Keeping in mind the ongoing pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns in various places, the Council of Architecture (CoA) has decided to conduct the third National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) in August 2021. The decision came after realizing that many candidates could not sit for the second NATA due to the prevailing Covid-19 infections along with other miscellaneous reasons. As of now, the candidates are requested to keep an eye on the official website of NATA, nata.in, for further details regarding the upcoming test.
The second NATA was successfully conducted across 248 examination centres in the country, along with 6 centres across the globe on July 11, 2021. A total of 25860 candidates have applied for the second NATA, out of which 21659 candidates sat for the examination. With the successful conclusion of NATA 2021 secnd phase, the council shall conduct the third phase of the exam next month.
According to the Council Regulations of 2020, aspiring candidates must qualify for the NATA to seek admission in the B. Arch course. For this purpose, the candidates will have to complete their registration at nata.in. Note that NATA is a compulsory test regardless of the candidate’s place of study or whether he/she will enrol in a centrally-funded, state-funded or private institution. Based on the Merit NATA score, the admissions will be carried out in the respective institutions in adherence to the marks obtained in the qualifying exam. The test comprises visual perception, cognitive skills, logical reasoning, critical thinking, etc. and uses various testing formats and techniques. NATA constitutes the learning format of a 10+2 student and tries to find out his/her learning attitude towards architecture.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, for the 2021-22 academic session, the CoA has further relaxed the eligibility criteria for admitting students to the first year of the 5-year B. Arch Degree Course. Candidates having Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in their 10+2 or Mathematics as a compulsory subject in the 10+3 Diploma are now eligible for the B. Arch course.
The CoA came into force on 1st September 1972 under the Architects Act of 1972. It introduced NATA back in 2006 with the sole objective of removing the hardships that students face while seeking admission in the architecture course. With the advent of NATA, schools and institutions no longer have to conduct separate aptitude tests.
