NATA 2026 Exam: Registration, Exam Date, Pattern, Syllabus, Admit Card & Result

NATA 2026 Exam will be conducted by the Council of Architecture (CoA), and the registration process is expected to begin online at nata.in, starting March 2026, tentatively. Candidates will need to fill out and submit the NATA 2026 Application Form within the given deadline to be eligible for the exam. The official NATA 2026 notification will be released on the website, detailing all important dates, eligibility, and exam guidelines. The exam will likely be held on Fridays and Saturdays, and candidates will be able to download their NATA admit card around 2–3 days before their chosen exam slot. It will be mandatory to carry a printout of the admit card along with a valid photo ID proof on the exam day for verification.

The NATA exam pattern has undergone revisions, and the paper will now include two sections: a Drawing and Composition section, which will be conducted offline, and an MCQ section, held online. Candidates can appear for up to three sessions of NATA 2026, and the authorities will consider the best score out of the three for the final result. After the exam, candidates will be able to check their scores and ranks through the NATA 2026 result portal. Qualifying in NATA 2026 will be mandatory for admission into BArch courses offered by various architecture colleges across India. However, candidates should note that no centralised counselling will be held, and admissions will be managed individually by the respective institutions based on NATA scores.

NATA 2026 Exam Highlights

The Council of Architecture (CoA) conducts the NATA 2026 exam every year. It is a national-level exam. It assesses the candidates’ aptitude for architecture through various sections and question types like drawing, composition, visual reasoning, and more. The NATA 2026 exam acts as the qualifier exam for the B.Arch at any recognised architectural institutions across India. The table below shows the NATA 2026 exam highlights:

NATA 2026 Exam Dates

NATA 2026 exam will start in April 2026 and continue till June 2026. Every weekend, the exam will have one Friday session in the afternoon and two Saturday sessions in the morning and afternoon. To get more detailed information on the exam dates, candidates should check the table below:

NATA 2026 Eligibility Criteria

For NATA 2026, the Council of Architecture (CoA) has established specific eligibility criteria that you must meet to both sit for the exam and be eligible for B.Arch admissions. Candidates planning to appear for the exam must check the NATA Eligibility Criteria 2026 below:

• Qualifications: Candidates who have passed or qualified for the 10+2 with Physics & Mathematics or 10+3 diploma with Mathematics may apply. Those with a three-year diploma are also eligible to apply.
• Subjects: Physics and Mathematics are compulsory, with additional subjects such as Chemistry, Biology, Technical Vocational subjects, Computer Science, Information Technology, Informatics Practices, Engineering Graphics, or Business Studies.
• Qualifying Marks: The qualifying exam will require at least 50% marks.

NATA 2026 Application Process

The NATA 2026 application process is conducted entirely online through the official portal at nata.in. Since the exam is held multiple times throughout the year (typically between April and July), the registration window often stays open in phases. To complete the NATA 2026 application form, candidates must read the instructions below:

• The application will only be completed online.
• The NATA 2026 registration will start from March 2026 and will continue till June 2026.
• The application process has three main stages: filling in personal information, uploading documents, and paying the fee.
• Candidates on the registration form must upload the most recent passport-size photo and signature.
• A confirmation page will be produced after the charge is successfully paid.

Also Check: NATA Mock Tests 2026

How to Apply for NATA 2026 Online?

Since the exam is conducted every weekend (Friday and Saturday) from March to August 2026, the registration remains open in a rolling phase rather than a single fixed window. Follow the steps below to apply for the NATA 2026 exam online. The steps are as follows:

Step 1: Visit the official NATA website, nata.in.

Step 2: Click on NATA 2026 registration.

Step 3: Fill out the necessary information to finish the registration.

Step 4: Complete the personal, contact, and qualification fields.

Step 5: Upload the photo and the signed, scanned image.

Step 6: Pay the NATA application fee online.

Step 7: Take a printout of the confirmation page for future reference.

NATA 2026 Application Fees

The application fee for NATA 2026 is structured based on your category, gender, and the number of test attempts you choose. Since you can take the exam up to three times in a single year, the Council of Architecture (CoA) offers a bundled fee for multiple attempts. After filling out the application form, candidates will have to pay the NATA 2026 application fee. Candidates can refer to the table below to check the application fees:

NATA 2026 Exam Pattern

NATA exam 2026 will be conducted in both modes: Offline and Computer-Based Test (CBT). Candidates will get an overall of 3 hours to complete the exam. Part A of the exam, which will be the Drawing and Composition Test, has a time limit of 90 minutes, and Part B, which includes MCQs and NCQs, will also have a time limit of 90 minutes. All the important details about the NATA 2026 Exam Pattern have been described below:

NATA 2026 Syllabus

The NATA 2026 syllabus is designed to evaluate the candidates’ aptitude for architecture, which includes various topics like drawing, sketching, visual reasoning, and general knowledge. NATA 2026 Syllabus is mainly divided into two parts: Part A, which is a drawing and composition test, and Part B, which consists of Aptitude Questions (MCQ-based). An overview of the NATA 2026 syllabus is given below:

NATA 2026 Admit Card

The admit cards of NATA 2026 will be released on the website nata.in by the Council of Architecture (CoA). The candidates who will appear in the NATA 2026 exam can download admit cards by using their application number and password. Once candidates fill out the application form before the deadline, they can download their admit card. The admit card of the NATA 2026 exam will contain some important information like details of the candidate, exam date, venue of the exam, and exam day guidelines. Candidates are required to carry their NATA 2026 Admit Card to the exam centre. For any support, students can reach out to the authorities via call or email.

NATA 2026 Results

NATA 2026 results will be declared online by the Council of Architecture (CoA) on the official website, nata.in. However, within seven days of the exam, the NATA 2026 Results will be released. The results of each phase of the exam will be released separately. The scorecard of NATA 2026 will contain the details like marks obtained and the result status, i.e., qualified or not qualified. Candidates can download their NATA 2026 results using their login credentials. Candidates can follow these instructions step-by-step to download their NATA 2026 results online:

Step 1: Visit the official website, nata.in.

Step 2: Click on the NATA 2026 result link. After this, a new login page will appear.

Step 3: Enter the credentials and click on the Submit button.

Step 4: After successfully logging in, the NATA 2026 scorecard will appear on the screen. Candidates can download their scorecard.

NATA 2026 Cutoff

To pass the exam, you must meet three specific criteria simultaneously. If you fail to meet even one, your NATA result will show as Not Qualified. The NATA 2026 Cutoff is the minimum score required to qualify for the exam. However, admission to top architecture colleges depends on the merit score and institute-specific cutoffs. The candidates' best scores will be considered if they participate in numerous sessions. The cutoff will be released after the announcement of the NATA Result 2026. The qualifying status is just the baseline. Most top-tier colleges use a Merit Score calculation for actual admission.

NATA 2026 Counselling

There is no specialised or centralised counselling available for NATA 2026. The counselling sessions will be held separately by the respective colleges for getting admissions into B.Arch programs. After the results of the NATA 2026 exams are released, the authorities will start the counselling process. Candidates must meet the NATA 2026 eligibility criteria to apply for counselling. The candidates have to check the counselling dates on the official website of their desired colleges. The seat allotment will be based on NATA scores and candidates' choices during the counselling process.

NATA 2026 FAQs