The National Aptitude Test in Architecture is a national-level entrance examination conducted once a year by the Council of Architecture for students who want admission to BArch programmes in various architecture colleges.
If you want to get admission to a Bachelor of Architecture programme at an architecture college for the academic year 2026-27, which accepts admissions through the NATA score, then you can apply for this entrance examination.
As in previous years, the NATA will be conducted nationwide by the COA in 2026. By reading this article thoroughly, you can learn about its important dates, eligibility criteria, application fee, exam pattern, and other details of this entrance exam.
NATA 2026 Overview
| Exam Name | National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) 2026 |
| Conducting Body | Council of Architecture (COA) |
| Exam Level | National Level |
| Course Offered | Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) |
| Academic Session | 2026–27 |
| Mode of Exam | Part A: Offline (Drawing), Part B: Online (MCQ) |
| Exam Duration | 3 Hours (90 minutes each for Part A & B) |
| Exam Dates | March – June 2026 |
| Application Mode | Online |
| Official Website | https://nata.in/ |
Registration
The registration for the National Aptitude Test in Architecture 2026 will be available on the official website of the NATA at https://nata.in/ most probably in late February 2026, and the registration is likely to last until June 2025.
The registration will last until Monday and Tuesday for Friday and Saturday exams, respectively. After the closure of application window, the correction facility will be available on next day i.e. Tuesday and Wednesday.
Important Dates
The Council of Architecture will release the important dates for NATA 2026 along with a notification. You can see the expected schedule in the table given below.
| Event | Date |
| Official Notification Release | January 2026 |
| Registration Start Date | February 2026 |
| Last Date to Apply | June 2026 |
| Admit Card Release | 3 Days Before Exam (Wednesday & Thursday) |
| NATA 2026 Exam Dates | March – June 2026 |
| Answer Key Release | After Each Exam |
| Result Declaration | Within 7 Days Of Exam |
| Scorecard Download | June–July 2026 |
| Counselling / Admission Process | July–August 2026 |
Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria to apply for the National Aptitude Test in Architecture 2026 are as follows, go through the listed points to check if you are eligible.
- You have passed the Intermediate exam with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, from a government recognized school; or
- You have pursued a three-year Diploma in any stream/subject with Mathematics as mandatory subject from an institution recognised by the AICTE.
Notes:
- Candidates who are going to participate in the Intermediate (Class 12) Exam with PCM (or in the final year/semester of 10+3 Diploma with Mathematics) in the year 2026 are also eligible to participate in the NATA.
- The minimum requirement in the qualifying examination (Intermediate or 10+3 Diploma) is 45% score as aggregate.
Application Fee
In order to apply for the NATA 2026, it is mandatory that you deposit the application fee. Refer to the table below to check what you are required to pay.
| Category | Amount |
| UR / OBC (NCL) | ₹1,750 |
| SC / ST / EWS / PwD | ₹1,250 |
| Transgender | ₹1,000 |
To apply online for the NATA 2026 outside of India center, you need to deposit the application fee of ₹15,000. It can be paid using the debit card, credit card, NET banking or UPI.
Exam Date & Time
The National Aptitude Test in Architecture 2026 will be conducted on Fridays and Saturdays between March and June 2026, except Holidays. It will take place in two shifts from 10:00 am to 01:00 pm, and 01:30 pm to 04:30 pm, except on Fridays.
Exam Pattern
The National Aptitude Test in Architecture 2026 organized by the Council of Architecture has two parts Part A and B, the exam mode of A is offline and B is online. Time duration is 90 minutes for each, check the details about the number of questions from below.
| Part | Section | Question Type | No. of Questions | Marks |
| Part A | Composition & Colour (25 marks) | Drawing | 1 | 25 |
| Sketching & Composition (B/W) (25 marks) | Drawing | 1 | 25 | |
| 3D Composition (30 marks) | Drawing | 1 | 30 | |
| Part B | MCQs (2 marks each) | MCQ | 30 | 60 |
| MCQs (4 marks each) | MCQ | 15 | 60 |
The exam will consist of a total of 48 questions across both parts, with a total weightage of 200 marks. A total of 3 hours will be available to answer all the questions, and there is no provision for negative marking. The medium of this entrance exam will be English and Hindi.
How to Apply?
In order to apply for the National Aptitude Test in Architecture 2026, please follow the step-by-step instructions available below.
- Go to the official website of the NATA at https://nata.in/.
- Find and click on the ‘NATA 2026 Registration,’ and get redirected to the registration page.
- Register with your Mobile Number and Email Address, and get the valid login credentials.
- Login to access the application form dashboard, and then provide all the details accurately.
- Upload documents with photograph and signature, and deposit the application fee.
- Review all the details you have provided, and then click on the Submit button to apply for this entrance examination.