The National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) is the test the Council of Architecture holds for admission to the five-year B.Arch degree. Unlike most entrance tests it is not held on one day: in 2026 it ran on Fridays and Saturdays over ten weeks, and a candidate could take it twice. The Council had not announced NATA 2027 as of 14 November 2026. This guide explains how the 2026 window worked, so that a Class 12 student aiming for B.Arch can plan for 2027.
How NATA 2026 ran
| Item | NATA 2026 |
|---|---|
| Main window | 4 April to 13 June 2026, every Friday and Saturday |
| Attempts in the main window | Up to two |
| Additional window | 7 and 8 August 2026, one attempt, for seats left after centralised counselling |
| Score valid for | Admissions of the 2026-27 session only |
| Where | Test centres approved by the Council of Architecture |
Registration opened on nata.in before the window, and candidates chose their test days from the slots on offer. The 2027 brochure will give its own window, slots and fee.
How the test works
NATA tests aptitude for architecture rather than school knowledge alone. It has a drawing and composition part, which checks how a candidate sees and draws space, form and proportion, and an aptitude part with multiple-choice questions on reasoning, visual perception, mathematics and general awareness of design and buildings. The brochure of each year gives the parts, their marks and their timing, and the 2027 brochure should be read for them before practice starts.
NAAC A++
NIRF #2 (2025)Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1969View details
NAAC A++
NIRF #4 (2025)Jamia Millia IslamiaNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1920 · 239 acresView details
NAAC A++
NIRF #5 (2025)University of DelhiNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, JEE MainEst. 1922View details
NAAC A
NIRF #6 (2025)Banaras Hindu UniversityVaranasi, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1916 · 1300 acresView details
NAAC A+
NIRF #10 (2025)Aligarh Muslim UniversityAligarh, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, NET/JRF, NEET UGEst. 1920View details
NAAC A+
NIRF #18 (2025)University of HyderabadHyderabad, TelanganaAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1974 · 2000 acresView details
NAAC A++
NIRF #37 (2025)Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar UniversityLucknow, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1996View details
NAAC A+
NIRF #77 (2025)Central University of PunjabBathinda, PunjabAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 2009 · 500 acresView details
NAAC A+
NIRF #79 (2025)Tezpur UniversityTezpur, AssamAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1994 · 262 acresView details
NAAC A
NIRF #82 (2025)Mizoram UniversityAizawl, MizoramAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 2000View detailsWho can take NATA
- Students who have passed Class 12 or an equivalent with physics, chemistry and mathematics, or a three-year diploma with mathematics, as the Council’s rules set them.
- Students appearing in Class 12 can take the test.
- Admission to B.Arch also needs the marks in Class 12 or the diploma that the Council of Architecture’s regulations set; the admitting institute checks them.
Two routes into B.Arch
| Route | Used for |
|---|---|
| NATA | B.Arch seats filled through State counselling and by institutes that admit on the NATA score |
| JEE Main Paper 2A | B.Arch seats at NITs, SPAs and other institutes through JoSAA and CSAB, and at institutes that admit on it |
A student who wants every option takes both. JEE Main 2027 Session 1 is in January 2027 and its form is open till 22 November 2026; see JEE Main 2027 Session 1 for Paper 2A.
B.Arch at Central Universities
A few Central Universities offer B.Arch, and their admission documents say whether they take NATA, JEE Main Paper 2A or both. The NATA page of this site files their B.Arch admission notices with the steps of the test.
What to do now
- Practise drawing every week: perspective, proportion, composition and memory drawing. It is the part that cannot be crammed in the last month.
- Keep the mathematics of Class 12 strong; it serves NATA and JEE Main Paper 2A both.
- Watch nata.in early in 2027 for the brochure, the window and the test days.
