NATA 2026 exam pattern
The official NATA 2026 brochure describes a 200-mark test made up of two parts, each with a 90-minute duration. Part A is an offline drawing and composition section. It contains three questions worth 80 marks in total. Part B is an online adaptive section with 50 questions, consisting of 42 multiple-choice questions and 8 numerical-answer questions, worth 120 marks. This is the 2026 pattern only. No 2027 format should be assumed until a new official brochure is available.
The total row adds the brochure’s stated Part A question count and Part B question count. It is a compact count of listed tasks/items, not a claim that every task is the same type or takes the same amount of time. The parts test different skills, so preparation and time allocation should reflect that difference.
What Part A asks candidates to do
Part A is an offline Drawing and Composition component. The 2026 brochure identifies three tasks: composition and colour, black-and-white sketching or composition, and three-dimensional composition. Together they account for 80 marks. Candidates should practise interpreting a visual brief, making deliberate spatial and compositional choices, and communicating an idea clearly on the page. This is a study implication drawn from the listed task types, not an additional scoring rubric published here.
The brochure’s task labels do not justify predicting an exact prompt, object set or preferred artistic style. A student should rehearse timed work across different subjects and viewpoints rather than memorising one drawing. Build a habit of reading the instruction, establishing a clear focal point, checking proportions and leaving time to review the response. Such practice helps with execution, but it does not guarantee a particular score.
Part A is offline while Part B is online. Check the current official instructions for stationery, materials, permitted aids, centre rules and how work is submitted. The source packet supports the offline mode and task categories for 2026, but not a universal list of permitted drawing tools for a future cycle. Do not bring an item solely because it appeared in an old coaching checklist.
What Part B covers
The 2026 brochure describes Part B as an online adaptive test with 50 items: 42 MCQs and 8 NCQs, carrying 120 marks in total. Its stated assessment areas include visual reasoning, logical derivation, general knowledge related to architecture and design, language interpretation, design sensitivity and thinking, and numerical ability. This is broader than conventional drawing practice. Candidates should be comfortable interpreting patterns, relationships, short language prompts and numerical information as well as architecture and design references.
The term “adaptive” describes the online test design in the official 2026 material. It should not be stretched into an unsupported claim about the precise algorithm, item selection or scoring impact. The source packet does not establish that each correct answer has one universal mark value or that every wrong answer incurs a fixed deduction. Candidates should rely on the instructions displayed for their session and the current brochure rather than applying a generic negative-marking rule.
Marks, time and score interpretation
The combined 2026 total was 200 marks: 80 in Part A and 120 in Part B. Each part had a 90-minute duration. The two parts therefore split the scheduled examination time equally while assigning more marks to Part B. That arithmetic may help candidates understand the broad structure, but it does not establish the amount of time to spend on each individual question. Part A contains three extended tasks, while Part B has 50 online items.
The brochure’s overall section totals should not be converted into an assumed per-question score. Unless the official instructions specify item-level scoring, do not infer that each of the 50 Part B items is worth the same amount or that an NCQ is scored identically to an MCQ. Likewise, do not assume an incorrect answer loses marks. This page avoids such a formula because the opened source evidence does not establish one universal rule.
NATA score reporting also differed by phase in 2026. Phase 1 results included raw marks and a percentile after all Phase-1 sessions; a candidate’s best raw score informed the percentile if they took two Phase-1 tests. Phase 2 supplied a raw score only. These reporting details are not an item-scoring method. A percentile is not the same as raw marks, and neither is a guaranteed college admission cutoff.
Language and test-day checks
The 2026 source packet records English and Hindi as test languages. Confirm the live brochure’s language and interface instructions in the cycle you take. Before test day, recheck your admit card, centre instructions, reporting requirements and any material permitted for the offline component. For the online component, follow the centre’s instructions for login and response submission. A past-year pattern page cannot replace the candidate-specific directions for a session.
Use the 2026 pattern as a balanced practice plan only while it remains the latest confirmed edition. Spend time on both composition tasks and objective reasoning, and keep a timed record of practice. When a new brochure appears, compare part durations, marks, question counts, question types, languages and assessment domains one by one. A change to any of these fields can make a familiar mock test misleading.
Official source
The primary source for the figures and assessment domains on this page is the Council of Architecture’s NATA 2026 Information Brochure, checked on 28 October 2026. The pattern is explicitly scoped to that cycle. Revisit the CoA and NATA portals before using it for a later examination; no future-year pattern is asserted here.