PhD Program |
| Chandigarh University, Chandigarh | Bachelor of Architecture |
Check Here NATA Exam Centers
Both NATA and JEE Main Paper 2 are the prestigious examinations in the field of engineering and architecture that opens the door to the Architecture and designing courses in the top-ranked institutes across the country. The differences, similarities, exam patterns, list of top-ranked participating colleges are given above.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.