NATA(National Aptitude Test in Architecture) is conducted for admission in undergraduate architecture courses.The examination is conducted in both online and offline mode at the national level.A candidate should have passed/appeared in class 12 with physics,chemistry and mathematics as main subjects with at least 50% marks in each subject and 50% aggregate marks in order to appear in this examination.There is no age limit prescribed for appearing in NATA.The syllabus will include general aptitude questions,topics from physics,chemistry and mathematics of class 11 and 12 and a drawing test.The exam is conducted twice a year in April and July.Candidates can appear for both the sessions and they can submit either of the results(whichever is better).

NATA 2021: Highlights of Examination

The exam will be conducted in both online and offline mode.There will be 2 papers for the examination and the total time allotted will be 3 hours and 15 minutes.Some important characteristics of the examination are mentioned below:

• There will be 53 questions from both the papers i.e.drawing and aptitude test

• More questions will be from drawing and the aptitude section will have less number of questions

• The maximum marks for the examination is 200(including both papers)

• The total time allotted for the exam will be 3 hours and 15 minutes in which the first 135 minutes will be given for part A and the last 45 minutes will be given for part B with a recess of 15 minutes in between the two sittings.

• The language of examination shall be English only and no other option for language is available

• For each correct answer the marks allotted will be 1.5 and there will be no penalty for incorrect or unanswered questions

• There will be no difference between the syllabus for online and offline mode of examination

• Minimum marks required to qualify the examination is 25%(sectional score) and 40%(overall score).To qualify the exam both sectional and overall cut off must be cleared.

NATA 2021: Question Pattern and Marking Scheme

The examination will be conducted in two parts in which the first part is the drawing section that will be conducted offline and the second part is physics,chemistry, mathematics and general aptitude section that will be conducted online.

Part A: In the drawing section there will be three questions in which two questions will carry 35 marks each and one question will carry 55 marks.Total time allotted for this examination is 135 minutes.

Part B: In this section there will be 15 questions of 22.5 marks each from physics,chemistry and mathematics and 35 questions of 52.5 marks each from general aptitude.Each question will carry 1.5 marks and the maximum marks for part B will be 75.The total time allotted for this sitting is 45 minutes and there will be a recess of 15 minutes between the two sittings.

NATA 2021: Syllabus

In the first part i.e.the drawing section the questions will be based upon various forms of sketch and art.It basically tests the drawing perspective, presentation, proportionality and approach of the candidate.Some important topics for drawing syllabus are mentioned below:

1. Scale and proportions of object

2. Building forms and elements

3. Pattern drawings and perspective drawings

4. Surfaces and volume

5. Urban landscape

6. Geometric composition

7. Aesthetics

8. 3-D and 2-D transformations

9. Generating plan

10. Day-to-day drawing

11. Shapes

12. Colour harmony

13. Creating shapes and forms

14. Conceptualisation and visualization

The second part consists of physics,chemistry,mathematics and aptitude tests.This section is also equally important as it is necessary to qualify in both the papers.However, this part has less number of questions as compared to the drawing part.Subject-wise important topics are mentioned below:

NATA Physics Syllabus

1. Electrostatics

2. Electromagnetic induction

3. Optics

4. Current electricity

5. Alternating currents

6. Dual nature of radiation and matter

7. Atoms and nuclei

8. Electronic devices

9. Magnetism and matter

NATA Chemistry Syllabus

1. Basic concept of chemistry 

2. State of matter

3. Organic chemistry

4. Atom structure

5. Chemical thermodynamics

6. Environmental chemistry

7. Chemical bonding

8. Equilibrium

NATA Mathematics Syllabus

1. Algebra

2. Trigonometry

3. Theory of calculus

4. Statistics

5. Logarithms 

6. Coordinate geometry

7. Application of calculus 

8. Probability

9. Matrices

10. Dimensional coordinate geometry

11. Permutation and combination

NATA 2021: General Aptitude Syllabus

In the general aptitude part questions will be based upon the objects, texture related to architecture and built environment.Some important topics for general aptitude are mentioned below:

1. Interpretation of pictorial compositions

2. Visualising 2D objects from 3-D drawing

3. Analytical reasoning, mental ability(visual,numerical and verbal)

4. General awareness of national/international architects and famous architectural creations

5. Mathematical reasoning(statements, logical operations like and,or,if and only if,implies, implied by; understanding of tautology,converse,contradiction and contrapositive)

6. Sets and Relations: Idea of sets,subset,power set,complement,union,intersection and difference of sets,venn diagram,De Morgan’s laws,relations and its properties;equivalence relation-definition and elementary example.

Reference Books for preparation of NATA 2021

The selection of books is one of the most important parts of preparation.The books should be of latest edition and renowned authors which are suggested by the experts in the relevant field.Some important reference books for the preparation of NATA 2021 are mentioned below:

Reference Books for Part A(Drawing):

1. Engineering Drawing by N.D.Bhatt

2. A complete self study guide for B.Arch entrance examination by Arihant Publications

1. A modern approach to verbal and non-verbal reasoning by R.S.Aggarwal

2. Quantitative Aptitude by R.S.Aggarwal

Reference Books for Part B(Mathematics):

1. Elementary mathematics by Dorofeev, Potapov

2. Higher algebra by Hall & Knight

3. Mathematics 11&12 by R.S.Aggarwal

NATA 2021: Examination Centers

Examination centers for NATA are available at over 140 cities throughout the country and one international center is in Dubai.Any candidate selecting Dubai as the examination center is required to pay an additional fee of 8000.00 INR.Also, Dubai as a center can be cancelled if the number of candidates will be less than 200.Dubai cannot be selected as second or third preference.The examination center shall be selected at the time of filling the application form.No request to change the center of examination shall be entertained under any circumstances.The allocation of center is subject to the availability of minimum 200 candidates for one center.

NATA 2021: General Instructions for Candidates

Candidates are suggested to reach the center of examination at least 30 minutes before the actual time of commencement of examination.The candidates should visit the examination center one day prior to the scheduled date of examination to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.No candidates shall be allowed to enter the exam hall after 15 minutes of the commencement of the exam.Some important suggestions regarding the examination are mentioned below:

• Candidates must carry a hard copy of admit card as any candidate without an admit card shall not be allowed to enter the examination hall.

• Candidates are required to carry one passport sized photograph and a valid photo identification card(UID, PAN Card, Driver’s License, School identity card) with them issued by the government or school authorities.

• Candidates should not take any electronic gadgets like mobile phones, calculators, smart watches, bluetooth devices etc inside the examination hall.

• Any candidate found using unfair means during the examination shall be debarred permanently and his/her candidate will be cancelled.

What is the mode of examination?

Is there any negative marking or penalty?

What is the full marks in the entire paper

Can I choose Hindi language as a medium of examination?

Can I change my exam center?