Common Mistakes in Design Entrance Exams and How to Avoid Them

Published by Shikha Kumari on Sep 08, 2025

Admissions to top design institutes are based on national level entrance exams like NIFTEE, NID DAT, UCEED, etc. These entrance exams consist of a design aptitude test and drawing test. In this blog, we’ll talk about the common mistakes students make in these entrance exams and how one can avoid them.

Common Mistakes 

Here’s a list of common mistakes that individuals make while preparing for design entrance exams-

• Poor time management – They allot more hours to lease important topics rather than focusing on the important ones.
• Not solving previous years papers – Due to lack of preparation, candidates think it’s best to leave previous years papers and complete syllabus first which is a huge mistake.
• Ignoring basic concepts – Aspirants usually leave basic topics like GK under the presumption that they know it already but it’s crucial to have a look at these basic tropics as well.
• Overcommitting Without a Plan – Following too many resources or study techniques without a structured approach can lead to burnout and inefficiency.
• Neglecting Fundamental Skills – Underestimating the importance of basic drawing, sketching, and design fundamentals can be a significant hurdle.

How to Avoid these basic mistakes?

Here are ways you can avoid these basic mistakes and prepare in a better way for your exam

• Prioritize high-weightage sections first.
• Create a daily timetable and try to follow it. 
• Practice timed tests to build speed as if you are sitting in the exam hall.
• Review weekly and adjust time allocation to strengthen weak areas.
• Download past papers from the official sites and solve complete papers once or twice a week and increase the frequency as the exam gets closer.
• Analyze mistakes to identify gaps 
• Revise GK daily
• Dedicate 1 hour weekly to revise basics.
• Avoid juggling multiple sources to prevent confusion.
• Sketch daily for 1–2 hours
• Practice timed sketches
• Build a portfolio with 8–12 projects for interviews (NID/UCEED)
•  Focus on exam-specific skills