The National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) is a national-level entrance exam that examines the candidates for admission into B.Arch courses across India and is conducted by the Council of Architecture (CoA). NATA evaluates drawing skills, observation, critical thinking, aesthetic sensitivity, and architectural awareness. More than 600 NATA colleges accept the NATA scorecards for admission into B.Arch and M.Arch programs.
In order to provide opportunities to a large number of aspirants to join the Architecture Program, the Council will be conducting the NATA-2025 Aptitude Test for admissions into approved architectural institutions for the academic session 2025-2026, on designated Fridays & Saturdays in two sessions starting from March 2025 to June 2025.
NATA Exam Schedule
Those candidates who have already appeared for NATA 2024 and availed of one, two, or three attempts and obtained a valid NATA 2024 score may also apply for NATA 2025, but their NATA 2024 score shall be frozen if they avail of three attempts in NATA 2025. Their NATA 2025 score shall be calculated/determined as under, depending upon the number of attempts:
| Appeared in NATA 2024 | Attempts in NATA 2025 | Final Score |
Obtained a valid 2024 score | 1st Attempt | Better of both scores of NATA 2024 & 2025 |
| 1st & 2nd Attempt | Best of three scores of NATA 2024 & 2025 | |
| 1st, 2nd & 3rd Attempt | Best of three scores of NATA 2025 (NATA 2024 score shall be rendered invalid) |
The candidates need to indicate their preference of the city/region and date of the test while registering at NATA portal, www.nata.in. The session during which the candidate will take the test, as well as the test centres, shall be allotted by the council, as far as possible, based on cities/regions preferred by the candidate in the application form. However, the decision of the Council in allotting the Test Center and session to candidates shall be final.
The tests shall be conducted as per the schedule as given below:
| Date and Time of the NATA Examination | |
| NATA 2025 commencing from: | 01-03-2025 till June 2025 |
| FRIDAYSNo Morning Session | Afternoon Session: 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| SATURDAYSMorning Session: 10:00 a.m. to 01:00 p.m. | Afternoon Session: 1:30 p.m. tp 4:30 p.m. |
Eligibility Criteria for NATA 2025
Students must ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria prescribed by the Council of Architecture (CoA) to appear for NATA 2025:
- Candidates must have passed or be appearing in the 10+1 examination with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
- Candidates must have passed or be appearing in the 10+2 examination with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
- Candidates must have passed or be appearing in the 10+3 examination with Mathematics as a subject
However, qualifying for NATA 2025 does not guarantee admission. Candidates who want admission to B.Arch programs must fulfill the eligibility criteria set by the Council of Architecture and respective institutions.
Admission to First Year B.Arch Program
As per the CoA regulations:
- Candidates must have passed their 10+2 or equivalent examination from a recognized board with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as compulsory subjects along with one of the following: Chemistry, Biology, Technical Vocational Subject, Computer Science, Information Technology, Informatics Practices, Engineering Graphics, or Business Studies
- Candidates must have scored a minimum of 51% aggregate in PCM subjects.
- Alternatively, students who have completed a 10+3 diploma course recognized by the Central or State government with Mathematics as a subject and a minimum of 50% marks.
- An appearing candidate should be a minimum of 17 years old as of 31st July of the admission year.
- NATA scores remain valid for two academic years.
- A candidate must take the test up to three times in one academic year, with the highest score among all attempts being considered for admission.
NATA Registration Fees
Application Fees | In India (Rs.) | Outside India (Rs.) | ||
| General/OBC(N-CL) | SC/ST/EWS/PwD | Transgender | ||
| Per Test | 1750/- | 1250/- | 1000/- | 15000/- |
Note:
- The application fee shall be non-refundable in all cases.
- The candidates initially opting for single/two tests may further opt for additional tesst at a later stage, not exceeding three attempts.
- Multiple application forms submitted by the same candidate by changing the credentials will be rejected without any refund. The Council reserves the right to take appropriate legal action against such candidates.
NATA Application Process
The application for the NATA is to be filled out ONLINE at the official portal, www.nata.in. Candidates need to visit the portal, generate a username & password by entering relevant details, and then CLICK the requisite link ONLINE APPLICATION NATA–2025. Thereafter, the candidate will be directed to the actual application form. The form is interactive in nature, and the fields required to be filled up are categorized in different subsections.
The fields super-scribed with *MUST be filled up as they are MANDATORY; otherwise, the application will NOT get submitted. Candidates need to fill in the first part, i.e., PERSONAL DETAILS, and will thereafter be directed to DOCUMENT UPLOADING. Once the documents are successfully uploaded, the system enters into the FEE PAYMENT. Finally, the candidate must take a printout of the CONFIRMATION PAGE generated upon successful fee payment for their own record. There is no need to send any document by post.
NATA Exam Pattern and Syllabus
As per the latest NATA exam pattern, it will consist of two sections. Part A (Drawing and Composition), which will be in Offline mode and Part B (MCQ – Multiple Choice Questions and NCQ – No Choice Questions), which will be in Online mode. The medium of the Aptitude test shall be in English and Hindi.
NATA Exam Pattern
The NATA exam is a total of 200 marks, and the time duration allowed for the test is 3 hours. Let’s see the section-wise exam pattern for NATA 2025:
| Part | Description | Duration | Marks | |
| Part ADrawing & Composition (Offline)80 marks | A1- Composition and Color | 1 Question | 90 minutes | 25 Marks |
| A2- Sketching and Compostion (Black and White) | 1 Question | 25 Marks | ||
| A3- 3D Composition | 1 Question | 30 Marks | ||
| Part BMCQ and NCQ – (Online)120 marks | B1- MCQs | 42 Questions | 90 Minutes (108 seconds for each question) | 60 Marks |
| B2 – NCQs | 8 Questions | 60 Marks | ||
| Total Marks | 200 | |||
NATA 2025 Syllabus
The Council of Architecture (CoA) publishes the NATA syllabus for 2025 on the official website. The NATA syllabus will allow candidates to view the courses, themes, and structure that must be studied with focus, and candidates can comprehend the crucial concepts and prepare for the impending test.
The aptitude of the candidate will be assessed using the following:
Part A
Drawing and Composition Test
| Assessment | Description |
| Composition and Color | Creating suitable compositions for various situations and coloring them. Re-arranging various shapes in a visually appealing manner and coloring it suitably. |
| Sketching and Composition (Black & White) | Ability to draw, visualize, depict a situation, involving buildings/its components, people, environment, products with an understanding of scale, properties, textures, shades, shadows, etc. |
| 3D Composition | Creating interesting 3D compositions for the given situation using the provided kit. |
PART B
General Aptitude
| Assessment | Description |
| Visual Reasoning | Ability to understand and reconstruct 2D and 3D composition, knowledge about its composition and technical concepts |
| Logical Derivation | Ability to decode a situation, composition, context, and generate meaning. Understanding the minute information hidden in a particular situation and drawing conclusions. |
| G.K., Architecture & Design | General awareness of architecture and design, current trends, and recent issues. Knowledge about important buildings, historical progressions, and innovation in materials and construction technology. |
| Language Interpretation | Ability to correctly and logically generate meaning of words and sentences, understanding of English grammar. |
| Design Sensitivity and Thinking | Ability to observe, record, and analyze, people, space, product and the environment. Critical thinking, reasoning, and ability to identify the subtle communications. Ability to understand semantics, metaphors, problem identification and definition, analysis of a given situation. |
| Numerical Ability | Basic Mathematics and its association with creative thinking. To unfold a space with use of geometry. |
Read: NATA Exam Pattern, Syllabus, and Marking Scheme—Know Every Detail
NATA Admission Process
There is no common admission process of NATA. COA just conducts NATA, which is the entrance exam to provide the eligibility to the candidates for B.Arch admissions. Once the NATA results are declared, the admission process typically involves applying to individual institutions or participating in state-level centralized counseling sessions. Candidates are required to submit their NATA scorecard along with their academic transcripts to the colleges of their choice. The general process includes document verification, submission of preferences, seat allotment based on merit and availability, and finally, fee submission to confirm admission.
NATA Score Accepting Colleges
A strong NATA score can pave the way for admission to some of the most prestigious architecture colleges in India. These colleges not only offer top-tier academic facilities and expert faculty but also provide real-world exposure through internships, workshops, and collaborations.
More than 600 NATA exam colleges in India accept the required scores for providing admissions to design courses but opting for the best colleges through NATA is most important for your career advancement.
The top 10 NATA colleges list in India as per NIRF ranking 2024:
| NATA Score Accepting College | NIRF Ranking |
| Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee | 1 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | 2 |
| National Institute of Technology Calicut | 3 |
| Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur | 4 |
| School of Planning and Architecture New Delhi | 5 |
| Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University | 6 |
| Jamia Millia Islamia | 7 |
| National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli | 8 |
| National Institute of Technology Rourkela | 9 |
| Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur | 10 |
Apart from the colleges lised above, there are more colleges accpeting NATA scores to get admission to the B.Arch courses. Check out NATA Colleges List 2025.
NATA FAQs
Yes, NATA is mandatory for admission to most B.Arch programs in India, except for those accepting JEE Main Paper 2 scores.
Yes, candidates can take NATA upto three times in one academic year.
The qualifying marks in NATA are generally around 70-80 out of 200, although this can vary depending on the NATA exam difficulty level.